Vampire bat

[fangfan408592]

I was curious as to the nature of the bat that bit Barnabas in 1795 and turned him into a vampire.  I know that it was summoned by Angelique, but was curious to know if anyone had any insights into the bat's true nature.  Was it a demon, a vampire in bat form, etc.  I know that a similar bat was summoned to bite Barnabas in the Leviathan episodes.  I also noted that, in the 1991 series, the bat appears as a vampire Josette before assuming bat form.  Any ideas?

[Raineypark]

Well, it wasn't an actual "vampire" bat unless Angelique  had it shipped up to Maine from South America.

If it was ever discussed, it would most likely have been as part of a conversation on how to "cure" Barnabas......but I can't say I recall such a conversation.

....and welcome to the forum, fangfan408592  

[Fletcher]

I've always believed it was a true vampire, summoned by Angelique in the form of a bat.  And I had hoped that that vampire (the true creator of Barnabas) would someday return to the storyline.  It would have been interesting to explore his history, where did he come from, and how did he get hooked up with Angelique??  And how interesting if he were actually "younger" than Barnabas -- I mean Frid/Barnabas in his forties, while the "other" vampire might have been quite young, perhaps in his early twenties. 

What if this vampire still existed in 1970?  I'd have loved it, if the series had explored the relationship between Barnabas and his "vampire father."   He'd have been so much "older" than Barnabas, but in the body of a younger man.  And, he'd have so much to teach Barnabas.   And his history, of course, would have been completely different than that of Barnabas -- another story to tell.

This character/actor could have been the next Quentin -- another "insider" to carry the story forward in 1970, rather than the constant time-travel.    I enjoyed most of the time-travel on DS, but it got to the point that EVERY storyline depended upon time-travel.   It all became far too predictable. The writers should have been more creative, and allowed more action to take place in the "present,"  after the 1897 story.   Exploring the vampire who created Barnabas might have been interesting.

[petofi]

From the way the writers handled the idea of the Vampire Bat(outside of Barn or Dirk transforming into one), it seemed more of a conjured manifestation of a curse, rather than an individual with its own history apart from its task of biting someone - this is certainly the case for Angelique's bat - she also uses the bat as her "eyes" in 1795, at one point.  It is an extension of her desires/revenge.  In Leviathan, this also seems to be the case - a conjured "spirit" designed to carry out a spell or curse.  Personally, I like the idea of a seperate individual with his/her own history, Fletcher.  This vampire could be a thrall of Angelique that breaks free of her power and returns to free will, perhaps?  A great potential for many permutations of storyline!

Petofi

[PennyDreadful]

As Petofi said, it seemed the bat was a spirit or demon of some kind - manifested by Angelique's vengeful desires.  It did function as Angelique's familiar at one point.  I just assumed it was a demonic spirit controlled by Angelique - the "bearer" of the curse so to speak -  which takes the physical form of a bat on this plane.

[Gothick]

The original bat in 1795 is what in Ceremonial Magic is often called a Servitor.  It is a being fashioned out of the Sacred Elements in combination with the Will of the Magician and exists to perform specific tasks.  In Angelique's case, she created it to spy on Barnabas and be her eyes and ears where she was not present.  When you create one, you are supposed to be very specific and sensible craftsmen with solid training will usually give a specific date or circumstance for the dissolution or "death" of the creature so it doesn't run around wreaking havoc after it's done what you wanted.  They often take the form of mythological animals such as griffins or unicorns but such beasts as cats or bats are also popular. Somewhat confusingly, there is another tradition of a Witch creating a cat, a bat, a bird, a wolf or other animal as her "Fetch."  It is linked to her life essence and if it is harmed, the Witch can suffer harm as well.  There is a story about this in the Silver John stories written from Appalachian folklore by one of the old writers--Manly Wade Wellman, maybe?  And some folklore was collected in a recent volume on faery and werewolf legends by a French scholar that has been published in English.

When Jeb summoned the Bat from Hell during the Leviathan period, that bat was clearly of demonic nature.  I think that technically speaking, it was a critter of a very different kind from Ange's bat in 1795.  Of course both were played by the same Bil Baird puppet, and I'm sure I have written far more than anyone wanted to know on this subject.

cheers, Gothick

[CyrusL]

Great post Gothick, absolutely fascinating. I appreciate your insight into such "quaint and almost forgotten ancient lore."

Michael 

[Raineypark]

and I'm sure I have written far more than anyone wanted to know on this subject.

Well, I could listen for hours.....but we'd have to move it to another forum, wouldn't we..... 

[Nancy]

Not in my opinion anyway.  That discourse was quite fascinating. Thank you.

Nancy

and I'm sure I have written far more than anyone wanted to know on this subject.

[Fletcher]

Interesting stuff, Gothick.  More to share?

I teach a couple of cultural diversity classes, and both have sections on Appalachian culture.  Although I find Appalachian culture fasinating (mostly because I am of Appalachian desent), I've never had much interest in Appalachian folklore.  But, you've sparked my interest!   I would love to hear more about "horror-related" (for lack of a better term) aspects of the folklore of that region.

No, it's not boring.  Obviously several people have enjoyed your post.  If you've got more, please share it.

[ProfStokes]

The original bat in 1795 is what in Ceremonial Magic is often called a Servitor.  It is a being fashioned out of the Sacred Elements in combination with the Will of the Magician and exists to perform specific tasks.  In Angelique's case, she created it to spy on Barnabas and be her eyes and ears where she was not present.  When you create one, you are supposed to be very specific and sensible craftsmen with solid training will usually give a specific date or circumstance for the dissolution or "death" of the creature so it doesn't run around wreaking havoc after it's done what you wanted. 

Thank you for your very informative post, Gothick.  I'm particularly interested by this part above.  Your description of the Servitor sounds very similar to that of the Tibetan Buddhist tulpa.  Do you happen to know if the concepts are related?

ProfStokes 

[PennyDreadful]

Very interesting Gothick.  Thanks for sharing that.  I'm always interested in learning such things.

[Pansity]

Facinating post, Gothik.  I agree with Fletcher-- and everyone else who posted.  I would gladly sit and read any and all other things you'd care to post on those topics.

[Gothick]

Thanks!  It's nice to know that some of you find my more arcane ramblings of interest.

I'm reading one of Doreen Valiente's books at the moment and in a passage I read just this morning, she discusses some lore around the "Fetch" of the Witch.  She cites a tale by Dorothy L. Sayers, "The Cyprian Cat," which uses some of this lore as a springboard.  Valiente does indeed mention bat, cat and wolf as favorite forms a Witch would take when projecting her spirit out of body in disguise.  So there is an obvious link between Witchcraft lore and legends of lycanthropy.

G.