Author’s Note:

What inspired Love’s Eternal Embrace?

The Legend of the Dearg-due

Philip Burne-Jones Bt. (1861-1926)

Vampires have inspired poems and stories throughout the ages. Even though the names vary when naming this bloodsucker, every culture has a legend.

The Irish Dearg-due literally translates to bloodsucker. In one of the legends, the Dearg-due is a female demon that rises from her grave to seduce men, dooming them with just one kiss.

A Celtic legend tells of a fair maiden named Dearg-due. She was so beautiful all knew of her. She could have married any man, but she fell in love with a local peasant. However, her father would not allow the marriage. He forced her to marry a wealthy man to secure a financial future for the family. The husband mistreated Dearg-due and she committed suicide. Legend states she is buried in a small churchyard located near Strongbow’s Tree in the village of Waterford. One night, Dearg-due avenged her fate, rose from the grave, and lured her father and husband to their deaths.

The legend differs, but it is believed a Dearg-due will rise from the grave to seduce men and lure them to their deaths by draining their blood. It could be every full moon or a few times a year. Some say it is the anniversary of her death. There are only one or two stories stating she can change into a bat-like creature, but most claim she cannot shape shift at all. There are a few legends that say she does not drink blood, but sucks out the life force, until the victims slowly wither and die.