Tag Archives: vampires

St. George and the Werewolves

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Icon of St. George killing the dragon from the late 1400s.

St. George is probably best known for killing the dragon. But there are many other legends and customs associated with the celebration of St. George’s Day on April 23 or the night before (St. George’s Eve). One of the most mysterious is that of the Master of the Wolves. On St. George’s Eve a man is wandering in the forest, becomes tired, and climbs into a tree to rest. He falls asleep. When he awakes, he sees the Master of the Wolves below him, who is giving out food to the wolves or werewolves, sometimes sending them in all directions to search for food. The last in line is the Lame Wolf. Since there is no more food, the Master of the Wolves says he can eat the man watching from the tree.

Among part of the southern Slavs (Serbs, Macedonians, Bulgarians) the legends and beliefs about the Master of the Wolves are also connected with numerous commandments, prohibitions and customs associated into the so-called “wolf holidays”. Legends about some type of Master of the Wolves can also be found in written form among the majority of southern and eastern Slavs, partially also among the Poles, and among the Estonians, the Gagauz in Moldavia, in Latvia, Romania and in an incomplete form even in France. His function, as can be established from the legends and beliefs, is to lead the wolves and determine what they may and may not eat. In some versions of the legend, the Master of Wolves is St. George himself! (For more about the Master of Wolves, read here.)

In the book Dracula, by Bram Stoker, evil things are said to occur on St George’s Day, beginning at midnight. The date of St George’s Day presented in the book, 5 May (on the Western, Gregorian calendar), is St George’s Day as observed by the Eastern Orthodox churches of that era:

“Do you know what day it is?” I answered that it was the fourth of May. She shook her head as she said again: “Oh, yes! I know that, I know that! but do you know what day it is?” On my saying that I did not understand, she went on: “It is the eve of St. George’s Day. Do you not know that tonight, when the clock strikes midnight, all the evil things in the world will have full sway?”(Excerpt from Dracula, 1897)

Subway Magic

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Subway tunnels are prime locations for magical activities requiring darkness -- and grit.

Subway tunnels are prime locations for magical activities requiring darkness — and grit.

NYC subways in the 1970s and early 1980s were a very different experience from what they are today.

NYC subways in the 1970s and early 1980s were a very different experience from what they are today.

Subways are a fact of life in New York. More than a fact of life, in fact. They are one of the defining characteristics of life in New York. They get us to work and they get us back home. They get us to the movies and to restaurants. They get us from the Bronx to the Battery and to Coney Island or Flushing. No one can say they’ve truly visited New York or had an authentic New York experience without riding the subway.

Subways feature in books about New York, of course. One great book about vampires on the NYC subways during the gritty days of the late 1970s or early 1980s is Light at the End. Another more recent vampire novel set on the subways is The Lesser Dead. (A wonderful guide to vampire literature of all sorts is The Monster with a Thousand Faces: Guises of the Vampire in Myth and Literature which I highly recommend as well.)

Subways tunnels are dark and dirty, prime sites ready for wicked magic and evil magic-doers: The Night Tourist opens doors to the world of the dead. Subways also take us to the East Village and other neighborhoods where occult supply shops like Enchantments can be found if you need a new Tarot deck, appropriate herbs and spices, or any other magical supplies.

Wouldn’t it be even more magical if everyone remembered a little etiquette while riding the subway?

Just as everyone-including men-should sit on the subway with their knees together, it is also true that everyone-including women-should keep both feet on the floor rather than crossing their knees and sticking one foot out into the aisle halfway across the space allotted for people to stand! ARGH!

Pre-sales for “Earth to Earth, Ashes to Ashes”

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Castle Annaghs outside Waterford, Ireland is the location of the actual grave identified in local legend as that of the dearg-due ("red blood sucker").

Castle Annaghs outside Waterford, Ireland is the location of the actual grave identified in local legend as that of the dearg-due (“red blood sucker”).

For everyone waiting for the next adventure of the Evil Conference professors, I am working on Earth to Earth, Ashes to Ashes and hope to have it finished in time to release next November. It will follow the professors back to Ireland and they will once again confront both Elizabeth, the dearg-due (Irish female vampire), and Eva (the witch who created the dearg-due in 1700s Ireland).

As you recall from the Come Hell or High Water trilogy, the dearg-due was a young girl from 1700s Waterford (southeast Ireland). She was in love with a local shepherd but her father insisted that she marry the local landlord, a much older and wealthier man. (Clearly, her father hoped to profit from the marriage.) But the husband was a cruel and abusive man who beat his young wife to death. She was raised from the grave beneath the famous Strongbow’s Oak, however, and transformed into the DEARG-DUE (“red blood sucker”). She first killed and lapped up the blood of her abusive husband and then her uncaring father and now she continues to seduce and kill men. She is unharmed by sunlight, holy water, or garlic. She cannot be destroyed. But she can be pinned beneath the earth if a small tower of stones is built atop her grave. She will then be trapped in her grave until the stones are dispersed, allowing her to rise from the grave beneath the oak tree and begin the cycle of seduction and murder all over again. Incorporating local Irish history, mythology, and folklore, Earth to Earth, Ashes to Ashes will be a stand-alone novel (not another trilogy).

You can pre-order your copy now thru the Pubslush website here. By donating the cost of the book in advance, you help cover the cost of editing and research and will get an autographed copy of the paperback mailed to you as soon as the novel is available. Even if you can’t support the book financially yet, please click on the link and become a FAN of the project to show your support.

I will keep you up-to-date with my progress on the book by occasional posts here — but NO SPOILERS will be revealed! 🙂