Aaron Mahnke, creator of the popular "Lore" podcast, has authored "Exhumed: Unearthing the History of the American Vampire," a book that examines historical instances of supposed vampirism and society's broader efforts to confront death and mortality. The book begins with the "vampire panic" in Rhode Island during the 1890s, an event Mahnke suggests may have inspired Bram Stoker's iconic Count Dracula.
Mahnke recounts historical folklore, including the case of Peter Blagojević in 18th-century Serbia. After a series of deaths in the village of Kisiljevo, villagers exhumed Blagojević, who had died weeks earlier. They reportedly found his body showing no signs of decay, with what appeared to be freshly grown nails and hair, and blood around his mouth. The villagers subsequently drove a stake through his heart, a practice detailed in the book's collection of gruesome historical accounts.
While vampires are a significant element, "Exhumed" expands its scope to explore how various societies have grappled with death and attempted to reverse its effects. Mahnke discusses historical figures and practices, such as 18th-century physiologist Luigi Galvani's experiments with electrocution on frogs, and ancient Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder's belief in the healing power of a young person's severed hand. The book also touches on remedies like "skull powder" used during the reign of King Charles II and the practice of bloodletting, which was widely accepted by medical experts for centuries.
The notes from the "Lore" podcast are evident in the book's conversational tone, incorporating elements of urban legends and true histories. Mahnke, who grew up with an early interest in the macabre, drawing inspiration from shows like "Unsolved Mysteries" and "The X-Files," explores how people in the past attempted to rationalize the inexplicable in the face of mortality.
"Exhumed" revisits the case of Mercy Brown, a young woman from Rhode Island who died of tuberculosis in 1892. Following the deaths of other family members, locals became concerned and demanded to examine the corpses. While her mother and sister had decomposed, Mercy's body was unusually well-preserved, likely due to being stored in a cold outbuilding during the frozen winter. The villagers, believing her to be undead, burned her heart and liver, and gave the ashes to her dying brother as a supposed cure. He died two months later.
Mahnke highlights how past societies, lacking modern scientific understanding of microbiology and mortality, often turned to spiritual or pseudoscientific explanations. The book concludes by returning to the themes of American vampirism, examining the thought processes of people who were on the cusp of understanding, but still largely operating in the dark when confronting the mysteries of life and death. "Exhumed" was released on August 4.