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Vampires have been a common element of popular culture for more than two centuries, from the publication of Polidori’s The Vampyre in 1819 to Bram Stoker’s famous classic Dracula, published in 1879.

But, the belief that vampires are real and fly/walk among us is far older and has never really gone away. As recently as 2004, a Romanian family dug up the body of a relative, cut out his heart with a scythe and pitchfork, and burned it.

This was a common way to stop folks from coming back from the dead to harass the living, grounded in folklore that has existed in Eastern Europe and elsewhere for centuries.

The vampire made its way to Western Europe, much in the same way that Dracula travels to England in Stoker’s novel – via ship.

When the Habsburg Empire invaded Serbia in 1718, it encountered these long-standing myths and superstitions and sent back word of them, which then launched a demand for vampire entertainment and literature in the West.

According to The Royal Armouries, the business of killing vampires was a serious one that usually involved iron implements like knives, nails, screws, ploughshares, and scythes.

Decapitation and/or dismemberment was another popular method. If this was inefficient, the body would be burned.

The idea that a wooden stake should be driven into the heart, however, is a product of fictional entertainment.

In 1986 an unusual pistol was offered up for sale along with a few stakes and a crucifix in the US, claiming to be a ‘vampire hunting kit’ of the nineteenth century.

A series of kits would come to light in the years that followed, and values began to climb. The commonly accepted narrative was that they were novelties bought by Western travellers to Eastern Europe.

‘Real’ vampire killers, as we know, were content to use whatever sharp object was on hand to remove a heart or burn a body.

In reality, these kits were probably created as novelties or stage props after the 19th century, but they have lost none of their appeal with some selling for as much as £3 000 (upwards of R61 000).

TimesLIVE tracked down one such kit up for grabs in South Africa, available through private antique dealer Matthew Parsons.

It’s expected to fetch in excess of R170 000:

According to Parsons, the owner bought the kit off a Christies auction in 2010 for £6,000 (R122,000)…

The kit contains a crucifix (to keep the undead away), daggers in the shape of the cross (a dagger to the heart will kill a vampire), a pistol and a clamp to make silver bullets (silver will kill the vampire).

There is also a King James Bible from 1873 and four vials from 1875, and this is where the “used” comes in.

The vials still contain terra sancta (holy ground), aqua sancta (holy water), garlic powder (vampires hate garlic) and serum, which is the blood of a dead person.

For those who want to purchase the kit, you can contact Parsons at m.luke.marketing@gmail.com.

So far there are 15 interested buyers, mostly from the US and Canada, but two South Africans are also in the bidding war.

If that’s out of your price range, you can always buy yourself a scythe and some holy water, and be on your way.

[sources:royalarmouries&timeslive]