Bizarre (But Real) Public Health Warning: There’s A Vampire On The Loose!
Zarozje, Serbia – Mayor Miodrag Vujetic has issued an official warning to the citizens of of his west Serbian town: Buy as much garlic as you can and hang crucifixies in your windows, there’s an honest-to-goodness vampire loose.
The public health warning concerns a legendary vampire in the region named Sava Savanic. Local tales say that a long time ago, Savanic lived in an old water mill on the village’s Rogacica River. He supposedly preyed upon unsuspecting visitors who would stop by the mill searching for grain. The water mill was owned by a local family, but they never used it because they were afraid of disturbing the vampire.
This structure has since stood derelict, and recently collapsed due to fearful neglect, reports MSN. Savanic is now homeless and, apparently, angry.
The mayor and the region’s citizens don’t take this legend lightly. “People are worried, everybody knows the legend of this vampire,” Vujetic says. “We are all frightened.”
In response, he issued the missive, and the town’s citizens are taking the warning seriously.
Eastern Europe has played host to a number of vampire myths and legends since the 1700s, reports The Week. Serbia alone boasts numerous vampire tales in addition to Savanic’s. Though most historians agree that the 1700s vampire scare stemmed from several misunderstandings about the human decomposition process, many such legends persist to this day.
Do you think that there could be any truth to the Serbian vampire myth, or all they all getting worked up and buying garlands of garlic for no reason? Sound off below!
