Create Vampires/Dracula Behind Vlad-The Impaler
Dracula Behind Vlad - The Impaler
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Sometimes Writers will mock their times, or the leaders in their society through parody, or through satire. In some countries Writers have the freedom to mock real men in Politics, or of great military influence who seem, in deed, like real monsters.
In History, there are a few real monsters, men who we will remember for their cruelty, or for their massive injustices. This does not appear to be the case with Dracula, a novel character considered "inspired by" Vlad The Impaler.
Because of Bram Stoker, a popular Irish Writer, Vlad came to be known as the ''original'' Dracula. It is ironic that the fictional character, Dracula, is well known yet the historic man, Vlad, a Prince from a Romanian royal family, is less known. According to one writer / Historian, "...as he wrote Dracula, he borrowed certain aspects of Vlad's life and wove them in with local folklore from the region."
Vlad, a special Prince of Romania, is a difficult subject to research. His Political influence is greatest in Romania, as is his mythic achievements. Vlad seemed to have influenced local folklore before Bram Stoker wrote his novel, Dracula in 1897.
Estimates puts the number of people Vlad is rumored to have killed at around 80,000 people. That seems questionable, it seems unlikely for 1 man to have murdered [directly] a large chunk of the Romanian population. Although it was never rumored by the people who tell, and re-tell folk stories, that Vlad drank blood, he is known as the person behind many bloody impalements and beheadings.
According to Wikipedia.com, "Offences where impalement was occasionally employed included contempt for the state's responsibility for safe roads and trade routes by committing highway robbery or grave robbery, violating state policies or monopolies, or subverting standards for trade. Offenders have also been impaled for a variety of cultural, sexual, and religious reasons." [wiki/Vlad_the_Impaler]
Vlad's father was a ruler of Wallachia, a territory between the Ottoman Empire and Europe, a country whose modern name is now known as Romania (southern).
| 5 Facts About Vlad - The Romanian Prince |
|---|
| Father: Vlad Dracul |
| Mother: Cneajna |
| Born: 1428 - 1431 |
| Year of Reigns: 1448, 1456 - 1462, 1476 |
| Died: December 1476 - January 1477 |
Why Create Vampires? Legal Considerations
For many legal reasons, people are not allowed to poison then legally bury other people alive, nor are people allowed to rob another person's grave.
When we hear about the grim and bloody punishments Vlad- The Impaler inflicted on grave robbers and other lawless thieves, we may start to wonder, why create vampires?
It is rumored that Vlad - The Impaler, Prince of Wallachia (a region now known as southern Romania), ran spikey poles through his enemies during the middle of the 14th century. Vlad may have impaled hundreds, worse, many of the impaled were left outside his city on display as a warning to scare off invaders and robbers, including grave robbers! Many folk stories about the Prince of Wallachia circulate where folk stories are written and read.
When vampire folklore is reviewed, we learn about History, and about people from other cultures, many who struggled with, and for their humanity. We learn of the methods (sometimes bloody) people used to solve problems, and we may wonder how our society would fairly solve our problems while staying humane. We may also wonder about other folk stories from around the world, such as the zombie-person, the demon-person, or the hungry ghost-person. How does a human get turned into a hungry ghost-person?
Source:
The World's Most Glorious And Notorious Rulers: The Great And The Terrible And How They Got Their Names" by JoAnne O'Sullivan. Copyright 2020 by JoAnne O'Sullivan. Published by Running Press Kids, an imprint of Perseus Books, LLC. ISBN: 978-0-7624-9661-7