There are people who call themselves psychic vampires. These individuals drain significant amounts of spiritual energy from others. In their presence, one can become physically exhausted. The myth of the typical Nosferatu, undead Dracula character came from folklore and a basic medical ignorance in Eastern Europe, but I have heard of origins in the Orient as well.
As the decaying corpse rotting in the ground would have shrinking skin, the moisture isn’t replenished, but the belly sometimes becomes descended with gases that cannot be processed when a body is no longer viable. The ignorant peoples of Eastern Europe believed some of these natural decaying processes, particularly the belly bloat, was because they had feasted on human blood. Blood would sometimes trickle from the corners of their mouths as they were not embalmed like in modern day mortuary practices.
Egypt and some of the Americas, particularly South America didn’t share these beliefs as they preserved their dead in a very different matter. Actually in Europe, for the most part, the dead were not at all preserved until almost the turn of the 20th century! People were mummified and preserved in South America and Egypt very early on. I also know in parts of China, there were certain groups of people that were wrapped and prepared for burial. I speak of Eastern Europe particularly, because its what I know best and what historians seem to focus on. Its all I have facts for that I know to be certain.
In Eastern Europe, corpses were placed in a pine box and buried. Dead people terrified these Europeans, because when skin slippage occurred, a shrink in their skin took place. As it was void of moisture, the hair and nails would appear to grow, which of course was entirely an illusion. The teeth would protrude from the mouth as all of the matter that make our faces look health, full, and living on the inside would be deteriorating. A body without a working immune system is a haven for flesh and tissue eating organisms. A reddish substance oozes out of deceased bodies and appears to be a blood-like substance as well. That could be another explanation for the assumption that these people were leaking blood.
The people who believed the dead would become the undead and feed on others actually believed that their loved ones would come back and consume their life sustaining blood to remain alive. As a result, families would actually go out and stake their loved ones to the ground so that they could not wake up and come for them and their precious blood. When they would do this, of course, blood would ooze from the wound. In this era, the assumption was that you no longer had blood if you were dead so if a dead individual is bleeding, they had to have taken the blood from somewhere, the living.
There are many different beliefs, but mine is that there are people who can drain energy from others. Some people have a very powerful life force and may not even know what they are doing. I’m a psychic sensitive so sometimes it happens to me personally. If somebody is super good, I will be filled with a beautiful light energy, but if its dark, I know right away, and it makes me feel weighted and terrible. I have dread and feel like something negative may occur and its difficult to shake sometimes.
I hope this was helpful!
