Embedded Files
Volume 3 | Issue 7
Article by Richita Bhattacharyya. Edited by Rob Dann. Additional Research by Jack Barnes.
Vampires have long been a popular topic for authors. From Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel ‘Dracula’ to Stephanie Meyer’s ‘Twilight’ series, they continue to populate international bestsellers lists to this day. Despite this fact, relatively little is known about the actual origins of the vampire myth. This article will investigate two very notorious characters whose life stories have contributed a great deal to the origin and endurance of this consistently popular genre. Although Lady Elizabeth Bathory from Hungary and Vlad Tepes, from Wallachia (present day Romania), lived in the sixteenth and fifteenth centuries respectively, accounts of their lives continue to enrich this colourful genre in the twenty-first century.
Although Lady Elizabeth Bathory belonged to a prominent family in Hungary and appears to have lived a relatively unremarkable live as a married woman, she is famed for a penchant for torture and cruelty which began after the death of her husband when she was forty-four. One explanation for this apparently sudden change in lifestyle is that, as a woman who was well known in her youth for her beauty, she struggled to come to terms with widowhood and her advancing years. It was during this time that, whilst her maid was combing her hair a little too vigorously, the Countess became enraged and struck her on her face to discover a few drops of blood had fallen onto her hand. Believing that the piece of skin which had come into contact with the blood looked younger than before, she embarked on a period of bloodlust which would taint her reputation forever. It is said that the Countess created a suit made of pins designed specifically to draw out the blood of young maidens so that she could bathe in their blood. It is also alleged that one of her friends, a nobleman who was tall and pale, enjoyed drinking the blood that she had collected. Such macabre accounts have contributed a great deal to the myth that Vampires derive their strength and vitality from the blood of human beings.
Another nefarious character who is known to have contributed to the vampire myth is the infamous Vlad ‘Dracul’ Tepes, who is better known today as ‘Vlad the Impaler’. It was this figure who inspired Bram Stoker to write ‘Dracula’, which is the best known story in this genre. Looking at accounts of his life, it is easy to understand why. Vlad has been painted as an inhumane monster known for his cruel ways which sickened even the mighty Sultan of Turkey when he saw the impaled bodies of 10,000 Turks. These bloodthirsty acts convinced people that he was in actual fact a vampire. In an article on www.donlink.com, the author points out some of the striking similarities between Vlad Tepes and Count Dracula, showing the obvious influence that they had on Stoker. Firstly, the physical resemblance between the two is startling; secondly, the first chapter of Dracula speaks of battles similar to those faced by Vlad Tepes; and finally, the way to kill a Vampire, by driving a stake to his heart, may well be inspired by Tepes’ own murderous methods.
In the seventeenth century when vampirism was starting to gain literary popularity, several symptoms of vampirism appeared to manifest themselves in physical form. For example, iron deficiency led some people to crave blood and albinos, who are generally pale with reddened eyes, are unable to remain exposed to the sun for a protracted amount of time. Now that these ailments have been identified and explained with the advancement of medical science it is easy to forget that in the seventeenth-century people would have often leapt to the conclusion that these were supernatural or more specifically vampiric symptoms. This was an era when people still used magic and supernatural powers to comprehend the incomprehensible.
Bearing this in mind, it is clear that the vampire stories of today are carefully constructed tales which owe a great deal to the lives of these two historical figures. It is perhaps surprising that, in these more secular times and with the benefit of scientific advancement, such implausible tales continue to command such a large readership. The legends which influence these stories have been built over time and enriched by centuries of hearsay from and exaggerated sources dating back to the medieval and early modern periods. While the origins of many of these tales have thrilling and bloody roots, they also represent the culture of many Eastern-European communities and countries such as Romania and Transylvania are recognized today for their links with Vampires. One result of this is that, aside from the countless novels that have been written on the topic, their tourism industry has been given a great boost as many people come to see the places which gave birth to the legendary Count Dracula and the tales of ‘Bloodsucking Demons’ who prey on women and children.
Facts
1) The notion of Vampirism has existed for 1000s of years, but the folklore from which the entity we know as the vampire came almost exclusively from the 18th century.
2) Vlad the Impaler was seen as a Romanian national hero, due to his campaigns against Ottoman encroachment into Romania.
3) Estimates of the number of victims of Vlad range from 80,000-100,000 – comparable to the number of victims of witch hunts in Europe over four centuries.
4) Elizabeth Bathory has been labelled the most prolific female serial killer in history. She was convicted of 80 murders, although some estimates the actual number of victims to be as high as 650.
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