Dracula, Myth Vs Legend
Dracula, Myth Vs Legend
When one hears the name
Dracula, most are inclined to think of a Hollywood fairytale with
blood sucking vampires and a fictitious Count Dracula. This is true
in one sense and completely false in another.
The figure most people associate to Dracula is a fairytale, written
from the pen of Irish Novelist Bram Stoker. Many believe Stoker
based his novel on the real life figure, Vlad Tepes III. Vlad was a
prince of Walachia, located in central Romania. This is where the
similarities end, as Stoker never actually visited Transylvania, or
Walachia, and merely drew images from the stories written in
European papers at the time.
Vlad Tepes was born in or around 1431, in the Transylvanian town of
Sighisoara. Today you can visit the house in which Vlad was born,
which has been restored to its original condition, and enjoy one of
the best preserved medieval citadels in Europe. At the time Vlad was
in power, Walachia was a main trading route, and a strategic
point
in the battle between the Turkish Invaders from the East and the
Hungarian throne situated in Budapest. This caused a very turbulent
situation, as the battle of religions with these powerful neighbours
was often fought on these lands. Vlad was known for many things,
most of which being his cruel and ruthless torture methods.
Impalement was Vlad's favourite form of punishment, and he held no
favourites, whether it be local thieves, foreign nobleman, or the
sick and poor.
As stories vary from one person to the next, the true life of Vlad
Tepes will never be known. The printing press releases from Germany
and Russia have similarities to the stories and life of Vlad, and
local folklore is probably the best way to find out more on Vlad's
life.
We have found a very well written essay on the life of Vlad
Tepes written by Ray Porter (from University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill) in 1992. It includes 6 chapters explaining variations
of Vlad's life. For any Dracula enthusiast or if you would like to
know more about this fascinating story it is definitely worth
reading. click here to read "The
Historical Dracula"
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