Vampires and the count Dracula

We are all familiar with vampires. as we have seen in several films and television series ,

plus they are one of the most popular horror tales characters . vampires are mythological

creatures that are better known for living to feed on the blood of people . and various other

features that vary depending on where they come from .

In ancient times people believed that any creature that sucked the blood of an animal was a

vampire. Today known as vampires are fictional characters that have evolved the evolution

until today even become characters in love stories.

Vampires started to become famous a couple of centuries ago when the writer wrote bram

stroker dracula novel . the success of this novel catapulted vampires as characters featured

in many stories . the idea of vampirism has existed between humans for many years , in

different cultures such as the Hebrews, Mesopotamians , Romans and Greeks . in ancient

vampires were associated with witches and were executed.

Different stories about vampires have been found in almost every culture. which now days

we can associate with vampires in the past but not even knew about the term vampire. the

action of taking blood was attributed to demons and evil creatures. in ancient Rome and

Greece existed three types of evil beings which may be related to vampires. the empusae,

the lamia and striges. meaning the first two words witches or demons. in Latin America the

loogaroo are an example of beliefs that exist in Latin America. beliefs also existed in

countries like Colombia monsters as patasola, the Mapuche in Chile. In Aztec mythology

chihuateteo exist which are ghosts with skull face.

Vampires are usually main characters in many movies, television series and video games.

1992 Nosferatu was the first vampire film. and then came the TV series Hammer horror

with Christopher reads representing the count dracula. Movies for this series was so

successful that seven parts of this movie were made. The videogames about vampires have

become very popular also. Many game developers have developed games about vampires

and those game have been very successful in terms of sales.

¨ The role-playing game Vampire: the Masquerade has been influential upon modern

vampire fiction and elements of its terminology, such as embrace and sire, have become

widely used. Popular video games about vampires include Castlevania, which is an

extension of the original Bram Stoker Dracula novel, and Legacy of Kain.¨

To understand the origins of most myth about vampires, we need to know their origins and

assembly by the years. In addition, we have to know the most known vampire of all times

and his inventor. Born in Ireland on November 1847 Bram Stoker was part of a family

religious strong. Other characteristics about his early life are that he was an athlete also

have good studies, he even studied in a college and when he was little most of his time was

sick.

Bram or Abraham Stoker it’s most known by his work on Dracula and the modern

characteristics of the vampire now a days. Dracula it’s an icon of modern society so much

that even in children educational material exist as in the muppets. Bram’s Dracula it’s the

most know vampire of all time but wasn’t the first even in those days there were more

controversy stories about vampire as Carmilla. Carmilla was a lesbian vampire that have a

mortal as a lover, published in 1872 by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, this gothic novel was

made only 20 years before Dracula and was more polemic. In addition, we have Varney the

vampire published in 1845; this gothic horror story was before even Carmilla. Moreover,

for the last we have The Vampyre published in 1819 this it’s maybe want of the very first

story published about vampires and was also a romantic story. So we can concluded that

Dracula it’s not the first and most polemic character in the vampire world.

Dracula creator was a studied man and involved in written and theatrical world, but

Abraham Stoker wasn’t applaud in his time for his work he even was more Known for been

the assistant of Henry Irving a very famous actor in theater and the business manager of a

famous theater of Irving in London. This friendship open him many opportunities to know

writers and travel the world.

He started to write as a criticism of theater work and this link him to Henry Irving, then

he’s written was to made the memories of Henry Irving and made his own novel. Much of

his characters come across through the travels that he had we Irving. His first novel

published in 1875. Bram novels almost always refer to love and a part of fiction if we go to

and see the path of his writing we can see that he started with The primrose path, The snake

pass, The Walter’s mou (1895) a romantic novel, then we have The shoulder of Shasta,

(1895) another love story and finally Dracula published in 1987. This weird change of style

made his work more questionable, after Dracula he still work with romantic novel and

implement a bit of fiction. Never the less Bram’s work was not seen as a popular writing

even Dracula was not a success in his times. Bram most famous creation was only a success

years after his death. Copy rights were the biggest problem that he has because he did made

corporate rights but only in U.K. in United States and others, countries took Dracula as a

free story rights meaning that everyone could use it for adaptation in theater and movies.

One of the most problematic cases was Nosferatu a German produce movie that based on

Bram’s book and was destroy because the lack of permission from the owners right in this

cases Bram’s widow Florence Stoker.

After a life of studies and written books Bram still it’s just known for his work in Dracula.

