Eh? I picked up a vampire - Vol. 1 Ch. 1 - ch1

Contributor
Joined
Jan 18, 2018
Messages
3,628
@tylurr5:

Eh... I think I get the places where the OP might be coming from here?

First off, I think it's more complicated than that (or at least Wikipedia seems to say the "blood-sucking" bit is a more recent addition, to the extent that's trustworthy), and the original creature is to my understanding if anything at least as much like a zombie as a vampire, and indeed I feel like I've seen the "hopping zombie" more than the "hopping vampire" translation these days.

But furthermore, and more fundamentally, this creature jiangshi is as much a "vampire", as a Japanese kirin is the same as a "unicorn", or the korean dokkaebi a "goblin"—that is to say, there's superficial similarities that caused them to get conflated when translating, but the underlying legends and the creatures described are completely and fundamentally different, even at a glance.

That's really all I had to say, but rambling on a bit further:
Basically, translations of mythical creature names between highly differing mythologies are both common, and a mess. Some catch-alls like "demons" as "the bad scary things" translate half-decently well between some cultures, but the more specific ones like this usually are pretty awkward.

...But then, of course, after the translations sometimes people mix the legends together because, well, why not. So for example eastern and western dragons both cultures more or less recognize as "dragons" now, even if they're noticeably different. So one can't say firmly "this thing is this thing, and not that thing", and apply it in all cases, either.

It's all made up, without rules, after all.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Top