{"id":1907,"date":"2009-06-01T01:10:42","date_gmt":"2009-06-01T06:10:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/paganpages.org\/content\/?p=1916"},"modified":"2009-05-28T12:59:55","modified_gmt":"2009-05-28T17:59:55","slug":"vampire-folklore-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/2009\/06\/01\/vampire-folklore-4\/","title":{"rendered":"Vampire Folklore"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Real Castle Dracula<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cA vast ruined castle, from whose tall black windows came no ray of light, and whose broken battlements showed a jagged line against the moonlit sky.\u201d
\n<\/em>
\n-Jonathan Harker as he approaches Castle Dracula for the first time (Stoker Chapter 1) <\/em><\/p>\n

Bram Stoker\u2019s Dracula has always brought about inspiration, curiosity, and enchantment to those who have decided to be enthralled by the tale.\u00a0 In the novel, both the Count and his home are described in such detail that one would think that both are real.\u00a0 While it has been shown that the infamous Vlad the Impaler is the Count, arguments still exist about the exact whereabouts of the true Castle Dracula.\u00a0 Two castles, Castle Bran and Castle Poenari, have fought over the title, but only one can be the true Castle Dracula.<\/p>\n

As depicted in the novel, Dracula\u2019s castle was located near the Borgo Pass.\u00a0 It was reached by a road that climbed high into the mountains.\u00a0 Jonathon Harker noted a large courtyard, and he was dropped off by an old large door embedded into a stone wall.\u00a0 The wall was worn with age and weathering.\u00a0 Upon further inspection during daylight hours, Harker painted a picture of a castle sitting on a great rock that overlooked a forest with several river gorges (Melton 87).<\/p>\n

\u201cThe view was magnificent, and from where I stood there was every opportunity of seeing it. The castle is on the very edge of a terrific precipice. A stone falling from the window would fall a thousand feet without touching anything! As far as the eye can reach is a sea of green tree tops, with occasionally a deep rift where there is a chasm. Here and there are silver threads where the rivers wind in deep gorges through the forests. \u201c<\/p>\n

(Stoker Chapter Two)<\/p>\n

Harker illustrated the castle further by commenting on its winding staircases, long corridors, and tunnels (Melton 87).\u00a0 With such a portrayal, one can see how easy it would be to get caught up in the notion of Castle Dracula being a real place.<\/p>\n

One of the castles presented for being the real Castle Dracula is Castle Bran.\u00a0 Castle Bran is a restored castle in Transylvania, Romania, and the Romanian tourist authority tries to parade the castle as the real deal due to its overall appearance.\u00a0 Legends state that the castle was first built by Basarah, the first prince of Wallachia.\u00a0 Other lore gives credit to the Teutonic knight Deitruch.\u00a0 It also served as a trading post in the Middle Ages.\u00a0 While Vlad Tepes never lived at the castle, he may have sought refuge there during his flight from the Turks in 1462 (Guiley 54).\u00a0 When the castle was donated to Queen Marie of Great Romania in 1920, she undertook a restoration of the castle.\u00a0 Because of those restorations and due to the previous nature of the castle, a team of researchers, Raymond T. McNally and Radu R. Florescu, heralded the place as an almost exact replica of Castle Dracula.\u00a0 Since that time, the castle has switched hands from the royal family to the state and from prosperity to disrepair.\u00a0 It was finally restored again in 1993 and is in fine condition complete with its multilevel battlements, corridors, courtyards, tall water tower, chapel, and underground passageways (55).\u00a0 It is no surprise then why the Romanian tourist authority insists on it being the real thing.<\/p>\n

