By Suzanne Carré

From the first moment human beings created the vampire in the form of a bloodthirsty entity with fangs, we have promoted the vampire to the highest levels of supernatural powers. The vampire sex-goddesses were some of the more significant deities of the ancient world and commanded worship that lasted thousands of years. They are always associated with human sacrifice, some of the more infamous with the immolation of children.

These goddess of sex never completely vanished and were absorbed with changing civilizations or adaption of pagan religions. But they kept their powers no matter their incarnation. In the beginning these sexy beasts promised fertility and abundance. From these simple gifts, the vampire would eventually gain the power over life and death. Vampires not only kill but they can also promise eternal life (or perpetual hell depending on how you look at it).

It was supposed that if we over-analyzed or scientifically investigated the vampire, the mythological beast loses all its appeal. Reflecting on the trends of the 20th century, where science has played an increasing role in the genre of horror, it appears that rejecting the “bite” has caused more dismay over vampires than the possibility of proving they might exist. When the first scientific investigations of the vampire were made in Hungry early in the 1700′s, they laid to rest the malicious nature of the corpse and laws then protected the dead. This research did not dampen the enthusiasm for the vampire as a night stalking entity intending to sup upon our blood.

Since modern fans of vampires question the logic of vampire behavior more than ridicule the myth, I think it’s about time that I examine some of these contentious traits causing the debate. So let’s examine these supernatural powers that distinguish the vampire from any other demon. If we can ask the right questions of the vampire, we might get a rational explanation. Let’s start with the mirror trick.

Smoke and mirrors

To see or not to see a vampire in the mirror is a test of the supernatural in some cases only. Vampires tend to show up in reflective surfaces depending on how they feel (or more correctly, how their creator was thinking). From the first, it was a property of a pagan god not to have a reflection. Denizens of the preternatural domain require no reflection or cast shadows for that matter. These attributes are shared with the Devil and most demons afraid of salt.

So is a vampire misbehaving if he/she has a reflection? Or are vampires just illogical and silly if they defy the laws of physics and basic common sense? The problem of having a reflection or no, is not settled in either literature or on film. With words, you can just state the vampire doesn’t show in the mirror so imagination is not the limit here. With modern movie techniques, the special effects department can make us see anything they want us to see, or not see for that matter, so technology is not the limit here either. It may have been at the turn of the last century because we cannot forget Nosferatu has a reflection in the mirror.

Reflections of the Undead

First question, about the vampire behavior, is a matter of what true vampire characteristics are. True vampires don’t reflect so no matter the choice of the artist, the bad guy here is the creator of the vampire. Does it really matter? It depends I guess on the effect sought after by the writer. But if you take away the ability to not reflect in mirrors then it leads to the temptation of leaving out a few more pure vampire traits that might diminish the power of the vampire. Personally, I believe the function of fiction is to create using an imagination so nothing is therefore impossible. If you can’t wrap your mind around concepts you cannot touch or prove, then the question is, whether or not you have what it takes to be a writer. As a logical person, I find science fiction fun so I don’t lock my mind in a mathematical box.

But there is firm opposition to the impossibility of a vampire based on scientific reasoning. Having a vampire not showing in a mirror is breaking basic laws of physics—isn’t it? I guess the simple answer to that question is, it depends on how much physics you know. I studied maths but while I was at it, I took all the courses offered for theoretical physics. Why? Because it gave me something to think about. The problem of a vampire not giving a reflection in a mirror is, I think, in the definition of “light.”

Shine a Little Light on Me

To a physicist, light is not just what we use to see with. In the general sense, light is electromagnetic radiation and this extends beyond the visible portion of the spectrum in both directions. A mirror reflects only visible light to produce images. Other forms of light can bounce off a mirror but if you can’t see the light beam, in the case of an invisible laser, then you don’t see a reflection.

From the red light (lowest energy), we have infra red, used in night-vision technology, but this doesn’t produce a reflection. Still lower in energy we have microwaves to cook food, radio and TV frequencies for entertainment, and eventually we reach radar for military surveillance. In higher energy levels, and beyond purple light, we have ultra-violet radiation, which causes skin cancer, but doesn’t produce a reflection either. X rays peak inside solid objects and at the highest energies are the gamma rays, emitted in radioactive decay (and also created the Incredible Hulk). There is more to light than meets the eye (absolutely).

So now you argue—that’s fine but is there anything out there in the natural world that uses these other forms of “light?” Birds and many insects “see” in ultra-violet (UV). Predators like many species of snake “see” in infra-red. Some animal displays require UV radiation to be fully appreciated. Many flowers depend on their attraction under UV for insect fertilization. If the natural world relies on non-visible light to survive then it is plausible to have creatures existing in non-visible light. Just because science hasn’t discovered any examples yet doesn’t mean they don’t exist at all. Finally, no one seems to question the ability of the vampire to make you see what they want you to see.

It doesn’t take too much of a leap in imagination then to see it’s not the vampire breaking the laws of physics, but a misunderstanding over light that causes the confusion. Does a vampire violate common sense by not having a reflection? Only if common sense is limited to what is tangible. But anyone who uses a computer, and to read this article that includes you, common sense is not much help in explaining how the machine functions. Microelectronics rely on the weird, and at times absurd, physics of quantum mechanics, but that doesn’t mean the computer is not real. Expand your imagination and you soon realize it’s not a trick with smoke and mirrors.

And talking about quantum mechanics, because of the way I defined my vampires scientifically then I have physics (and even biology) to explain their behavior, including their ability to change location without taking time to move. It is an extension of the reason why they have no reflection and it also explains why they can take us with them from place to place. This article is not intended to discuss the theory, but if you can’t figure it out—you can always ask me.

Understanding the Beast

The important thing for me is not so much what we do when we question the vampire existence, but our motivation into why. We examine vampires because they mean so much to us. We use the vampire to represent all the frightening aspects of our psychology, and probing the subconscious is not only for the sake of curiosity, but a personal need. It is a need that defines us. We yearn to know ourselves from the inside of our minds, so when the vampire takes us by the hand, we trust them enough to follow. To know the beast certainly is to love the beast.

So come. Don’t be afraid. There is more, particularly the way vampires increase. Specifically, I want to deal with the bite and how this makes you turn into a vampire. Along the way we have a mathematical puzzle to solve over conversion—if one or more vampire bites change us into a vampire and we then bite others—why haven’t we all converted to vampires by now?

Before that, I want to read a section from my novel. Because I have discussed the way vampires behave in mirrors, this piece is when Marie discovers her vampire lover Vincent doesn’t have a reflection.

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