Vampires in History and Lore with Tchipakkan

Let’s look at these blood (or life) draining monsters (spirits, revenants, gods, demons,…) and try to sort the yarn-spinning and mechanisms for social control from the accounts that may tell us something about the nature of life, death and the spirit. What kinds (varieties) of vampires are there? (What’s in a name?) How do descriptions of what they do vary in different locales? How have vampires evolved over the centuries? How dangerous are they, and if so how do you protect yourself?