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Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Dracula - between legend and truth

Dracula - as perceived today - is the result of interference of actual historical facts, entered into legend, about the reign of Vlad Tepes - Dracula, the diaries of the chroniclers of the time, trying to put the great prince in a bad light, amplified in the next century by association with the fictional character of the novel "Dracula", published in England in 1897, starring authored by Irish writer Bram Stoker.The truth about the Romanian ruler Vlad the Impaler (1456-1462, 1476) is known from many works belonging to Romanian and foreign historians. Convinced that only a strong ruler could ensure order within the country and to organize successfully defend her external dangers Vlad Tepes recourse to authoritarian rule, requires honesty and diligence of its subjects as virtues, dishonesty (theft) were punished laziness and cunning harshly by impaling a cruel punishment, but can be understood only in relation to the era in which he lived, an era of great cruelty, which has seen other punishments as harsh, such as burning , gallows, etc. ..Due to its drastic measures, Vlad Tepes was able to establish order in the country, "Foreign mercy and grace - ADXenopol history says - he's made a terrible fire in the service of his country and after a clean inner bad, he made injosirii chest that had fallen country. "
But his actions drew the hatred of many of his contemporaries. They have slandered and accused him of understanding with the Turks against the interests of the country, was closed by King Matthias Corvinus and later face or cruel man, but put "a terrible job of wires in his country, was associated with vampire Dracula, the main character of famous fiction novel "Dracula" of the Irish writer Bram Stoker published in London in 1897 and considered by Oscar Wilde "perhaps the most beautiful novel of all time."
The connection is made between the character of Bram Stoker and Dracula, Prince Vlad Tepes, is suggested by the author, who recorded: "... it was really that Dracula prince who has acquired the name of resisting the Turks over the great river even at the border with Turkey. " Bram Stoker believes this was no ordinary man "because for centuries it was said that the most skilful, the most cunning but also the bravest of the sons of the country beyond the forest's spirit and will of skillful Iron entered the tomb and fight with him now. " Here the author connects with the beliefs about ghosts, whose existence, imagined by popular belief, does not end with the coming generation of "We the dead (ie ghosts, vampires) suffers from the curse of immortality, says Bram Stoker, pass out an age-and multiply other victims, increasing the evils of the world .... "
The characters in the novel "Dracula" are the result of fantasy author, but the facts and end of Dracula are based on popular beliefs about the existence of evil forces: vampires or ghosts. In many peoples beliefs vampires are dead people who by virtue of a sentence or a curse during his lifetime, leaving his grave at night and wandering among the living people who sleep and suck their blood - their only food. Everything is considered and the vampire bat, an animal that lives on in the cave at night and suck blood out of men .* In Central America and South America are a species of vampire bats that feed on the blood of large birds and mammals caught in their sleep . Odisseea In his famous work, the poet Homer, identify the souls of the dead bat.
In popular belief the Carpathian-Danubian-Pontic correspondent vampire in the sense of dead people who leave their tomb at night and wandering among the people who live on and surprise in their sleep and do a lot of inconvenience and damage, suck their blood and milk taken from cattle, is strigoi. Can be undead alive, one that - as noted folklorist I. Aurel Candrea - "all day sees the things that other people, but at night he fell asleep as soon as the soul goes out to meet with other undead, and the body remains as dead on the bed. The souls of these ghosts ... kill children and suck their blood, take the hand of the cows and the sowings. The same author says that "then you die one of these beings that are believed to have been ghosting through the heart of summer is a spit fire or flushed in hair for her soul can not escape from the grave and torment the people no longer night.
In Romanian mythology and ghosts are dead, those spirits of the dead from the living or undead former people that were wrong in some of the ordinances of the funeral, have lost the way to the afterlife or what had to pay customs. Besides the damage that people do in life - says Sim. Marian Fl - dead ghosts "eat one by one each member of their family or they eat only the heart and suck their blood."
