The color green has played a part in Celtic and Chinese vampire lore from early beginnings. Usually in their stories, if green is mentioned as being the color of someone’s clothing or HAIR, it is something of an early indicator to the listener or reader that the person is in fact some sort of vampire. Lamps are narrated as suddenly burning with a green flame when a vampire enters a room. This ancient custom has found its way into modern storytelling; H.P.Lovecraft, Edgar Allan Poe, and Bram Stoker have all used this color to point out the undead to their readers (see UNDEATH).

Some vampires known for their green clothes, HAIR, or skin are the BANSHEE, BAOBHAM SITH, CH’ING SHIH, DUENDES, DUS, GIANG SHI, GLAISTIG, GWRACH Y RHIBYN, HAMEH, HANNYA, KAPPA, KARASU TENGU, LANGSUIR, MASAN, RUSALKA, SAMODIVA, TOYOL, VETALA, and the VODYANIK.

Source: Bush, Asian Horror Encyclopedia, 96; Davidson, Roles of the Northern Goddess, 137, Kanellos, Handbook of Hispanic Cultures, 235; MacKillop, Dictionary of Celtic Mythology, 30; Thompson, Studies of Chinese Religion, 91