How are legends born?
Legends take shape in conversation, when someone tells about something he heard or experienced that seems worth passing along to others. If the narrative is interesting or seems worth repeating, then others who heard it will keep telling it. As the story becomes part of oral tradition, it is altered by people (both purposefully as well as unintentionally) and the variation that is a hallmark of legends (and all folklore, for that matter) becomes evident. Legends and belief are inextricably intertwined. For example, if a story is totally believable or unbelievable, its chances of becoming a legend are very small. Your book, Food for the Dead, explores New England vampire accounts and incidents throughout the 17th and 18th centuries. You’ve explored how people have dealt with the consumption epidemic in very non-traditional ways. What drew you to the subject of vampires? I heard a family story about a vampire incident and it sparked by interested because it had all of the ingredients tha
