Hold onto your garlic: These vampire¹ myths are actually rooted in fact, which makes them all the more creepy.

抓紧你的大蒜：那些关于吸血鬼的传说可是根据真实故事改编的，而且事实比传说更惊悚。

1、The Legend of the Blood Countess 吸血女伯爵的传说

Countess Elizabeth Bathory, who lived from 1560 to 1614 in Hungary, was accused of vampire behavior: biting the flesh of victims and bathing in their blood as a beauty treatment.

伊丽莎白-巴斯利伯爵夫人，出生于1560年的匈牙利，死于1614年，她被指控的吸血鬼行为有：生吃被害者的肉，并在她们的鲜血中沐浴以保持自己的美貌。

2、The Legend of Dracula, "Son of the Dragon" 德古拉的传说，“龙之子”

Vlad of Walachia, better known as Vlad the Impaler², is most likely the root of several vampire legends, including Dracula. In addition to impaling³ enemies on stakes, Vlad would eat bread that had been dipped in his enemies' blood.

瓦拉其亚的弗拉德，也叫做刺穿王弗拉德，很可能是各种版本吸血鬼传说的起源，包括德古拉在内。除了活活的将敌人钉在木桩上，弗拉德还蘸着敌人的鲜血吃面包。

3、The Legend of the Ka 古埃及的Ka传说

Egyptians also had their share of vampire lore⁴ and blood suckers. The Egyptian goddess Sekhmet was known for her taste for blood; and according to "the Egyptian Book of the Dead", if a certain part of the soul called the ka didn't receive adequate offerings, it left the tomb to drink blood.

关于吸血鬼和嗜血者，埃及人也有自己的传说。埃及女神塞克迈特就以她的嗜血而出名。根据埃及《死亡之书》的记载，如果灵魂中叫做Ka的部分没有得到足够的供奉，它就会离开墓穴去吸血。

4、The Legend of the Ch'iang Shih 僵尸传说

In China, vampires⁵ had long, hooked claws and red eyes. They were known as ch'iang shih, which translates to "corpse⁶-hopper".

在中国，吸血鬼都长着长长的，弯钩状的爪子和红色的眼睛。他们被称为僵尸，也译为“会蹦的尸体”。

5、The Legend of the Ekimmu 爱奇慕传说

A Sumerian and Babylonian myth dating from 4,000 B.C. describes an ekimmu — a spirit that isn't buried properly that returns to suck life from the living.

一个自公元前4000年开始流传的苏美尔和巴比伦传说将爱奇慕描绘成一种未被妥善埋葬的灵魂，返回人间吸食活人的生命。

6、The Legend of the Rising Dead 丧尸传说

Throughout northwest Europe, stones called dolmens were placed over graves to prevent the dead from rising.

在欧洲西北部，被叫做墓石牌坊的石头被安放在墓穴前以防止死尸复活。

7、The Legend of the Vampires of the Plague 黑死病吸血鬼传说

During the 16th century, it was believed that vampires fed off the bodies of plague victims, and that female vampires spread the plague. Those suspected of being vampires were even buried with rocks wedged in their mouths.

在16世纪，人们认为吸血鬼以黑死病患者的身体为食物来源，并且女吸血鬼们会传播黑死病。那些被怀疑为吸血鬼的人嘴里含着石头被掩埋。

8、The Legend of the Vampire Coffin⁷ 吸血鬼棺材传说

Sometimes grave robbers would open a coffin and the corpse would move or sit up — a natural reaction that can be caused by decomposition⁸. This may have led to the legend of vampires sleeping in coffins⁹.

有时，当盗墓者打开棺材的时候，尸体会移动或坐起来 —— 一种由于分解作用产生的自然反应。这可能是吸血鬼睡在棺材里传言的由来。

9、The Legend of the Vampire in Medicine 医学界的吸血鬼传说

Medical ailments¹⁰ can mimic¹¹ symptoms of vampirism. For example, haematodipsia is a sexual thirst for blood, and hemeralopia is day blindness. Porphyria causes sensitivity to light and teeth that are stained reddish brown.

医学疾病可能会产生类似吸血鬼的症状。例如，嗜血症是一种对血的性渴望，并且患者是昼盲。卟啉症会引起对光过敏，并且牙齿会变成红棕色。