Throughout legends there has always been an old tale that vampires do exist. This myth began with a man known as Dracula, Vlad Tepes, who was brought to popularity by the author Bram Stoker. Another, Elizabeth Bathory, also assisted in the vampire myth.
Vlad Tepes was a ruler or prince who became known as Dracula, son of the devil. He earned this name from his father and in part due to the cruel forms of punishments he endured on anyone who he felt had committed treason or broken any rule. He was most commonly known for impaling his victims. It’s said that he would also burn them alive, behead at graveside as well as burn the churches. Some rumors state he drank blood on one occasion from his victims and dined while they died slowly from being impaled on the stakes. With investigation it’s reported he killed over 20,000 men, women and children in his 3 reigns as ruler until 1476, his death. History doesn’t state how he died but there are legends around his death; one being the turks who was his number 1 enemy assassinating him, another is that he was trapped in his castle where he was shot.
Vlad was long lost memory too few in history until the author Bram Stoker brought him to popularity with just his common known name, Dracula. His original name for the book was Count Wampyr but in the end he decided on Dracula which he found in a book he was reading at the time. Bram states there are no connections between Vlad and Dracula but there is a statement made by a character in Van Hassling that questions this, “Dracula must, indeed, have been that Voivode Dracula who won his name against the Turks… If it be so, then was he no common man; for in that time, and for centuries after, he was spoken of as the cleverest and most cunning, as well as the braves of the sons of ‘the land beyond forest.” Vlad is and will always be the “Historical Vampire”.(“”Elizabeth Bathory” “Vlad Tepes” “Dracula””)
Another who added to the myth is Elizabeth Bathory ; the blood countess, a women with nobility and the dream of staying young forever. Elizabeth was married at 15 to an older man who showed her the many tortures she caused her maids and help. Elizabeth one day struck a maid in anger with a pair of scissors causing blood to go everywhere and in result made Elizabeth think her hands appeared younger.
Florescu, Radu, and McNally, R. T., Dracula: A Biography of Vlad the Impaler, 1431-1476 (1973)
In the novel Dracula, by Bram Stoker, there is much evidence of foreshadowing and parallels to other myths. Dracula was not the first story featuring a vampire myth, nor was it the last. Some would even argue that it was not the best. However, it was the most original, using foreshadowing and mood to create horrific imagery, mythical parallels to draw upon a source of superstition, and original narrative elements that make this story unique.
At 13, Vlad and his brother Radu were held as political hostages by the Ottoman Turks. During his years as hostage, Vlad was educated in logic, the Quran, and the Turkish language and works of literature. He would speak this language fluently in his later years. Conversely, Vlad was defiant and constantly punished for his impudence. It has been suggested that his traumatic experiences among the Ottomans may have molded him into the sadistic man he grew up to be, especially in regards to his penchant for impaling.
In document “A” which is from various says at Valley Forge in December 23, 1777 2,898 soldiers were counted ill. Later at Valley Forge in February 1, 1778 3,989 soldiers were counted ill. Also from various sources between December and June 1,800 to 2,500 soldiers died due to illnesses. Imagine you being one of those ill soldiers in cold and snowy Philadelphia.
Carmilla is an example of a woman who loves her food far too much. Carmilla is consumed entirely by her food, even sleeping in a coffin of blood: “The limbs were perfectly flexible, the flesh elastic; and the leaden coffin floated with blood, in which to a depth of seven inches, the body lay immersed” (Le Fanu 102). There exists a unique relationship between the vampire and their victims. Food becomes defined in terms of victimhood, distinctly separated from humanity’s general consumption of meat. The need for human victims makes hunting synonymous with courtship, as intense emotional connections are established between the vampiress and her food. As seen in the intense relationship developed between Laura and Carmilla, the vampire is “prone to be fascinated with an engrossing vehemence, resembling the passion of love, by particular persons” (105). For Carmilla, cruelty and love are inseparable (33). The taking of the victims’ blood for sustenance is a highly sexualized exchange of fluids from one body to another. The act of consumption is transformed into an illicit carnal exchange between the hunter and the hunted.
To understand how one person inspired so much, one must start at the life of Vlad III Dracula, famously known as Vlad the Impaler. Vlad was born in Signisoara, Transylvania in 1431 (Goldberg 18). His father, Vlad Dracul, was a knight in the Order of the Dragon under Emperor Sigismund (Goldberg 19). Dracul gained political power, and eventually the throne to Wallachia (Goldberg 25). After failing to help the Turks obtain new territories, they made him give up his throne unless he sacrificed one thing: his sons (Goldberg 31). At the age of 12, he was sent to the city of Adrianople (Goldberg 33) and was raised with violence. Meanwhile, Vlad Dracul’s rule was threatened once again. Local leaders known as boyars (Goldberg 12) rebelled and killed Dracul (Goldberg 13). As a result, Dracula was sent into the Turkish army as an officer and began to thirst for power (Goldberg 41). When Wallachia was temporarily unoccupied in 1448, Vlad Dracula claimed it for two short-lived months and was only 17 when he did this. When the previous ruler returned, it was reclaimed almost immediately (Goldberg 46). Vlad the Impaler took the throne again from 1456 to 1462 (Wertsman 1996). In fact, he attempted and failed to hold onto Wallachia
In Bram Stoker's "Dracula", Dracula is portrayed as a monster made evident by his gruesome actions. An analysis of Dracula shows that: shows his evil nature in his planning, brutally killing Lucy Westrenstra causing a violent response from Dr. Seward and others, and how his evil ways lead to his downfall. To characterize Dracula in one way, he is a ruthless, cunning monster who uses tricks, torture, and wits to manipulate people to his will. However when he trifled with some courageous people, he had no knowledge that it would be his undoing.
