In the remote corners of Hungary, where the border of civilization blurs into wilderness, there is a story that shakes one to the marrow of the bones. It is a story passed down from generation to generation, whispered in hushed tones by the light of flickering hearth fires, a story that, despite its age, has lost none of its power to unsettle and disturb. It is the story of the revenants, the Hungarian vampires.
The story begins, as many stories do, with a death. A soldier quartered in the humble dwelling of a peasant from the Haidamagne found himself in the company of a stranger. This stranger, whom the master of the house did not know, sat down at the table with them and his presence cast an ominous shadow over the room. The soldier, who did not know the local lore, was puzzled by the fear that gripped his host. But the next day, when the host was found dead, the soldier began to understand the terrifying truth.
The stranger was no ordinary man, but a ghost, the spirit of the host’s father, who had been dead and buried for a decade. His appearance was a harbinger of death, a curse that had been fulfilled with the demise of the host. The soldier, startled by this revelation, reported the incident to his regiment. The news reached the officers, who ordered an investigation into this macabre incident.
The investigation, led by Count de Cabreras, revealed a startling fact. The ghost was not an isolated phenomenon. There were others who had been dead for a long time and were now haunting the living. One such ghost had killed his own brother and son, drained them of their blood, and left them lifeless. When the corpses of these ghosts were dug up, they were found to be uncannily well preserved and their blood was still liquid, as if they were still alive.
In a desperate attempt to rid the village of these horrors, the ghosts were subjected to a cruel ritual. A large nail was driven into their temples, a brutal act designed to prevent their return. But the fear remained, a constant reminder of the thin veil that separates the living from the dead.
This story, a chilling account of vampires in Hungary, is a haunting reminder of the horrors that lurk in the shadows. It is a story that still haunts the quiet hills and streams of Hungary, a story that reminds us that sometimes the dead do not rest easily.
Reference: Calmet, A. (1850). Phantom world: the history and philosophy of ghosts, apparitions, &c. &c. Philadelphia: A. Hart, Late Carey & Hart.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What does the Hungarian vampire account in this article actually describe?
A: The Hungarian vampire account describes revenants, dead relatives returning to visit and harm the living, leading to official exhumations where bodies appeared preserved with liquid blood, prompting anti-vampire measures.
Q: Where does the story of vampires in Hungary here come from, and who is Augustin Calmet?
A: The story summarized here comes from Benedictine scholar Augustin Calmet’s 18th–19th-century compendium on apparitions (often titled Phantom World in English), which collected European reports of revenants and vampire cases.
Q: Why is blood mentioned as still liquid in Hungarian vampire exhumations?
A: Liquid, seemingly fresh blood in exhumed corpses was taken as a sign of vampirism in period folklore. Today it’s understood that decomposition conditions (cold, anaerobic burial) can preserve fluids and give a lifelike appearance.
Q: What anti-vampire ritual is described for vampires in Hungary, and what was its purpose?
A: The article mentions driving a large nail into the temples of the exhumed dead, one of several recorded anti-vampire rites (others included staking, decapitation, or burning) intended to prevent the revenant’s return.
Q: Who is the ‘Count de Cabreras’ in the Hungarian vampire investigation, and what role did he play?
A: In Calmet’s report, Count de Cabreras is named as an officer who ordered or oversaw inquiries after a soldier reported a death linked to a revenant; he functions as the authority figure triggering the exhumations.
Q: How do Hungarian vampire traditions in this article relate to wider Central and Eastern European vampirism?
A: They align with broader Balkan and Habsburg-era beliefs about revenants: familial visitations, official probes, and prophylactic rites, part of a regional pattern that shaped Europe’s later literary vampire.
