Immortality
is a trait usually reserved for the gods. This trait is a statement as to the
vampires’ overall level of power within the mythological pantheon. However, immortality
for a vampire is not the same as it is for the gods. There are a number of fine
print clauses that have been attached to this status.
First is the
issue of appetite, which we’ve already looked at. The vampires may be able to
continue on without feeding on blood or life force, yet the overpowering urge
guarantees that the vampires will not be enjoying their immorality until they
do feed.
But the big
issue comes from the near universal understanding that vampires are dead.
Immortal, but dead. Their status is not one of true power over death, like that
of the gods, or, say, Highlanders. Instead they occupy the opposite end of the
spectrum. Alive and yet not. They are trapped between the living world and the
world of death. This means that they are usually described as being cold, like
a corpse. Their skin has a lifeless pallor, and their hearts do not beat. They
are animated by the power that made them into vampires, but they are not truly
alive. Because their hearts do not beat, and for their propensity of rising
from the grave, we can extrapolate that they have no need to breathe, save for
the purpose of speaking.
Yet they
are not zombies. They retain their intelligence, and they are not in a state of
decay. They don’t have the stench of the grave about them, though they do have
its feel in their flesh (don’t ask about their breath though, especially before
they brush).
Their
immortality is also loaded with more vulnerabilities, especially to sunlight,
which limits their operations considerably. Depending on the myth, vampires may
be conscious during sunlit times, but unable to walk in the sunlight, so must
remain indoors. The other school of thought runs that vampires are unconscious
while the sun is up, so their immortal lifespan is cut to less than half of any
given day.
This isn’t
a balancing act, though. Many times, particularly with my D&D background,
there’s a tendency to balance out the good with the bad, but that’s not what’s
going on with vampires. Their immortality ties directly back to the religious
influence and is a statement about their unique position between life and
death. It’s important to remember that these traits, good, bad, and in between,
all are part of the story that make up vampires. This story is what makes them
so rich and fascinating to explore for stories.