What is the name of the vampire in John Polidori's 'The Vampyre'?

The vampire in John Polidori’s “The Vampyre” is Lord Ruthven. He is a wealthy, aristocratic, and unsettling figure whose elegance masks a predatory and morally destructive nature.

The story follows Aubrey, a young gentleman who travels through Europe with Ruthven. Aubrey gradually recognizes Ruthven’s cruelty after witnessing his corrupting influence and the death of Ianthe, a Greek woman who had warned him about vampire legends. Ruthven later appears to die after being attacked by bandits, but he forces Aubrey to swear not to reveal his death for a year and a day.

When Ruthven returns to London, Aubrey discovers that he is courting Aubrey’s sister. The oath prevents Aubrey from warning anyone until it is too late. Ruthven’s aristocratic identity and social charm helped establish the modern literary image of the vampire as a sophisticated predator rather than merely a folkloric revenant.

The story was initially published under a false attribution to Lord Byron, which created lasting confusion about authorship. Polidori wrote the tale, while Ruthven’s name also echoes a Byronic character in Lady Caroline Lamb’s novel Glenarvon.