Places of interest04 January 2024

What kind of world would it be without Dracula?

What happens if the literature runs under the guise of historical truth...

Vlad Tepes statua

Vlad Tepes statua

If Count Vlad Ţepeş never existed, what would Bram Stoker wrote about? I don’t know, but for sure there are some aspects that need to be clarified about it.

In 1978 Ion Stăvăruş, in his book entitled Povestiri medieval despre Vlad Dracul-Ţepeş, drew the attention to the possibility of the literature to interfere with the historical truth, or worse, of the cases in which literature runs under the guise of historical truth. In the second case, the insertion of the literature leads to cloud the boundaries between reality and fiction, thus leading to the impossibility of dissociation between real and fantasy. A similar thing happened with Dracula, the character created by Bram Stoker, where the historical truth was completely ignored in order to make way for the thirst for sensational.

As for vampirism assimilated to count Vlad’s figure, in addition to being an offense, it is closer to the ridicule of those who use it as source of inspiration.

What is said of Count Dracula? That's the stereotype created around Dracula? If you go on Google to look for what can generate the combination of the following three words: Transylvania - Vampire - Bran Castle you will not be surprised to find out that the result indicates the Count Dracula. There is nothing more wrong. For starters we should clarify the link that does not exist between these three words.

Primus, Dracula is a fictional character created by Bram Stoker inspired by the story of a Wallachian count Vlad III Ţepeş, who is really existed, also called Drăculea, that means the son of Dracul. Given the trend of the time of Latinized names, also the name of Drăculea was transformed and becomes Dracula. But few know that the name’s origin is linked to the Order of the Dragon’s membership, an order of the best knights of the Middle Ages, which was part of the father of Vlad, also known as Vlad Dracul.

Secundus, Transylvania where the novel has been set has nothing to do with the true kingdom of the prince which was Wallachia. If Transylvania means the country beyond the forests, then even Wallachia could be indicated as the country over the Carpathians, but in the opposite direction, more exactly, to the south.

Tertius, it refers to the vampire who doesn’t exist. In Romanian folklore there are many different characters one of the other, as the vârcolac, zmeu, balaur, but the vampire is just missing from the list.

Quartus, the Bran Castle is located on the border between Transylvania and Wallachia. In fact, this castle has never belonged to Vlad Ţepeş because this stone fortified structure was built by the Saxons in the thirteenth century, following the approval of Louis of Hungary. If you decide to go and visit the castle, which is actually a beautiful medieval castle, you will have the surprise of not finding anything that could belong to Vlad Ţepeş neither to Dracula. To make a historical type "on the trail of Ţepeş" you should go to see the fortress Poenari, Curtea Domnească of Târgovişte, the Comana monastery, the Snagov monastery, the Curtea Domnească Bucharest.

To understandd who really was Vlad Ţepeş should read anything but Bram Stoker, with all respect for his work. There are people who have a real passion for the Wallachian count and they are dedicated to the revival and promotion of the true story of Ţepeş.

Among the most important we can indicate the writer Vasile Lupaşc that already wrote two volumes on the life of the count Vlad Ţepeş and the third is output, also wrote the scenario of a film about Vlad Ţepeş due out this year, in which he also plays the part of one of the knights.    

Constantin Turmac, an engineer graduated from the University of York dedicated to the rehabilitation of the count Vlad and a collector of everything related to Vlad Ţepeş versus Dracula, especially in what concerns the impact it has had in the age the character created by Bram Stoker.

Sergiu Nicolaescu, a Romanian director who in 1979 made the historical film called Vlad Ţepeş.

It 's really impressive list of films that have been shot around the vampire box office from 1909 until the last released in 2014, Dracula Untold, which according to many was better if it remained "untold", not to speak of the receipts, that only for the last film had receipts of about $ 215 million.

What kind of world would it be without Dracula?

Bibliography:

Ion Stăvăruș,,Povestiri medievale despre Vlad Țepeș-Draculea. Studiu critic și antologie, Ed. Univers, Bucuresti, 1993.

Vasile Lupasc, Răstignit între cruci I-II, Editura Ler, Târgoviște, 2013.

D.K.

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