Vampire/Vampyre

Wow, so I decided to look into vampire...just in case. Of course, I've seen a copy of The Vampyre (1819), so that's where I developed the name for my title, but the confusion seems to be growing by the search. If I were going to turn Gwen into a vampire, she would technically be a vamp, but that term wasn't invented until the Twentieth Century, so I have to rethink the whole thing. Anyway, my hangover understanding of the etymology is that vampire is originally a Slavic word. However, it doesn't look like the word appeared in the English language until mid-1700s. I suppose that it is possible vampires would have been heard of at the time, at least in whispers.

I know, I'm considering giving into the idea of Gwen being a vampire more and more as the project moves forward. I've completed several pages (not enough to formulate an entire chapter). So, I need a catch that Jax will sell (and leave me alone until I'm actually finished). Mostly because I need money. And quickly. Marlboro's and whiskey are expensive.

The more I research this stuff, the more I want to talk about it. Not only am I reminded of being in college again, but I might just be forming the know-it-all mentality of a college sophomore with all the research that I'm trying to complete in such a short amount of time.

For those of you who appreciate citations:

"vampire" Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins. by Julia Cresswell. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press. Creighton University. 19 April 2010

"vampire" A Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. Edited by Elizabeth Knowles. Oxford University Press, 2006. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press. Creighton University. 19 April 2010 bview=Main&entry=t214.e7442>

I also referenced the OED vampire entry, which we've already discussed.