This month Rev. Dr. Aramond S. VanRahamdalph DD. sat down with our beloved Corinth Noctem Aeternus, for a one on one interview. Rev. Dr. VanRahamdalph.

He is the founder of many Houses inside the Houston Texas community and the founder of Houston’s Council of Community Affairs as well as the Texas and World Council of Community Affairs.

 

 

*** The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the authors/Interviewer/ Interviewees do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of Gothic Bite Magazine or official policies of Gothic Bite Magazine including its writers/authors.

Corinth Nectem Aeternus (CNA): Who are you in the Vampire Community (V.C.)?Aramond S. VanRahamdalph (ASD): I am the former Lord *Maister of the Houston Vampire Court as well as the former King of the HVC & Texas Bay Area Court. I am The Founder, Patriarch & Ubar San of Clan Rahamdalph, The Ubar of the House of the Ulfhedinn, Lord & Maister of House Rahamdalph, Alpha of the Ulfhedinn Pach, & Gothi of the Ulfhedinn Kindred – all based in Houston Tx.

I also am the Founder of the Houston Council of Community Affairs, the Texas Council of Community Affairs, and the World Council of Community Affairs.

 CNA: How do you identify within the Vampire Community i.e. real vampire, donor, lifestylist, etc?

ASD: I am a real, living Hybrid Canis Lupus – A (Tantric) Vampire whose animistic side is that of the Wolf, as well as a true Therian whose Totems are that of the Great Black Wolf & the Cunning Raven.

CNA: How did you come to know you were a vampire?
ASD: I went through my vampiric awakening around the age of 13-14 and was guided through it by a small group of friends twice my age, who helped me learn how to feed properly. I went through a second awakening a few years later when discovering that I was a bit more animalistic than other vampires and a priestess helped me to understand that I was.

Despite my thinking it was just “anger issues”, that I also had a therianthropy side coming to the surface when I would go through emotional red lines and blackouts or went without feeding for weeks. I discovered years after my second awakening that I was not just a psi vamp, but a tantric feeder.

CNA: What goals do you have for the Community?
ASD: My goals for the Community (especially my local Community) are to help others come together and shifting to a Community based on education as well as congruity while keeping our personal and organizational autonomy.

CNA:  What is the hardest part about being a vampire and/or what is the hardest part about your role in the Vampire Community?
ASD: The hardest part about being a vampire (for me) is to get a donor because I am very particular about who I feed from. The hardest part of my role in the Vampire Community has to be making sure things run smoothly and trying to keep the drama to a minimum. Haha.

CNA: What advice would you give someone who believes they may be a vampire?
ASD: Reach out to a well-respected member of the Community and ask questions, a lot of questions.

CNA: Are you a poly or monotheist and would you elaborate?
ASD: I am a Polytheist, a Celtic Heathen. More specifically, I am a follower of old Norse and Celtic Gods/Goddesses of war, death, and the afterlife among others.

CNA:  How do you feel about being a public figure for the Vampire Community and do you hold yourself to specific standards – meaning your own set of morals?
ASD: I don’t mind being a public figure for the Vampire Community, but it has its moments that make me hate it. I try my best to live by the morals, ethics and tenets of Heathenry such as The Nine Nobel Virtues, or those written in the Havamal, etc.

CNA: Describe yourself in your own words?
ASD: As I said before I am a Hybrid Canis Lupus – A (Tantric) Vampire whose animistic side is that of the Wolf, as well as a true Therian whose Totems are that of the Great Black Wolf & the Cunning Raven.

I am fiercely protective of those I call my own and won’t tolerate any harm to them. I identify very strongly as a father/brother type and taking care of those I love just comes naturally. I can be very “Papa Wolf” to those I consider family and am always there for them as much as possible. I am one of the most misunderstood members of the Vampire / Therian / Otherkin / Pagan / Kithani Community.

This is mainly due to my preference to stay away from the “limelight”. Joining the Community in 1996, I founded House Rahamdalph & The House of the Ulfhedinn in 2003. I Joined the council for the Houston Vampire Court (HVC) in 2012 as the Lord Maister and was voted into the position of King of the court by its members a year later.

I later become the Patriarch/Ubar San of Clan Rahamdalph in 2015 after dissolving the court to work on building the Houston Council for Community Affairs with other leaders within the city.

I am probably best known for my work within the Vampire, Therian, Otherkin, & Pagan Communities promoting, “congruity & unity through greater education”. To achieve my goals, I also founded the Texas & World Council for Community Affairs in 2017.

CNA: Where are you from, where do you call home?
ASD: I was born & raised in Houston Tx.

CNA:  What do you hope to achieve for the Vampire Community any personal goals?
ASD: I hope to create and leave a foundation that will grow within the community to bring others together despite our differences and one day be remembered as one of the respected elders of our community for everything I have done or will do.

My personal goal is to simply be a better person than I was the day before, growing wiser and spreading that wisdom to others.

CNA: Do you have a pet peeve within the community and if so, what is it? 
ASD: Yes, my biggest pet peeve within the Community is the overblown egos and elitism found amongst our ranks.

CNA: Do you play RPGs and if so, what is your favorite? 
ASD: Yes, Pathfinder and D&D 3.5 ed.

CNA: Do you LARP?
ASD: No, nor have I ever tried it.

CNA: If you could tell the world one thing about the Vampire Community, what would it be?
ASD: Most of us are simply here to learn and educate others about our “condition”. Don’t let the actions of a few overshadow the good majority are trying to do.

CNA: Do non-vampires have a reason to be afraid of vampires?
ASD: No, at least not the healthy ones.

CNA: One last question. How would you explain to someone outside of the Community the crossover between certain members, for instance, life-stylist and/or dressing lavishly and real vampires?
ASD: Most real vampires don’t normally dress that lavishly, mainly only for events. While they may wear custom fangs, they will in everyday instances, usually dress “normal” – even the goths of the Community would prefer comfortable clothes from day to day over outlandish & heavy garments.

As always, we here at Gothic Bite Magazine appreciate all the work that Corinth does interviewing members of the Vampire Community. We also want to thank those members for taking the time, sitting down and answering our questions.

We realize that some of the questions may seem mundane and some terminologies may be a little unique and require some additional research. As always, when doing research on any topic, community or culture, take in multiple sources and make informed decisions.

Artemis Dai