Vampire

A vampire is a monster of darkness that represents the corruption of the aristocracy. The most classic example of this being count Dracula, who lives in solitude in his castle on a hill, biting his victim in the neck and then feeding on their blood. Older beliefs of vampires see them more as spirits or demons.

The Symbolic interpretation
A vampire feeding on its victim is a symbol of a faulty interaction between Heaven and Earth. In a healthy interaction, heaven gives guidance and meaning to earth, and earth sustains and feeds it. As a nobleman, the vampire is a figure of heaven. But the vampire only consumes its victims in its quest for immortality, and does not give anything in return. That the vampire is associated with heaven is made more clear by their ability to fly or to morph into a bat.

The appetite of the vampire is usually the blood of his victims, which is a symbol of consuming the life force of someone. This happens in a healthy way when you use your energy to work on a task at hand. This can be for yourself, or for a higher entity, such as a company. When a company abuses their workforce they suck the energy without giving much in return, possibly resulting in a burn-out. Burn-out symptoms include concentration problems, headache, loss of motivation, and fatigue. These match very closely to the mythological description of the victims of a vampire.

Although the aristocratic vampire doesn't date back before the 19th century, more ancient versions do follow the same pattern. Tales about vampires often describe supernatural beings, such as demons or spirits, biting and feeding off their victim's blood. Any supernatural being is closer to heaven (as opposed to subnatural beings such as zombies or mummies, who are closer to earth).

A vampire can be warded off by using garlic or by using a cross. This demonstrates the left hand of Christ, sending away the goats from his kingdom.

The Striges
In ancient Greek and Roman mythology, the striges are birds of ill omen, feeding off human flesh and blood. According to a pre-300BC Greek origin myth, the strix was a nocturnally crying creature which positioned its feet upwards and head below. This resembles the resting position of a bat. In later folklore, the strix was believed to lactate milk on the lips of infants. One could ward off these birds by giving the child garlic as an amulet.