As interpreted today, Dracula himself appears Romanian ruler of Wallachia, Vlad Tepes, in whose face (depicted in a woodcut of the "German Stories About Dracula Prince", published in Nuremberg in 1488) is represented in numerous commercials. In this situation no longer seen as a real historical figure, but as a vampire, as is known, by Western tourists, from the novel by Bram Stoker and the many films that were cast in the West since 1922.Thus, while the Roman ruler's portrait, which appears on the cover stories German edition, published in Bamberg, in 1491, suggests a sense of justice which he translated into life by means of special cruelty, judged by standards of the contemporary epoch, but typical time in which he lived, the image on the screen we transposed a Dracula play a ruthless figure no longer has to do with the spirit of justice. This image, fanciful and chilling, is the taste of tourists who went in search of sensational and, once arrived in Romania, Bran Castle and associated (which by appearance and location to emit an air of mystery) with the haunting imagery of where Dracula.
Bran Castle, one of the most valuable monuments of medieval architecture in Romania, officials historical, military and economic, is known by tourists from around the world as Dracula's Castle.Most tourists, after visiting Bran Castle, do not leave disappointed that they met Dracula - The vampire who sucks people's blood, known from movies and figure associated with the Romanian ruler Vlad Tepes - Dracula. And I met so that visitors do not make a distinction between historical reality and the origin story behind both the character of Bram Stoker's novel, entitled Dracula, in which the action is based on popular beliefs about ghosts and vampires and legends about Vlad Tepes, especially those that shows him as a ruthless ruler. Interference with the main character in the novel Dracula legends real Prince Vlad Tepes - Dracula, a reference figure of Roman history, gave birth to an imaginary character vampire known as Dracula, the embodiment of an evil spirit that troubled peace in people, struggles and those came under the rule of converts into the forces of evil. This character exists at the imaginary and can not be shown in a museum exhibition is like that of Bran Castle.
Bran Castle Dracula's Castle was named after three decades, by tourists, especially Americans, who came in search of horror films made Dracula of Bram Stoker's novel. Tourists are surprised at the entrance to a castle in Transylvania by the appearance resembled that described by the author of Irish castle. That's why they named Dracula's Castle. What is the connection between Dracula may be the imagination of tourists come looking for Bran Castle vampire? It's simple. If it's Romanian ruler, history records the many campaigns undertaken by Vlad - Impaler - Dracula punishing Saxons from Brasov who disobeyed the commandments of the ruler on trade fairs in the Romanian Country. And it makes sense that the transition to be made in Bran, Brasov closest pass, which links to Targoviste, Mr. Muntean residence. Relations with the Bran castellans will not be too friendly, because they were representatives of the city of Brasov, Dracula's hostile.If Vlad Tepes ruled Bran Castle is hard to answer because it does not mention the written documents. But existing documents in the archives of the Castle - Bran Castle, as many are still preserved, are mainly administrative nature, refer to revenues and expenses on the Bran castle and a very small extent the events of political and military. It can be said, however, that in the fall of 1462, after the army of the Hungarian King Matthias Corvinus, caught near the city of Dambovita River Bridge, near Rucar, located about 25 km from Bran, Prince Vlad Tepes was taken to Castle Bran and imprisoned here for about two months, as recorded by Vlad Tepes Dracula recent volume, Editura Mirador, Arad, 2002, author George Lazea Postelnicu. From there he was taken and imprisoned in Visegrad Citadel.
In terms of vampire, known in Romanian folklore as the undead (the vampire name is common in Serbian) is worth mentioning that in the villages of Bran is keeping the faith on the existence of evil spirits called steregoi (variant strigoi) .Village elders remember that until half a century ago it was believed that there were some people in life - the undead - who led a normal life day and night during sleep, their souls left the band and roamed through the village and tortured people in sleep. These evil spirits roamed from midnight until the first singing of the roosters, they no longer had the power to inflict evil people.Belief in ghosts and other evil spirits is a component of popular mythology. It can be told, imagined by every individual. But beyond this imaginary universe populated with vampires and ghosts, tourists can actually meet at Bran, who was to enjoy and relax the soul.The fierce image of Dracula in mind, came to Bran, the tourist will meet in picturesque places in the mountain shepherds with herds from grazing or mowing weeds, whose women to war woven textiles that adorn the interiors of homes or preparing traditional dishes (Bulzul Shepherd, pastrami, buttermilk, etc..) both in their own houses and in hostels prepared specifically for those who want to spend and Bran from sunrise to sunset and you can even overnight, in your dream will come and Dracula vampire whose strength will wither on the clove of garlic placed above the door entrance housewife because she knows so that they appear in the old house from evil spirits.

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