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wrap the redcap in lead and boil it to death in an ancient circle of stones known as the Nine Stane Rigg. Historically, though, Lord William fared little better and was imprisoned in Dumbarton Castle for conspiring against Robert the Bruce, dying there under cloudy circumstances in 1321.
    More fantastic than the redcaps of Scotland were the shapeshifting alps of Germany. Said to take the shape of any animal or insect it wished, including butterflies, cats, pigs, birds, or dogs, the alp always wore a magical hat that granted it supernatural powers such as invisibility or the dreaded evil eye. Feared for their ability to cause nightmares, alps were also known to sexually molest both men and women in their sleep and entered their bodies through the mouth in the form of a mist or snake. In some cases, alps also drank the blood of their victims through the nipples and could cause the milk of both nursing mothers and cows to dry up. As frightening as the alp was to the German peasantry, the remedy to combat it was as simple as it was strange: all a person needed to do was to sleep with his or her shoes next to the bed, pointing towards the door.
    Often classed with these types of vampires was a breed of European eclipse demon known in Serbia as the varcolac , whose demanding appetite was blamed for devouring the sun and moon during an eclipse as well as bringing storms and ruining crops. Recognized by their pale faces and dry skin, they were famous for their capacity to drink boiled milk, wine, and vodka as if it were mere water. Although they could be mistaken for normal humans during daylight hours, at night their spirit left their body while it slept and, taking the form of various animals, hunted the moon and the sun. During an eclipse, nervous villagers often banged pots and pans together or beat loud drums to chase away the varcolac.
    In one popular tale a Serbian peasant lost his fortune after one of these fiends destroyed his vineyards with a terrible storm. Determined to seek his revenge, the man vowed to wait under a pear tree with a shotgun loaded with gold, silver, lead, and steel shot for the varcolac to return. Then one day the sky suddenly grew dark and tumultuous, and a varcolac appeared in the shape of an eagle. The peasant took aim, and with a single blast of his shotgun felled the creature, which died as it hit the ground, causing the sky to immediately clear.
    Far more astonishing than any of these bloodsucking monstrosities was a belief among some groups that even everyday objects such tools or fruit could become vampires. For instance, in the Balkans if a tool were left outside under a full moon, it could become a vampire and cause its owner much mischief. Wooden knots for a yoke or the rods for binding sheaves of wheat could, if left undone for more than three years, conceivably turn into vampires. According to some Gypsy traditions, watermelons and especially pumpkins if kept for more than ten days after Christmas would start to bleed and roll around on the ground, making alarming noises. Vampire fruit seemed cause for little concern though, as even then everyone knew that fruit had no teeth.
    The Art of Becoming a Vampire
    Just as there existed a number of variations on the vampire theme in folklore of the period, there were also many ways by which one could be created. One method of explaining their existence rested more on ill fate and bad genes than anything else, and a belief that some people were naturally born to be vampires. The Slavic people of Hannover, Germany (who were also known as Wends ), for example, thought that if a child returned to its mother’s breast after being weaned, it was a Doppelsauger , or “double sucker.” From then on the child was destined to seek nourishment it could never satisfy, even rising from the grave after death to feed on the living. As with many revenants, its consuming hunger was so great it not only drained the vitality of its living relatives but also