The Vicious Upyr — Lost Soul, Sorcerer, and Vampire in Slavic Folklore
The figure of the ‘Upyr’ is embedded in Western Slavic culture and their ancient Pagan religious beliefs.
Western Slavs are those found in Central, Eastern, and Southern Europe. They started converting to Christianity only in the 12th century AD, somewhat recent in historical terms. The process was slow. Nevertheless, Slavic mythology’s evidence is fragmented because it was an oral tradition, has to be filtered through careful translation of different sub-languages, and sometimes is conflicting due to its variety.
Among the many forms of European Slavic traditions, there is a common figure. It is called upir in Old East Slavic language, but referred to as upyr more commonly and more recently. The word has no definite origin, it is only speculated that upír translates as ‘someone who thrusts, bites’. The dark figure it refers to, on the other hand, elicits strong emotions and reactions: a vampire.
The figure of a ‘vampiric creature’ is common in a vast number of cultures including the Slavic ones. The Slavic one was different from its other European counterparts, and it was much more rooted in Slavic tradition and everyday life for various factors.
