Can Vampires Run in the Sun: Debunking Myths and Revealing Truths

As someone born with vampire blood, yes we can. At least most of us. Unlike popular belief, most of us do have heartbeats. We are pretty much like humans, just a little different, all thanks to our vampiric nature.

Folklore and Reality: Vampires and Sunlight

Traditionally, vampires are not destroyed by sunlight immediately. However, sunlight drains their energy significantly, which is why they drink blood to gain energy and life force. In folklore, vampires are depicted as growing more and more transparent under the sun, becoming thin and barely visible shadows. If they were to stay under full sunlight for too long, they would eventually be drained and turn into something small and speedy, like a moth, before returning to their grave.

Real Vampires and Sunlight

No. The sun is far too hot for anything to survive in it. Wait… do you mean run on Earth in sunlight? I guess they can, given that vampires are fictional and can do whatever we make up. In folklore, it's commonly believed that vampires cannot walk in the sun or touch themselves with sunlight, but these are all lies. Yes, vampires can walk in the sun, but there are conditions. They become weak in sunlight, and this can cause problems for those vampires age 100-200 years, as they can encounter the sun now.

Modern Vampires: My Perspective

As a 300-year-old vampire, I think I'm qualified to answer this. Yes, we can and we do. Don’t go believing those myths about us. It might bite you.

Folklore varies greatly. There are vampires active between midnight and noon, and while some must return to their graves by dawn, they are not destroyed by the sun. They just become more or less weak or helpless. Many classic 19th-century literary vampires, such as Lord Ruthven, Varney, Carmilla, and Dracula, are seen to be active in daylight. This is because of the influence of films, like the silent film Nosferatu, which invented the “incinerated by sunlight” notion. In most modern fiction and film, the default assumption is that vampires can't stand the sun. However, some writers create vampires who can go out during the day, like Chelsea Quinn Yarbro in her Saint-Germain series or S. M. Stirling’s Shadowspawn trilogy.

My Vampires and the Sun

My own vampires are only weakened by the sun, not actively harmed by it. They can run in sunlight, but it makes them weak. They can walk, do anything like humans, but in sunlight, they become less powerful. The key is to find a balance between their vampiric abilities and the sun's effects.

So, while vampires generally cannot run freely in sunlight due to their sensitivity to it, it's a common myth that they are completely destroyed by it. Modern interpretations of vampires, like those in my own world, allow for more flexibility.