While I have not come across a vampire in my daily life as of yet, that does not mean they are not lurking in the shadows. Having the knowledge on how to defend myself and my family against a bloodsucker may still come in handy. And without the last name Van Helsing, it’s not engrained in my DNA. Here are the most common options that I found have been used throughout history.
The classic wooden stake is the most commonly way talked about in movies or comic books. Now they don’t mention the types of wood to use. Doing some research white oak seems to be the most common which makes sense since it’s a hardwood. There is also mention that the wood needs to be from a fruit tree since it gives life and vampires are the living dead. So, I guess to make a stake out of wood and hope for the best. As far as where to place the stake it varies with the heart or chest or upper torso.
The next common weapon or maybe repellant would be a better word is holy items. We could separate each item, but I figured it was simpler to lump them into one category. So holy water, the Bible, and the cross or rosary are the most common holy items that people use to repel or ward off vampires. Now, if we go off older tales or writings these are 100% effective. But some recent movies have shown that these don’t work as well as intended. So, your mileage may vary. It doesn’t hurt to keep them on hand in your vampire hunting box.
Guns have been used off and on with mixed results. Take the sunlight bullets from the Underworld franchise, they worked flawlessly. But that technology may be a little out of the reach of the common man (I am still trying to perfect it). Other options are wooden bullets, blessed bullets, or even holy water bullets. But normal copper-plated bullets do nothing unless they are blessed. Wood bullets have been used by militaries in the past for practice ammunition so this can be done, you just have to do some hand loads and testing. With holy water, on the other hand, I would suggest investing in a good super soaker or weed sprayer.
Garlic was an interesting one to find info on. Some say it’s used to ward off vampires while older writings say it’s to keep them dead. The idea is that you decapitate the vampire then stuff garlic in its mouth to keep it dead. So, if decapitating the vampire doesn’t kill him, make sure you have some garlic on hand to do the trick.
As taught to us by The Lost Boys, vampires can’t enter your home without being invited. So, as long as you’re home you’re safe. But if you go out you should consider taking your blessed bullets and wooden stakes.
What about silver bullets?