A second-century (A.D.) writer and Platonic philosopher, a native of North Africa, famed for his prose narrative work, The Golden Ass, called the Metamorphoses by the author. The story of a young man who undergoes various adventures and is turned into an ass by magic was based in part on the Metamorphoses by Lucius of Petrae, also considered largely biographical. Apuleius is cited as an early writer who recorded tales of vampires, including several in The Golden Ass. One of these is a story about Socrates, who becomes a virtual prisoner of a witch, Meroe. She pursues him after he tries to escape her powers, drawing out his blood with the aid of her sister witch, Panthia. Socrates’ wound is staunched with a sponge, and he is seemingly healthy the next morning. While drinking at a stream, however, the sponge drops away from the wound and Socrates collapses, an emaciated victim of skin and bones. The tale is an excellent example of the link frequently made between witchcraft and vampirism.