(A.N. Here's Greece telling his stories about his particular brand of vampire and a ghost in Sparta for an anonymous reviewer. You know who you are, 'cause I don't! :) After this, I'm going to be doing another vampire story from Romania for Myrna Maeve and some old Norse mythology starring the nordic 5. I am now open to requests for a second round of stories from the countries I've already done, as well as cities, states, or provinces. Review, my lovelies~ Muahahahaha -shot-)
Standard Disclaimers Apply
Greece woke up from his nap, yawned, and started to talk before anyone else could get a chance to. "I have more than just ghost stories. My people have recorded vampire stories as well as ghost ones. The Riviotis Cemetery in Sparta has one such story. Here, the ghost of a mad butcher named Ioanis Koukoutsis is said to haunt the spot. In life, he had gone mad, taken home his favourite cleaver, and decapitated his sleeping wife. He now strolls the grounds "after twelve", but in Greece we believe that supernatural phenomena are most active at high noon rather than between midnight and three in the morning, so it's generally not a good idea to go sightseeing. My vampires are generally more exciting. On one occasion in Crete, a man of some note was buried at St. George's Church at Kalikrati, in the island of Crete. An arch or canopy was built over his grave. But he soon afterwards made his appearance as a vampire, haunting the village, and destroying men and children. A shepherd was one day tending his sheep and goats near the church, and on being caught in a shower, went under the arch to seek shelter from the rain. He determined to pass the night there, laid aside his arms, and stretched himself on a stone to sleep. In placing his fire-arms down (gentle shepherds of pastoral poems do not want firearms; but the Cretans are not gentle shepherds), he happened to cross them. Now this crossing was always believed to have the effect of preventing a vampire from emerging from the spot where the emblem was found. Thereupon occurred a singular debate. The vampire rose in the night, and requested the shepherd to remove the firearms in order that he might pass, as he had some important business to transact. The shepherd, inferring from this request that the corpse was the identical vampire which had been doing so much mischief, at first refused his assent; but on obtaining from the vampire a promise on oath that he would not hurt him, the shepherd moved the crossed arms. The vampire, thus enabled to rise, went to a distance of about two miles, and killed two persons, a man and a woman. On his return, the shepherd saw some indication of what had occurred, which caused the vampire to threaten him with a similar fate if he divulged what he had seen. He courageously told all, however. The priests and other persons came to the spot next morning, took up the corpse (which in daytime was as lifeless as any other) and burnt it. While burning, a little spot of blood spurted on the shepherd's foot, which instantly withered away; but otherwise no evil resulted, and the vampire was effectually destroyed. This was certainly a very peculiar vampire story; for the coolness with which the corpse and the shepherd carried on their conversation under the arch was unique enough. Nevertheless, the individual who reported this peculiar tale was convinced of its truth."