Origins
In the old World of Darkness (as depicted in Vampire: The Masquerade and Vampire: The Dark Ages), vampires descend from Caine, the first murderer, cursed by God. Caine Embraced three childer (the Second Generation), who in turn Embraced thirteen (the Third Generation, called the Antediluvians). These were the beginnings of the 13 Vampiric clans. With each subsequent Embrace, the resulted childe becomes weaker as they become further removed from Caine. The standard generation in the modern setting is the 13th (twelve steps removed from Caine).
In the new World of Darkness (from Vampire: The Requiem), the origins of the vampire species is just as mysterious as the origin of man. With the removal of the generation concept, the idea of single source became less certain. Common theories include that the Roman soldier Longinus became one of the first vampires after piercing the side of Christ on the cross and drinking some on his blood, or that the first vampire was a mysterious figure called The Crone. Some have even suggested that each of the five main clans in Vampire: The Requiem had a different and unique origin.
Read more about this topic: Vampire (World Of Darkness)
Famous quotes containing the word origins:
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—W. T. Lhamon, U.S. educator, critic. “Material Differences,” Deliberate Speed: The Origins of a Cultural Style in the American 1950s, Smithsonian (1990)
“Lucretius
Sings his great theory of natural origins and of wise conduct; Plato
smiling carves dreams, bright cells
Of incorruptible wax to hive the Greek honey.”
—Robinson Jeffers (1887–1962)
“The origins of clothing are not practical. They are mystical and erotic. The primitive man in the wolf-pelt was not keeping dry; he was saying: “Look what I killed. Aren’t I the best?””
—Katharine Hamnett (b. 1948)