Lenore

Bürger's Lenore, a German ballad written in 1773, had great influence on subsequent vampire literature. In Lenore, a young woman anxiously awaits the return of her fiance, William, from the Battle of Prague. After a brief argument with God, Lenore is visited by a man on horseback who claims to be William. He takes her to a cemetery, and as they arrive, the figure reveals himself as Death over the grave of her fiance William. Lenore is punished with her own death for arguing with God.