# Ianthe — The Vampire character guide

> Ianthe in The Vampire by John William Polidori.

**Role:** supporting

**First appearance:** 0002-the-vampire

## Snapshot

A Greek girl whose inherited lore about vampires gives Aubrey's romantic imagination a darker shape than he is prepared to accept.

## Who they are

Ianthe belongs to the older, folkloric world Aubrey encounters on his travels, where tales of the living dead are told without irony or aesthetic distance. She warns him about vampires with the seriousness of someone repeating what her community has always known, and her fear cuts against his habit of treating everything as romance. Her presence matters because she gives the story its first genuine vocabulary for the horror Aubrey is circling, even as his skepticism keeps him from hearing her.

## Relationships

### [Lord Ruthven](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_vampire_se/characters/lord_ruthven)

_psychological_

Ianthe is a victim of Lord Ruthven's predatory nature, as he seduces and ultimately destroys her.

### [Aubrey](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_vampire_se/characters/aubrey)

_friendship_

Aubrey forms a protective and affectionate friendship with Ianthe, caring deeply for her well-being.

## In the story

### [The Vampire](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_vampire_se/chapters/the-vampire)

Not directly present in this chapter.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_vampire_se/characters/ianthe
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_vampire_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_vampire_se/characters