Jure Grando – First ‘Real’ Historical Vampire Case Documented

Jan Bartek - AncientPages.com - Today, many watch movies and read books about vampires because these are entertaining stories. Most people do not believe in real vampires, but ancient people were convinced these scary blood-sucking creatures did exist, and they were extremely dangerous.

Accounts of vampires occur in mythology and folklore worldwide. Perhaps the most famous vampire is Bram Stoker's Dracula, whose renowned book has been made into a movie.

Credit: Adobe Stock -captblack76

Vampires In Mythology, Movies, And Books

"Dracula did, in fact exist. However, he was not a bloodthirsty vampire but a Prince in Wallachia, a part of present-day southern Romania.

His real name was Vlad III, but he was often called Dracula. Romania is full of ancient tales of the supernatural and legends of the unexplained, and these stories have long influenced our imagination.

The Irish author Bram Stoker likely borrowed Vlad's name for his Transylvanian count in the book "Dracula" in 1897. We have to remember that 'Dracula' is literally translated in Gaelic as Drac Ullah, which means 'bad blood'.

Vlad lived between 1431 and 1476 and is regarded as a national hero in his home country. He was considered a brutal and yet fair ruler." 1

Vampires are frequently encountered in mythological stories. "Vetala that we face in Hindu mythology is the closest we can come to the Western definition of a vampire,

Being an evil spirit, vetala lurks in burial grounds, haunts cemeteries, and takes demonic possession of corpses. Like many like the Indian night stalkers, vetala "delights in killing children, causing miscarriages, and driving people mad." 2

Compared to other vampires, Vetala is unusual because this frightening creature also possesses knowledge of the past, present, and future.

"Myths and legends of Europe, both Americas, China, Japan, and India describe terrible bloodsuckers that may differ in their power and individual characteristics, but all of them fascinate people, and their vampiric fright knows no borders.

Powerful legends about Jiangshi (or Jiang shi) have long inspired a genre of literature, movies, and video games, especially in Hong Kong and East Asia.

Jiangshi - a truly terrifying undead Chinese creature - is described in Chinese legends and folklore as a half-vampire, half-zombie." 3

 "In Colombian folklore, the Patasola ('La Patasola') is a female monster living on the summits of the plain. She has only one leg but can move with amazing speed.

People claim to have seen her jumping on one leg, through saws, ravines and roads, screaming mournfully. It is the soul in pain of the unfaithful woman who roams mountains, valleys and plains, who dishonored her children and failed to respect her husband." 4

The female vampire Patasola hates men. Using her supernatural powers, she disguised herself as a beautiful woman and chased her victims.

One could easily make the list of ancient vampires long, but it is enough to say stories of these blood-sucking beings have been told by many people in various countries.

"Early vampire accounts in Medieval and European folklore appear in the chronicles of 12-century English historians Walter Map and William of Newburgh, though the vampire proper did not appear until the 17 and 18 centuries. The first account of a real person being described as a vampire occurred in the region of Istria in modern Croatia in 1672.

Jure Grando of the village Khring near Tinjan was reported to be a vampire who caused panic among the villagers. Jure had died in 1656, but the villagers claimed he returned from the dead to drink human blood and sexually harass his widow. "5

Story Of Vampire Jure Grando Alilović

Legend tells Jure Grando Alilović or Giure Grando (1579–1656) rose from his grave every night for 16 years after his death. Every night, he went to the village and terrorized horrified people. Jure knocked on a door, and on whichever door he knocked, someone from that house would die within the next few days. People tried anything to kill him, but it seemed impossible.

Every night for 16 years, Jure Grando rose from his grave and terrorized people. Credit: Adobe Stock - Lucianus

"The village leader ordered that he be staked through the heart, but that didn't kill him, and subsequently the leader gave the order that he be beheaded, which proved more effective." 5

Jure Grando is considered the first "real" historical vampire because his case has been thoroughly documented. Johann Weikhard von Valvasor (1641 – 1693), a natural historian and polymath from Carniola, present-day Slovenia, and a fellow of the Royal Society in London, described Jure Grando's life in his encyclopedia The Glory of the Duchy of Carniola. It was the first written document on vampires.

Updated on October 13, 2023

Written by Jan Bartek - AncientPages.com Staff Writer

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