While the Romanian tourist authority may present Castle Bran as Castle Dracula, historians argue that Castle Poenari is a better fit for the title.\u00a0 Castle Poenari overlooks the River Arges near the town of Poenari, in the foothills of the Transylvania Alps (Melton 90).\u00a0 It dates back to the 14th century, and there are several arguments in regards to its origins.\u00a0 It may have been built by a Basarab prince or by a Teutonic knight.\u00a0 By the time Vlad Tepes assumed power in 1456, the castle, along with another in the area, was in ruins.\u00a0 The destruction was caused by assaults by Turks and Tartars.\u00a0 Although the castle was small in size, Vlad chose the location because he admired how it sat strategically in regards to views of the surrounding area.\u00a0 When he made plans to rebuild the castle in 1459, he had an ingenious and devious plan to do so.\u00a0 He was going to use the castle\u2019s construction as a way to exact revenge on his enemies, the elite boyars.\u00a0 The boyars partisans had murdered Vlad\u2019s father and brother and interesting enough, had buried Vlad\u2019s brother alive and facedown to prevent the brother from becoming a vampire.\u00a0 On Easter, Vlad invited these boyers and their families for a feast at his castle in Tirgoviste.\u00a0 The boyars and their wives were immediately taken and impaled on stakes while those in good health were marched immediately to work on the ruins.\u00a0 From these working hands came three towers and walls thick enough to withstand cannon fire.\u00a0 Supposedly, a secret staircase was built through the mountain to the riverbank below for easy escape, but no evidence has ever been found supporting this claim.\u00a0 After the death of the Impaler, the castle fell into ruins once more and was ravaged by acts of nature like earthquakes.\u00a0\u00a0 Responding to an increase in tourism, the Romanian government carried out a partial reconstruction of the castle and built an astounding 1,531 wooden steps to reach it. (Guiley 57).\u00a0 Thus, Castle Poenari has strong ties to the implicated Count in Bram Stoker\u2019s Dracula and has a location fitting the portrayal of it in the novel as well.<\/p>\n

Many would argue that Bram Stoker\u2019s fictional world caused a problem in which people actively sought out a real Castle Dracula.\u00a0 Readers\u2019 fascination with the in depth descriptions led some to believe that Castle Bran or Castle Poenari was the Count\u2019s residence.\u00a0 Castle Bran appeared to be straight out of Stoker\u2019s tale with its underground passageways and courtyards.\u00a0 Castle Poenari, on the other hand, had ties with Vlad and a more fitting location.\u00a0\u00a0 Either way, both castles are fascinating in their own right, and each adds an understanding to the novel and to Vlad the Impaler.<\/p>\n

Works Cited<\/p>\n

Guiley, Rosemary Ellen.\u00a0 The Encyclopedia of Vampires, Werewolves, and Other Monsters.\u00a0 New York:\u00a0 Checkmark Books, 2005.<\/p>\n

Melton, J. Gordon.\u00a0 The Vampire Book.\u00a0 Detroit:\u00a0 Visible Ink Press, 1994.<\/p>\n

