After the man died before atoning for his crimes, he returned from the dead as the vampiric Vrykolakas when his wife did not fulfill his last wishes. The next month was full of terror and hauntings.
Perhaps sunlit Santorini isn't a place people would think vampire-like creatures roamed, although history says otherwise.
From the text of a French priest we have some of the oldest documented written stories about the vampire Vrykolaki from Greek folklore. One of them is the story of a merchant from Patmos, called Patino.
Penitent Vrykol
One of the stories we wrote down came from a Jesuit priest, the cousin of a man who died in Santorini. He was known as a usurer and money lender named Lanettis. He is sometimes given the surname Anapliotis. Lanettis converted in the last year of his life and began to repair the people he had wronged. When he died, he asked his wife to pay off the remaining debts and make amends for her sins if people would come to her.
Ultimately, however, she did not fulfill his last wishes. Instead, she spent alms money on people she liked, not on people in need. Lanettis began haunting his village six weeks after his death as something between a vampire monster and a virulent spirit.
Almost like a poltergeist, Lanettis began to terrorize the villagers. But as Vrykolas, as the Greeks knew these types, they came back dead as.
He was known to tear the bedclothes from sleeping people, wake up priests for matins, empty wine barrels, and generally abuse and terrorize people. It didn't seem to be directed at any specific person and anyone could become a target.
He visited the Mother Prioress of the Dominican monastery, woke her up by rolling her rosary on the floor, and mocked her prayers. She spat in his face and asked him what he wanted. as a farewell gesture, she threw her shoes into a tank of water. Praying alone to drive away the spirit will not bring anything good.
Exhumation and exorcism of Vrykola
This haunting lasted about a month. The desire to atone for his life turned into terrorizing more people in the afterlife. After the woman became speechless for three days after meeting him, the villagers gathered their courage and went to his wife, trying to persuade her to do the right thing and fulfill her husband's last wish.
However, this was not enough, certain rituals had to be performed to ensure that he had wandered into the grave. His body was exhumed and examined. According to the story, his body actually showed no signs of being undead and was badly decayed. However, as a precaution, he was exorcised throughout the day with prayers, after which he was quartered and reburied. This happened not only once, but twice, and he did not stop the haunting until his wife paid off her debt to everyone to atone for her life's sins.
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The penitent vampire Vrykolakas in Santorini
After the man died before atoning for his crimes, he returned from the dead as the vampiric Vrykolakas when his wife did not fulfill his last wishes. The next month was full of terror and hauntings.
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The vampire Vrykolakas in Patmos
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Vampirologists. Franciszek Ryszard
By Light Unseen – Vampires in media and culture
Greek accounts of the Vrykolaki
Image Source: Pixabay.com
