ABSTRACT
HISTORICALLY, A VAMPIRE OR an undead was a being that was neither dead nor alive and fed from living humans’ fl esh or blood. One of the fi rst known episodes of vampire hysteria in a population took place in the village of Meduegna, Serbia. At the beginning of the eighteenth century Meduegna, like other cities in Serbia and Bosnia, was ruled by the Austrian Empire. Serbia had previously been under Turkish Ottoman rule and during this time was devastated by the Austrian-Ottoman wars. During this period, Serbian people lived poorly. Austrians oft en off ered free land to militiamen as an exchange for helping control the area and to prevent a Turkish invasion. One of the earliest documented cases of vampirism was Petar Blagojevich who died in 1725 in the village of Kisilova. His death was followed by nine others within a few days. Soon, some people claimed that Blagojevich had attacked them at night. Even Blagojevich’s wife said that he had come to visit to ask her for his shoes. As a result of the increasing tension, the local authorities agreed to the exhumation the body. Th e examiners found signs of vampirism such as growing hair and nails and absence of decomposition. Fearing more deaths, the locals urged for Blagojevich’s body to be staked through the heart and burned.