Stoker, Bram.\u00a0 Dracula.\u00a0 Literature.org, The Online Literature Library.\u00a0 Literature.org.\u00a0\u00a0 20 May 2009 < http:\/\/www.literature.org\/authors\/stoker-bram\/dracula\/>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Real Castle Dracula \u201cA vast ruined castle, from whose tall black windows came no ray of light, and whose broken battlements showed a jagged line against the moonlit sky.\u201d -Jonathan Harker as he approaches Castle Dracula for the first time (Stoker Chapter 1) Bram Stoker\u2019s Dracula has always brought about inspiration, curiosity, and enchantment to those who have decided to be enthralled by the tale.\u00a0 In the novel, both the Count and his home are described in such detail that one would think that both are real.\u00a0 While it has been shown that the infamous Vlad the Impaler is the Count, arguments still exist about the exact whereabouts of the true Castle Dracula.\u00a0 Two castles, Castle Bran and Castle Poenari, have fought over the title, but only one can be the true Castle Dracula. As depicted in the novel, Dracula\u2019s castle was located near the Borgo Pass.\u00a0 It was reached by a road that climbed high into the mountains.\u00a0 Jonathon Harker noted a large courtyard, and he was dropped off by an old large door embedded into a stone wall.\u00a0 The wall was worn with age and weathering.\u00a0 Upon further inspection during daylight hours, Harker painted a picture of a castle sitting on a great rock that overlooked a forest with several river gorges (Melton 87). \u201cThe view was magnificent, and from where I stood there was every opportunity of seeing it. The castle is on the very edge of a terrific precipice. A stone falling from the window would fall a thousand feet without touching anything! As far as the eye can reach is a sea of green tree tops, with occasionally a deep rift where there is a chasm. Here and there are silver threads where the rivers wind in deep gorges through the forests. \u201c (Stoker Chapter Two) Harker illustrated the castle further by commenting on its winding staircases, long corridors, and tunnels (Melton 87).\u00a0 With such a portrayal, one can see how easy it would be to get caught up in the notion of Castle Dracula being a real place. One of the castles presented for being the real Castle Dracula is Castle Bran.\u00a0 Castle Bran is a restored castle in Transylvania, Romania, and the Romanian tourist authority tries to parade the castle as the real deal due to its overall appearance.\u00a0 Legends state that the castle was first built by Basarah, the first prince of Wallachia.\u00a0 Other lore gives credit to the Teutonic knight Deitruch.\u00a0 It also served as a trading post in the Middle Ages.\u00a0 While Vlad Tepes never lived at the castle, he may have sought refuge there during his flight from the Turks in 1462 (Guiley 54).\u00a0 When the castle was donated to Queen Marie of Great Romania in 1920, she undertook a restoration of the castle.\u00a0 Because of those restorations and due to the previous nature of the castle, a team of researchers, Raymond T. McNally and Radu R. Florescu, heralded the place as an almost exact replica of Castle Dracula.\u00a0 Since that time, the castle has switched hands from the royal family to the state and from prosperity to disrepair.\u00a0 It was finally restored again in 1993 and is in fine condition complete with its multilevel battlements, corridors, courtyards, tall water tower, chapel, and underground passageways (55).\u00a0 It is no surprise then why the Romanian tourist authority insists on it being the real thing. While the Romanian tourist authority may present Castle Bran as Castle Dracula, historians argue that Castle Poenari is a better fit for the title.\u00a0 Castle Poenari overlooks the River Arges near the town of Poenari, in the foothills of the Transylvania Alps (Melton 90).\u00a0 It dates back to the 14th century, and there are several arguments in regards to its origins.\u00a0 It may have been built by a Basarab prince or by a Teutonic knight.\u00a0 By the time Vlad Tepes assumed power in 1456, the castle, along with another in the area, was in ruins.\u00a0 The destruction was caused by assaults by Turks and Tartars.\u00a0 Although the castle was small in size, Vlad chose the location because he admired how it sat strategically in regards to views of the surrounding area.\u00a0 When he made plans to rebuild the castle in 1459, he had an ingenious and devious plan to do so.\u00a0 He was going to use the castle\u2019s construction as a way to exact revenge on his enemies, the elite boyars.\u00a0 The boyars partisans had murdered Vlad\u2019s father and brother and interesting enough, had buried Vlad\u2019s brother alive and facedown to prevent the brother from becoming a vampire.\u00a0 On Easter, Vlad invited these boyers and their families for a feast at his castle in Tirgoviste.\u00a0 The boyars and their wives were immediately taken and impaled on stakes while those in good health were marched immediately to work on the ruins.\u00a0 From these working hands came three towers and walls thick enough to withstand cannon fire.\u00a0 Supposedly, a secret staircase was built through the mountain to the riverbank below for easy escape, but no evidence has ever been found supporting this claim.\u00a0 After the death of the Impaler, the castle fell into ruins once more and was ravaged by acts of nature like earthquakes.\u00a0\u00a0 Responding to an increase in tourism, the Romanian government carried out a partial reconstruction of the castle and built an astounding 1,531 wooden steps to reach it. (Guiley 57).\u00a0 Thus, Castle Poenari has strong ties to the implicated Count in Bram Stoker\u2019s Dracula and has a location fitting the portrayal of it in the novel as well. Many would argue that Bram Stoker\u2019s fictional world caused a problem in which people actively sought out a real Castle Dracula.\u00a0 Readers\u2019 fascination with the in depth descriptions led some to believe that Castle Bran or Castle Poenari was the Count\u2019s residence.\u00a0 Castle Bran appeared to be straight out of Stoker\u2019s tale with its underground passageways and courtyards.\u00a0 Castle Poenari, on the other hand, had ties with Vlad and a more fitting location.\u00a0\u00a0 Either way, both castles are fascinating in their own right, and each adds an understanding to the novel and to Vlad the Impaler. Works Cited Guiley, Rosemary Ellen.\u00a0 The Encyclopedia of Vampires, Werewolves, and Other Monsters.\u00a0 New York:\u00a0 Checkmark Books, 2005. Melton, J. Gordon.\u00a0 The Vampire Book.\u00a0 Detroit:\u00a0 Visible Ink Press, 1994. Stoker, Bram.\u00a0 Dracula.\u00a0 Literature.org, The Online Literature Library.\u00a0 Literature.org.\u00a0\u00a0 20 May 2009 < http:\/\/www.literature.org\/authors\/stoker-bram\/dracula\/>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":51,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1907","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1907","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/51"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1907"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1907\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1900,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1907\/revisions\/1900"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1907"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1907"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1907"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}