For critics the revolutionary of this books is the description of Victorian women and his

role in society and that emerge others topics as immigration and historical cruelty of royalty

to their people. To some people was a modern novel because the topics that are in the book

and it’s published at 19 century the start of modern period. Even the revolutionary of the

book Bram Stoker dies almost as a poor man that past his last days living from charity.

Dracula name it always be related to Barm Stoker and some can said that some of his story

are related to the Count and the characters of this book. For example, we have one of the

main characters “Jonathan Harker” that has a fiancée that reject several of persuaders and

that was engaged we another man an choose Harker over the other man. This could related

to Bram because he wife Florence choose him over another man. Also the American

cowboy Quincey Morris it's mainly a creation in his tour to U.S.A. when he travel in

company of Irving Henry.

Maybe most of the characters of the book were took from Bram’s world and his

experiences but others like Dracula were only myth that he studied from some Hungary

friends of him. He didn’t even went to Hungary or Rumania were the myth took places. He

only took ideas from people in England.

Vampire are now a days what Bram’s show us, but before “Dracula” and before “The

Vampyre” were myth and legends of vampires that drink blood to keep their youth forever

but before the myth exist even truth in this stories. Studies reveal that Dracula it’s actually

Draculea that means “the order of the dragon”. The first name for Dracula title was “The

dead undead”, and Dracula characters was Wampyr. The legends of this order are attributed

to Vlad the impaler a cruel prince warrior that ruled parts of the region that locate Bram in

his book known as Transylvania.

Even know days it’s a debated about the truth inspiration for Dracula character but some

historians think that the truth Dracula was “Countess Elizabeth Báthory de Ecsed” of

Hungary. This countess was a real royalty descendent that were also living in the region

and committed several crimes related to blood drinking. It we read the book of Dracula we

can see that Dracula get younger and stronger every time that he drink blood, to mention

some of the Countess legends related to Dracula it said that she wash herself with young

women blood to absorbed their youth. In addition another psychological link could be their

first appearance, the Countess as a dignitary was always know as a educated person but

extremely cruel, this characteristic apply to Dracula too as it says in the book “dons a mask

of cordiality” meaning that he was very polite but cruel as well.

Countess Elizabeth was accused but never officially condemned because his linage she was

confiscated in a room in one of her castles until her dead. Elizabeth legacy remain until

today with her big castle and a remaining of her cruelty. She was accuse of 600 dead of

mostly young women. The story said that when she was arrest, they found bodies all over

the place. In addition, the story tells that she was not killing for the pleasure of dead but

torturing their victims. She didn’t went to public trial but her servers did, and 3 of 4 were

executed.

Even now days it’s hard to know the truth, others theory said that Elizabeth was inframe

because she was a widow with too much power and nobody to watch her back, in those

days, was middle age went conquer was still a way of living. So the theory said that her

family inframe her to divided her territory, and that it’s what actually happen after

Elizabeth was capture their neighbors divided her lands and took control.

Others theory keep Countess Elizabeth as extremely cruel woman that has too many power

and that blood bathing is only a legend the cruelty of this woman was real and her family

took advantage of this to take control of her lands. Torture in this time was appropriate and

well take for punishment.

She was around 50 when she was put in trial and die a few year after. However, the stories

and legends are still out there. Proving that Countess Elizabeth was a very important part

for now a day’s vampire culture.

Now we can see the similarities about this two characters both were Count and Countess,

were about living in the same region, extremely cruel, and take blood as an elixir of life and

eternal youth. Maybe were appear, as the most interesting characteristic is the castle in

which both died in their homes. Their sever were also four people, and want the company

of young women. In both cases, they look for healthy and beautiful women for their cruelty.

For conclusion we can said that vampires are a big part of European culture that travel to

America as Dracula travel to London, and that popular culture made this make up story a

truth myth. Still vampire it self are a truth myth that still exist in western European

countries. Some archaeologies has found dead bodies decapitated or with a stake in their

heart. Proving that before Dracula people truly believe in the undead and their thirst of

blood to keep living. Studies reveal that the name of Dracula came from Vlad The impaler

but his truth essence it’s from the legends of Countess Elizabeth of Hungary. And his

powers are attributed to the popular myth.

Bibliography

Dalby, Richard and Hughes, William. Bram Stoker: A Bibliography (Westcliff-on-Sea: Desert

Island Books, 2005)

Senf, Carol. Dracula: Between Tradition and Modernism (Twayne, 1998).

Craft, Kimberly (2009). Infamous Lady: The True Story of Countess Erzsébet Báthory.

Penrose, Valentine (trans. Alexander Trocchi) (2006). The Bloody Countess: Atrocities of

Erzsébet Báthory. Solar Books