Now you know the facts, lets add it to the myth. Vampires can not go out in sunlight, they sleep in coffins, can not see themselves in mirrors, and drink blood. In the old days, there was no treatment for Porphyria, all sufferers could do to avoid the pain would be to only venture out in the dark of night. They would wear dark clothing so that light is absorbed and not reflected, and looking in a mirror meant there was light to be able to see your reflection, so of course would never look in mirrors. On top of this, they would have to sleep in boxes during the day to ensure all light would be blocked out while they slept, and would have looked an awful lot like coffins. As you can imagine from the lack of exposure to the sun, their skin was extremely white. And because their gum’s deteriorate, their teeth would also look extended, much like fangs. Now here’s the kicker. The only relief these sufferers could get for their pain, is a dose of those enzymes that their body’s were unable to produce. There was no medical technology in those days that could create those enzymes and inject them. The only way to get access to those enzymes, was in blood. Some sick individuals may have started drinking the blood of small animals to get this relief, and then carried on to humans. The best place to get a blood from a human to drink it, is the jugular vein, which is located in the neck.
Is this all starting to look familiar to you?
I have no idea where the idea of super strength, hatred of garlic, and the crucifix come in, but I’m sure by now you can see how a simple medical condition, through a lack of understanding has become transformed into this romanticised version of vampires