The old english way of spelling "
Vampire." It's also the title of the first
vampire story written in the english language; which was published in 1819. Seventy-nine years before the publication of Bram Stoker's vampire novel "Dracula."
During the year without summer (1816) in which Mary & Percy Shelly, Clair Clairmont, Lord
Byron, and John Polidori were gathered at the Villa Diodati, Switzerland; Lord
Byron suggested, on one night, that each should write a horror story.
During that night, Polidori began writing a
short tale which would become the first vampire story ever written in the english language, titled: "The Vampyre."
It should also be noted that during that same night, Mary Shelley started working on a story which would later evolve into the famous novel "Frankenstein."
Polidori's story "The Vampyre" is a short story which was, at first, was falsely credited to Lord
Byron. Nevertheless, it was later confirmed by
Byron that the author was in fact John William Polidori (Lord
Byron's physician).
