Jure Grando

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The first classic vampire that is mentioned in documented records was an istrian peasant, Jure Grando (Giure Grando). About his life and afterlife wrote Johann Weichard von Valvasor (or Janez Vajkard Valvasor in slavic version) in his well-known book "Die Ehre des Hertzogthums Crain" (The glory of Carniola county). The book was published in Nürnberg in 1689 and represents a colossal work of art divided into 15 books and 4 volumes, with 3523 pages of large format and 533 illustrations of which many show the life and landscapes of Istra of that time. Some other people that wrote about Jure Grando are Erasmus Francisci and Johann Joseph von Goress ("La mystique divina, naturelle, et diabolique" Paris 1855), whose story was much more decorated and richer, full of fantastic details, probably made up to make the story more interesting.

Jure Grando was a villager who lived in Kringa, a small place in the inland of Istra peninsula. He died in 1656, and was decapitated as a vampire in 1672.

16 years after his death, Jure would arise from his grave by night and terrorise the village. One day, village priest Giorgio found out that always by night, without any particular order, somebody knocks on the doors around village, and on which door he knocks, someone from that house dies in next few days. Giorgio was the priest that buried Jure 16 years ago. Jure showed up to some villagers and came in his widow's bed. She described that the corpse looked like he was smiling, and made moves with his face as if trying to breath. To end his terror, the priest put a cross in front of him and yelled "Look at the Jesus Christ, you vampire! Stop tormenting us!" In that moment tears dropped from vampire's eyes. The most brave villagers tried to kill the vampire, they caught him and tried to pierce his heart with hawthorn stick, but they failed because the stick just bounced of his chest.

After that, nine people went on the graveyard by night, carrying the cross, lamps and hawthorn stick. They dug up his grave, and found a perfectly preserved corpse with smile on its face. They tried to pierce his heart again, but the stick could not penetrate. After some exorcism prayers, the bravest of them, Stipan Milašić, took a saw and chopped his head off. At the moment the saw tore his neck, the vampire screamed and blood started to flow, and soon the whole bier was full of blood.

After that, peace returned to Kringa, peace that still rules the streets of this small half-deserted istrian town.