Source: naharnet.com

First it was last week’s zombie apocalypse news, this week it’s the discovery of centuries-old vampire skeletons. It seems like the real world is turning into a setting for a series of paranormal romance books. Maybe I won’t have to worry so much about my upcoming 18th birthday—we may just be living in an apocalypse world by then.

According to Channel News Asia, skeletons that were treated for vampirism were unearthed in Bulgaria. Scientists found skeletons with stakes thrust through their chests—and whether you’re read any paranormal romance books or not, everyone knows what the best method for killing vampires is.

The old school legend says that evil people were magically transformed into vampires when they died. Young adult fantasy books often take creative liberties, making vampires out of those simply bitten by other vampires or catching plagues that instill a craving for blood. While the existence of vampires in Bulgaria has never really been confirmed, what has been proven is the widespread superstition that if rods were thrust into the corpses of those who were evil during their lifetime, this would prevent them from becoming vampires. While in fantasy and adventure books, this usually happens once the person is already a vampire, maybe the Bulgarians had it right by taking preventive action. Maybe that’s exactly why there is no recorded existence of vampires there! The people took care of the problem before it happened.

According to Bozhidar Dimitrov, the head of the National History Museum in the Bulgarian capital, Sofia, over 100 corpses stabbed to prevent vampirism have been discovered over the last decade. He said that in some parts of Bulgaria, this was a regular practice, up until the beginning of the 20th century. Sounds like their people definitely took fantasy and adventure books featuring vampires to heart.

While young adult fantasy novels like Twilight or Vampire Academy brought vampires to our minds in recent years, hopefully it won’t lead to these superstitions being made popular again. Who knows, if zombie-ism can occur, maybe vampires really can exist too.