Dracula: History and Myth

Posts Tagged: folklore

First Bite by Drew Christie

I absolutely loved this 4-minute animation called First Bite, by Drew Christie. It combines exactly the things I love in vampire history/folklore; it’s a true historical account from 1725 by an Austrian official about a case of alleged vampirism in Serbia, with terrified villagers, a disinterment of a mysteriously fresh corpse, and of course, a good old-fashioned staking. In the accompanying article Mr. Christie mentions the excellent book “Vampires, Burial and Death,” which I found…Continue Reading →

Vampire on the loose in Serbia?

The lore of vampires may make for a tantalizing tale, but for locals in a tiny Serbian village, the threat of a vampire on the loose is all too real. Villagers in Zarozje, Serbia, are afraid the legendary vampire Sava Savanovic is on the loose, according to ABC News. Savanovic’s home, a former water mill near a small river, recently collapsed, and villagers believe he is roaming the mountainside looking for a new home. Full…Continue Reading →

The Book of Were-Wolves, 1865

Aka “The Book of Were-Wolves, being an account of a terrible superstition” Sabine Baring-Gould (1834-1924) was a Vicar in the Church of England in Devon, an archaeologist, folklorist, historian and a prolific author. Baring-Gould was also a bit eccentric. He reputedly taught classes with a pet bat on his shoulder… This book is one of the most cited references about werewolves. The Book of the Were-Wolf takes a rationalistic approach to the subject. The book…Continue Reading →

Le Musée des Vampires — the Vampire Museum in Paris

Here’s a link to an article I wrote a while back about Le Musée des Vampires, a small private museum dedicated to vampires and the study of their place in folklore and modern culture. Located just on the outer edge of Paris, it can be a bit complicated to visit for non-French speakers, but it’s totally do-able and absolutely worth the effort if you’re a fan of vampires, mythology, and weird stuff in general! One…Continue Reading →

Vampire Hunting Kit

A friend of mine sent me this great picture of an alleged 200-year-old vampire hunting kit, with the message, “You know my birthday is just around the corner…” It was apparently auctioned in Missisippi recently with a winning bid of $14,850 (link). I don’t believe for a second that the kit itself is 200 years old — no way someone would assemble these items before Dracula was published and before vampire fandom took root in…Continue Reading →

Vlad Tepes documentary

I recently ran across this great documentary about the historical Dracula on YouTube. There are a few really cool shots of Castle Poenari in the snow. I was there in October, near Halloween, when it was chilly and a bit cloudy, but I’d love to see the place in wintertime like that. The documentary also tells some of my favorite weird stories about Dracula, like how he used to keep a golden chalice in the…Continue Reading →

More info about Castle Poenari and the historical Dracula

Some good articles on Wikipedia The Wikipedia articles about Vlad Tepes and Castle Poenari are pretty cool, particularly the Vlad one. Another noteworthy bit of information I picked up in wandering around Romania, which is useful if you’re going there: the castle name is pronounced something like “po-ee-NAR”; in the Romanian language, an “i” at the end of a word is (almost?) always silent. The last “r” is a bit rolled, like in Spanish, but…Continue Reading →