Real Vampire Dug Up in Italy

Italy Vampire VeniceSince much of the Twilight sequel, New Moon, takes place in Italy (the Volturi segments, at least), I decided to do a little Googling and learn about some vampire supersitions in Italy.

In March, the Associated Press reported that the remains of a woman believed to be a 16th Century vampire were dug up north of Venice in 2006.

Apparently, it was  an old Italian tradition to bury believed vampires with a brick in their mouth.

This is the first instance of actual archeaological evidence of real vampires. The remains were dated and the woman was believed to have died during a plague. There was another mass grave nearby.

Texts from the medieval period describe that people believed in vampires because they were disturbed by the way decomposing bodies looked. People had to see them during epidemics because mass graves had to be reopened in order to bury the freshly dead. The decomposing bodies often had blood spewing out of their mouths. This led to the belief that the undead (or already dead) feasted on blood. Also, often there were holes in the burial shrouds over the corpse’s mouth, leading people to believe that they were eating their shrouds. Believed vampires were often called “shroud eaters.”

Obviously, thanks to modern science, we know that blood seeps out of a corpse’s mouth due to the decomposition of its organs.

Back in the 16th Century, a stake through the heard wasn’t enough to kill a vampire. They had to put a brick in its mouth, in order to make it starve.

The woman was believed to have been 60 at the time of death, and the brick was probably placed in her mouth by a priest or a grave digger, after the grave was redug. Italian anthropologists explain this away by saying that Italians created vampire myths because they didn’t know about bacteria or the spread of disease.

But…maybe this woman was a Volturi member! I guess we’ll never know the vampire secrets until we’re bitten…

Environmental Consciousness Shown in Twilight

forest31There are several indications in the movie “Twilight,” of environmental consciousness on the parts of Stephanie Meyer and Catherine Hadwicke.

 

Although Bella says the forest gives her the creeps in the book, in the film “Twilight,” the forest is pictured as lush and beautiful, and it has nearly a magical quality. It acts as hunting grounds for vampires and a playground for Bella and Edward.

 

Also, in “Twilight” the movie, Bella, Edward and their classmates go on a special fieldtrip for Biology class. I believe they go to some kind of greenhouse, where they learn about composting and reusing natural resources. The environmental consciousness is most obvious when the Biology teacher actually says, “Green is good,” in order to coax the students onto the school bus.

 

Another feature of “Twilight” the movie that points to environmental consciousness on the parts of the author and the director is the fact that vampires and werewolves are natural predators to one another. Although blood-sucking immortals don’t seem like the most natural phenomenon, the balance that is created by their canine counterparts is indicative of a much larger natural balance (and adds a great plot-point to the movie as well).

 

The back story behind the Quileute legends also adds an element to environmental balance and harmony between humans and animals. When thinking about all of these elements combined, “Twilight” seems like an incredibly environmental movie!

Symbolism in “Twilight”

apple1There is lots of symbolism in the movie “Twilight.” The apple on the cover of the first book is quite obvious, but there are some more subtle symbols as well.

One not-so-obvious symbol in the film “Twilight” is Edward’s silver Volvo. Not only is the volvo a symbol of accumulated wealth, but its hue also parallels vampires with the mythical silver bullet that will kill a werewolf. Thus, it signifies that Edward, being a vampire, is an enemy of werewolves (a bit of foreshadowing).

Another thing that I found interesting is the fact that the story is set in the lushest, wettest part of the country, where the most life exists. This is in stark contrast to vampires, who are completely devoid of life.

If anyone else has found any interesting symbolism in “Twilight”, please share!

Twilight Inspires Abstinence, Classical Music and Shakespeare

The more I think about some worried parents’ concerns about the “obsessive relationship between Edward and Bella,” I think that the film “Twilight” does more in the way of inspiring beneficial things, rather than dangerous ones (unless you count dating vampires and hanging out with wearwolves).

The fact that Edward Cullen listens to Claire de Lune is huge. The Debussy song can even be found on the soundtrack! Although Mozart is my favorite, and some baroque music may have been more appropriate for the subject matter of the film, it definitely got me interested in at least checking out some more music of that genre.

In addition to that, Bella’s favorite book is Wuthering Heights, and she and Edward watch “Romeo and Juliet” in the novel. I think that these things encourage the average “Twilight” fan to invest some time into valuable cultural mediums.

Another prudent value which the movie and book seem to subliminally support is abstinence. It is too dangerous for Bella and Edward to have sex, so the reader and viewer are forced to made do with a PG 13 love affair. Abstinence is their only recourse.

Twilight Immortals…welcome

twilight_by_irisheyes2490After reading Stephanie Meyer’s collection in its entirety, I felt the need to create a site where fans of both the Twilight series and the films could share information, different art forms, gossip and various other musings.

After years of studying literature, and only reading that which was assigned to me in college,Twilight was the first novel that I’ve read for fun in what seems like an eternity “Obsession” isn’t a strong enough word! I read the first novel of the series in two days, and avidly devoured the remainder in just a few more days.

I saw the film right away and was so sad when the two hours, in which I saw my favorite characters come to life, finished. I simply can’t wait to see the rest!