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Dark GiftIn The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice, the dark gift refers to the
act of transforming a mortal human into a vampire. The vampire bites the victim
on the neck and feeds on them, drinking their blood. When the human is weak and
close to death, they are released and then urged to drink of the vampire's own
blood. In completing this transaction, the vampire has given the human the dark
gift and very soon the human becomes a vampire.
The mortal life of the human is said to die, and then they become vampire.
Giving The Dark GiftAlthough these characteristics are not exclusive to the
giving of the dark gift, they are worth mentioning anyway. As the vampire
feasts on the teh human's blood, they become weak and often swoon. The vampire
must be careful not to carry on drinking to the point of the human's death,
though the urge to do so is almost irresistable! If they do, it is known as a
Bad Thing. I'm not sure whether the vampire dies, but they are certainly
encouraged strongly to stop feeding before the human reaches death.
Whilst the vampire drinks, the victim experiences a feeling that can only be
described as ecstacy and they don't actually want it to end. The vampire must
be very careful that they push the victim away before it's too late though. The
same feelings are then experienced in the vampire when it is the mortal's turn
to drink.
Curiously, from that point on, the "made" vampire experiences a feeling of love
towards the "maker".
Note: simply feeding on a human does not give them the dark gift. They have to
then feed on the vampire's blood. It becomes an exchange of sorts.
The following titles comprise The Vampire Chronicles where you will find dark
gifts galore (each link takes you to Amazon):
Interview with the Vampire (1976)
The Vampire Lestat (1985)
The Queen of the Damned (1988)
The Tale of the Body Thief (1992)
Memnoch the Devil (1995)
The Vampire Armand (1998)
Merrick (2000)
Blood and Gold (2001)
Blackwood Farm (2002)
Blood Canticle (2003)
Last Updated on Wednesday, 06 January 2010 22:27
