Vampires have captured the imagination for centuries, appearing in folklore, literature, film and television. While vampires are often portrayed as male, female vampires have also played a prominent role in vampire mythology and popular culture.
Female Vampires in Mythology and Folklore
References to female vampires exist in the folklore of many cultures around the world. In ancient Mesopotamia, the legends of Lilith and Lamashtu depict blood-drinking female demons. In Greek mythology, Empusa was a female demon who preyed on young men by shapeshifting into a beautiful woman. One of the most well-known female vampires is the ancient Slavic legend of the vampirica, a beautiful but dangerous undead woman.
In Chinese legends, the jiangshi is a reanimated corpse that kills by sucking out a victim’s life essence or “qi.” Although jiangshi can be male or female, the female jiangshi is specifically known as a jiāngshī guǐzi (僵屍鬼子). She is a young, attractive woman dressed in flowing white robes.
The aswang is a legendary vampire-like monster in Filipino folklore that can appear as a beautiful woman by day, hiding its blood-drinking nature. The tikoloshe is a similar creature in Zulu mythology that stalks its victims at night in the form of a short, female vampire.
Female Vampires in Literature
One of the earliest works of modern vampire literature is John Polidori’s 1819 novella The Vampyre, which featured Lord Ruthven, a suave aristocratic vampire. Despite the male protagonist, Polidori’s work helped establish the seductive yet dangerous vampire archetype that influenced later depictions of female vampires.
In 1872, Sheridan Le Fanu published Carmilla, which revolved around the predatory relationship between the title character and the lonely young woman Laura. Though preceding Bram Stoker’s Dracula by 25 years, Carmilla shared many similarities with Stoker’s famous Count and helped popularize the idea of the female vampire.
Other notable female vampires in literature include:
- Lucy Westenra in Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1897)
- Elizabeth Bathory in C. Dean Andersson’s I Am Dracula (1962)
- Akasha from Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles (1976-2016)
- Miriam Blaylock in Whitley Strieber’s The Hunger (1981)
Female Vampires in Movies and Television
Female vampires have been portrayed numerous times on film and television, often as tempting femme fatales using their beauty and seduction skills to lure victims:
- Theda Bara as Cleopatra in A Fool There Was (1915)
- Maila Nurmi as Vampira in Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959)
- Barbara Steele in Mario Bava’s Black Sunday (1960)
- Grace Jones in Vamp (1986)
- Lucy Westenra in Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)
- Salma Hayek as Santánico Pandemonium in From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)
- Drusilla in Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003)
- Pam and Jessica in True Blood (2008-2014)
Female vampires have also been portrayed as sympathetic, romantic heroines struggling with their bloodlust, such as in The Vampire Diaries (2009-2017) and the Twilight series (2008-2012).
Key Characteristics of the Female Vampire
While female vampires come in many forms, some common traits emerge:
- Seductive beauty – Use their attractive looks to lure victims
- Sexual aggression – May use eroticism or their wiles to attract prey
- Preying on men – Female victims rare, males more frequent target
- Power and control – Wield power over victims as immortal being
- Sympathy – Some portrayed as tragic heroines struggling with bloodlust
- Elegance – Often aristocratic, sophisticated, fashionable appearance
However, some female vampires may subvert these stereotypes, using their powers for good or resisting violence despite their predatory nature.
Conclusion
While male vampires like Dracula may be more famous, female vampires have always captivated audiences as well. The combination of beauty, power, immortality, and danger that female vampires represent has kept them an essential figure in mythology, folklore, and modern vampire stories in literature and film over many centuries.
From ancient blood demons like Lilith to modern vampire heroines like Buffy, the female vampire is a relentlessly appealing trope that continues to evolve while remaining undyingly seductive.