Vampire pumpkins and watermelons

Vampire Fruit/Vegetables
"Blood" forms naturally on a
few square centimeters of
the outside of an aged watermelon.
Another picture shows the whole melon
Creature information
GroupingFolklore
Sub groupingVampire
Origin
CountryVarious
RegionBalkans

Vampire pumpkins and watermelons (and melons) are a part of Muslim Romani (Gypsie) vampire legend from the Kosovo-Metohija province, Serbia, described by ethnologist Tatomir Vukanović.

The transformation of a pumpkin or melon (of all kinds) occur when they fight each other. The vampirized pumpkin/melon retains the original appearance as vegetable, but if a trace of blood could be detected on it this is a sign it has turned vampire.

According to the superstition among the Muslim Gypsies in the Podrima/Podrimlje [sr] and Prizrenski Podgor regions, it is claimed that a pumpkin kept in the field for ten days before gathering can turn vampire. Or it vampirizes if it is kept (in its pumpkin patch) until after Christmas, according to the local lore of Pirani/Piranë, Podrima. A dried pumpkin-syphon left unopened for 3 years turns vampire, according to the lore of Gypsies in "Lešani" (Leshan, Suhareka), in the Podrima region.

The animated vampiric pumpkin shakes and shivers, making growling sounds ("brrrl, brrrl, brrrl!"), and go around (roll around) houses, stables, and rooms, inflicting harm, though only causing minor damage, not enough to terrorize local villagers.

These pieces of folklore were collected by Tatomir Vukanović in his fieldwork in around Kosovo and adjoining northwesterly provinces during the years 1933–1948 and in 1947, 1948.

Terry Pratchett's comic fantasy novel Carpe Jugulum (1998) makes mention of "vampire watermelons". Pratchett has acknowledged that he did not invent the vampire tools and watermelons, and these come from "real world beliefs".

The webcomic Digger incorporates a field of vampire squash (most of which resemble butternut squashes in appearance).

See also

Explanatory notes

  1. ↑ "the Lešani Gs.", i.e., gypsies from the village of "Lešani" in Podrima (Podrimlje [sr]) region.
  2. ↑ His work, "Vampire" appeared serialized in Journal of the Gypsy Lore Society, 1957–1959, and later reprinted in the appendix of Perkowski 1976, pp. 274–318 Cf. Dhampir.
  3. ↑ As for vampiric agricultural tools, cf. Vukanović or Perkowski

References

  1. ↑ Bunson 2000, p. 218, "pumpkin" and p. 278, "watermelon": "Watermelon vampires are found among the Muslim gypsies of Yogoslavia. Virtually any kind of melon is susceptible, transforming if kept for more than ten days" (in the field before harvest).
  2. ↑ Perkowski 1976, p. 290: "pumpkins of every kind and watermelons"; pp. 290, 302, "pumpkins and melons".
  3. ↑ Perkowski (1976), p. 290.
  4. 1 2 Vukanović (1976) [1958]:
    The belief in vampires of plant origin occurs among Gs. [*Gypsies] who belong to the Mosl[em] faith in KM [*Kosovo-Metohija]. According to them there are only two plants which are regarded as likely to turn into vampires: pumpkins of every kind and water-melons. And the change takes place when they are 'fighting one another.' In Podrima [sr] and Prizrenski Podgor they consider this transformation occurs if these ground fruit have been kept for more than ten days: then the gathered pumpkins stir all by themselves and make a sound like 'brrrl, brrrl, brrrl!' and begin to shake themselves. It is also believed that sometimes a trace of blood can be seen on the pumpkin, and the [Gypsies] then say it has become a vampire. These pumpkins and melons go round the houses, stables, and rooms at night, all by themselves, and do harm to people. But it is thought that they cannot do great damage to folk, so people are not very afraid of this kind of vampire. Among the Mosl[em] [Gypsies] in the village of Pirani [*Piranë] (also in Podrima) it is believed that if pumpkins are kept after Christmas they turn into vampires, while [Leshan's] [Gypsies] think that this phenomenon occurs if a pumpkin used as a siphon, when ripe and dry, stays unopened for three years.

    — Tatomir Vukanović, Journal of the Gypsy Lore Society

  5. 1 2 Bunson 2000, pp. 218, 278.
  6. ↑ Vukanović, T. P. (1958). "The Vampire (in the Belief and Customs of the Gypsies in the Province of Kosovo-Metohija, Stari Ras and Novo-Pazarski Sandžak, Yugoslavia)". Journal of the Gypsy Lore Society. 37: 27.
  7. ↑ Reprinted in Perkowski (1976), p. 290
  8. ↑ Perkowski 1976, p. 275.
  9. ↑ Pratchett, Terry (2009). Carpe Jugulum: A Discworld Novel. New York: HarperCollins. p. PT7. ISBN 9780061807862.
  10. ↑ Breebaart, Leo; Kew, Mike (2004). "Annotations for Carpe Jugulum". The Annotated Pratchett File, v9.0. Archived from the original on 2004-10-09. (see the note for page 150).
  11. ↑ Vukanović (1957) 36: 131 Vukanović (1958) 37:27–28, reprinted in Perkowski (1976), p. 282 and "Section 5. The Source of Vampires Originating from Agricultural Tools", pp. 290–291.
  12. ↑ Vernon, Ursula (8 June 2007). "Digger comic strip". diggercomics.com.

Bibliography