It was the evening of Christmas, 1776. The voice of an army sergeant shouted, “Everybody, up this instant! We’ve got a battle to win!” George Washington’s order awoke us soldiers, and we prepared for a rough night, as General Washington knew it would be more than strenuous to get the Continental Army, made up of 2,400 men, across the Delaware River especially in such harsh weather conditions. The plan was to attack in the morning since the Hessians would be celebrating Christmas tonight, they will hopefully be too tired to put up a fight tomorrow morning. The cold, brisk air intruded into the tent, as the rest of the soldiers arose from their slumber, not knowing what the day would bring them, or should I say, night.
Ivan the Terrible assumed his title as Czar in 1533 and ruled until 1584. Ivan got a lot of land during his time as ruler by being a jerk in general and creating a centrally controlled government. Ivan the Terrible created a centrally controlled Russian state and a bunch of people believed that he was mentally ill. Clearly he wasn’t a very cool dude. As slightly ironic as this is, Ivan the Terrible was the grandson of Ivan the Great. His dad died when he was three and his mom, who was a regent, died when he was eight. Apparently he was a really nice kid and then got all corrupted and suspicious and a tyrant. He did however, dig music and literature.
Finally, we do not truly know how Dracula was created; he was the very first vampire. Then over the many years he was alive, he made new vampires by feeding off people. In The Vampire Diaries however, we do know how they were created. A witch created the vampires in The Vampire Diaries. She later regretted the creation she made, and wanted to undo what she had already done.
It has been nearly one hundred and seventeen years since Bram Stoker published his ground breaking novel entitled “Dracula” and only twenty-two years since the movie “Bram Stoker’s Dracula”, a film based upon the novel, was unleashed upon the world. The book and the movie were a success and influenced the creation of a genre that still is seen today in pop culture. Though many raved about the story, no one ever explored the source of this fantastical tale of blood shed. To understand where his inspiration took flight, one would have to look back five hundred and eighty-three years ago, when a notorious Romanian prince inflicted fear upon the masses. Vlad III, also known as Vlad Tepes or Vlad the Impaler, was a ruthless warrior with an intense blood lust and the sort of person Stoker would have drawn from to create his masterpiece. In exploring why Vlad would make such a likely candidate for Stoker, one need only take a peek into his blood-stained past and it would become quite clear.
When the word vampire is said it evokes Hollywood images of handsome men and beautiful women, seductive creatures with fangs that lure in their prey with their hypnotic stare along with their good looks, wit and charm. Once the prey is seduced the vampire goes straight for the throat, biting down and draining their blood and ultimately their life. More recently the images may be of the sexy Vampire who is trying to pass as human in some high school setting that is amazingly fast, and strong, yet trying to be sensitive. Some sparkle in the sun and others must avoid it altogether, while still others wear some enchanted ring or jewelry in order to walk in sunlight. Oh yes, and let’s not forget their ability to go on living forever because one of the most incredible qualities is a vampire’s immortality, unless they have a wood or silver stake driven through their heart, or end up decapitated and burned, which would swiftly end there immortal rain. Whichever version of vampire you envision will depend on the most recent book, movie, or television series you are intrigued by. These images are the glorified Hollywood images that are spoon fed to us daily, but these are not the true definitions or characteristics of a real vampire. As much as most people believe that the image of the vampire was spawned from the story of Dracula written by Bram Stoker that is certainly not the case, the story of the vampire started thousands of years ago and span the globe, and continue to engross society today. Every culture has their own story and origination point and these stories have spawned a growing fascination with vampires. It is important to look back and see where it all began in order to uncover the truth of real vampires today.
Vlad III, or Vlad Dracula is one of the most horrific rulers in history. He was crazy and blood thirsty, and his desire for revenge would never be filled. It was an odd coincidence that in the same way he loved to kill people, he was impaled for everyone to see.
The most famous vampire is Dracula, the main character in the book Dracula written by Bram Stoker in 1897. It is said that Stoker was inspired by the Transylvanian Prince VladIII, also known as Vlad Dracula, but other than the name there are not many similarities that prove he was Stoker’s role model. Before Stoker shocked the...
Dracula, the most famous vampire of all time, which readers were first introduced to by Irish author Bram Stoker in 1897 with his novel Dracula, which tells the story of the mysterious person named Count Dracula (Stoker). The book is an outstanding masterpiece of work, which is why it has been a prototype for various movie releases over the decades. Whenever a film director decides to make a movie on behalf of a novel the hope is that the characters concur from the novel to the movie, which leads to the exploration of the resemblances and modifications between the characters in Dracula the novel by Bram Stoker and Bram Stoker’s Dracula 1992 movie directed by Francis Ford Coppola.