Dhampirs in Vampire Academy

• Dhampirs are offspring/children of a Moroi and Human.
• They cannot reproduce with each other or with humans, but only with Moroi.
• When Dhampirs and Moroi have children together, they come out as standard Dhampirs: half human and half vampire.
• Since Moroi are the only ones with whom Dhampirs can reproduce, they have to stay close to them. It is in their interest that the Moroi survive. That’s how the guardian system started.
• Most of the Dhampir men and few Dhampir women train to become guardians. After their graduation they stay with a Moroi who they have to protect from the Strigoi.
• Dhampirs have no magical gifts, but they are very strong and can turn into great warriors.
• Thier reflexes and senses are the same as vampires with strength and endurance from humans.
• Their strength surpasses both humans and Moroi.
• They heal faster then humans do. (Rose states this when she sees a human feeder who had scars on her neck from years of Moroi bites, where hers are healed and gone after a day or so.)
• They feed the same way as humans do.
• The sun doesn’t affect them.
• Their looks are human, too though they are described as being more attractive then humans.
• Dhampirs are not as powerful as the Strigoi so they have to train very hard to increase their strength, speed and stamina.
• There are only few long-term Moroi-Dhampir relationship because most Moroi want to have Moroi children.
• It is known that Moroi men like being with Dhampir women, but in the end marry Moroi women. That’s why there are a lot of single Dhampir mothers.
• Plenty of Dhampir women do not become guardians because they want to raise their children. They either work normal jobs or live in communities that have a very bad reputation. It is said that they let Moroi men bite them during sex. For that reason they are called “blood whores”.
• There are also Dhampirs who have a long-term relationship with another Dhampir, which is considered scandalous. It is seen as a disgrace as they cannot have children and neglect their duty of protecting Moroi.

Moroi in Mythology

In Slavic lore, the male son born by a widow and her dead vampire husband is called dhampir’ (also dhamphir or dhampyr).  In Balkan folklore the dhampir is a child of a vampire father and a human mother. Though other myths the term dhampir refers to the offspring of a vampire and a human.

The word Dhampir is believed to derive directly from Albanian language;

• pij or pire which means to drink, and
• dhembe or dham which means teeth, thus dhampir, to drink with teeth.

Terms for such a being that are used in various regions include;

• vampijerovic,
• vampiric (little vampire),
• and lampijerovic;

In some regions the child is name;

• “Vampir” if a boy and “Vampiresa” if a girl, or
• Dhampir if a boy and Dhampiresa if a girl.

The Balkan myths it is believed that;

• Dhampirs can see and destroy vampires.
• The ability to see vampires is considered exclusive to dhampirs.
• The powers of a dhampir may be inherited by the dhampir’s offspring – but cannot be taught.
• In some lore, dhampires (plural) pass their skills to their own sons: their ability is inherit.
• A Dhampir can enable others to see vampires by taking off his shirt and letting them see through the sleeves.
• A Dhampir is believed to have great strength, many abilities, and the bloodlust of his vampire father.

Moroi | Strigoi