blooddrinkers

Blooddrinkers is a term used across folklore, fiction, and biology to describe beings that obtain sustenance by consuming blood. In myth and popular culture, the phrase most commonly refers to vampires—undead or otherwise supernatural entities repeatedly depicted as feeding on the blood of living humans or animals. The concept is varied by culture, with different legends presenting different weaknesses, rites, and social roles for these blooddrinkers.

Outside supernatural narratives, some real-world organisms engage in hematophagy, the practice of blood-feeding. In biology, hematophagous animals include vampire bats, mosquitoes, ticks, leeches, and bedbugs. These species often possess specialized anatomy and biochemistry, such as razor-edged mouthparts for piercing, anticoagulants in saliva, and mechanisms to locate hosts while avoiding detection. While they do not drink blood in the stylized sense of fiction, their feeding pattern shares the essential trait of deriving nutrition from blood.

In fiction and media, blooddrinkers are used to explore themes of temptation, addiction, immortality, and social power. Modern vampires may be portrayed as glamorous guardians, tragic figures, or villains, reflecting shifting attitudes toward morality and difference. The term blooddrinkers is sometimes employed by authors seeking a neutral shorthand for a broad class of blood-feeding creatures or for worldbuilding in fantasy settings.

Related topics include vampires, hematophagy, undead folklore, and various cultural myths about blood.