Specifics of Vampire Image Reception in Mythology and Folklore of the World's Nations

The article deals with the specificity of representation of the vampire image in different mythological systems: Akkadian, Egyptian, Indian, ancient and others. The aim is to identify the main features inherent in the figure of the mythological vampire. The comparative-historical method and the method of holistic analysis were applied in the study. As a result, it was established that, firstly, the image of the vampire functions in key mythological systems. Secondly, the most important and most frequent features of this image, in addition to bloodlust, are the following: ancient vampires are most often female representatives or images with feminine features, and in the course of interaction between the victim and the vampire, an element of eroticism is often noticeable: a creature in the image of a beautiful woman seduces a young man and then drinks his blood (Lilith, Empusa). Nevertheless, female vampires show a primary focus on killing or abducting children, but not young men (Lamashtu). Finally, by origin, mythological vampires are most often not human or representatives of unclean forces (e.g., mortgaged dead or dead men), but have a divine origin, which is fundamentally at odds with Slavic or Romani representations and subsequent views on the essence of vampires.