A British historian has caused a stir online among pop culture lovers after sharing why vampires are the “sexiest” monsters.
Professor Ronald Hutton, a folklore historian at the University of Bristol, explained in his latest TikTok video how vampires “represent the dark, dangerous and exciting aspects of sex.”
Professor Hutton gained thousands of fans online within hours after revealing the “mystery behind (the vampire’s) seduction.”
There have been countless depictions of vampires in the media over the past century, from the familiar Count Von Count on Sesame Street to the 1922 silent film character Nosferatu.
However, most modern depictions are coveted by audiences for their sexy behavior, including Spike from Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Edward Cullen from Twilight, and Eric Northman from the TV series True Blood.
Vampires have been considered the sexiest monsters. Portrayals of modern vampires including Eric Northman from the television series True Blood (left) and Edward Cullen from Twilight (right) are coveted by fans.
The history professor said one of his main interests in his studies is modern and traditional folklore that includes monsters and dubbed vampires “the only sexy monster.”
“Virtually no one wants to sleep with a zombie, a demon, a mummy or a werewolf, but vampires are different,” he explained.
“They represent the dark, dangerous and exciting aspects of sex and this is because of how they came to the Western world.”
Professor Hutton said the vampire fable arose from the Eastern European “idea of a blood-sucking corpse”, which was then mixed with different “Gothic figures” from the 19th century.
“That is the libertine aristocrat, male or female, who is outside of subverted society, and so from the beginning, the Western vampire becomes a suave, gorgeous-looking, sexy, well-mannered, well-mannered aristocrat.”
Bristol University folklore historian Professor Ronald Hutton explained in his latest TikTok video how vampires “represent the dark, dangerous and exciting aspects of sex.”
Most modern depictions are coveted by audiences for their sexy demeanor, including Spike (pictured) from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Edward Cullen from Twilight, and Eric Northman from the television series True Blood.
Ian Somerhalder (left) as Damon Salvatore, Nina Dobrev (center) as Elena Gilbert and Paul Wesley (right) as Stefan Salvatore in the popular television show The Vampire Diaries
The historian added that vampires have the added attraction of being “rebellious.”
“Modernity values people who tear down respectable society, who show us new sides of ourselves, and boy, vampires do that,” he said.
“As a result, they are well established in the modern popular mind as the quintessential sexy monster.”
Hutton shared his creepy-yet-sexy knowledge in a TikTok video, and while many were quick to agree that vampires were the “sexiest” mythical creature, others were more enchanted by the professor’s “calming” voice and intellect.
‘I could listen to this man talk about folklore all day!! Someone put it on a podcast ASAP!’ said a woman.
“I want to learn everything he teaches,” gushed another, while another said Professor Hutton would make the best dinner guest.
‘Please… continue. I want to hear you talk more about vampires,’ one viewer fainted.
However, others found holes in the historian’s theory, pointing out that werewolves are another creepy creature regularly depicted as sexy, most notably Taylor Lautner’s canine character Jacob in the Twilight series.
“Hey, speak for yourself, I like werewolves,” said one viewer.
“I’m with you, but a lot of people want werewolves,” a second agreed.
“(Unfortunately) I know more people than I’d like who would sleep with a werewolf,” laughed another.
‘Vampires aren’t the only sexy monster. “Witches are sexy and werewolves are sexy too,” someone added.