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Dracula

Vlad the Impaler cried real tears of blood. Source: Lama9838/CC BY-SA 3.0

Sadistic Vlad the Impaler Cried Real Tears of Blood, Study Reveals

Vlad Dracul, the infamous medieval Romanian ruler known as Vlad the Impaler and the inspiration for the character of Count Dracula , is considered one of the most bloodthirsty rulers in human history...
Vlad III, known as Vlad the Impaler. Source: byerenyerli / Adobe Stock.

Terror of Wallachia: The Reign of Vlad the Impaler (Video)

The name " Dracula " immediately brings to mind images of a bloodthirsty vampire , but the true story of the man behind the myth is just as chilling. Vlad III, also known as Vlad Tepes or Vlad the...
Literature’s first vampiress was called Carmilla. Source: Subbotina Anna / Adobe Stock

The Story of Carmilla: Literature’s First Vampire Was Actually a Woman

The novel Dracula , written by Bram Stoker and published in 1897, became a cult classic of horror literature throughout the world. It brought vampire legends to a wider audience and captivated...
Bran Castle in central Romania has a long history and relates to Count Dracula too!		Source: Dobre Cezar / CC BY-SA 3.0 RO

Bran Castle, Better Known As Dracula’s Castle, Has A Long History!

Bran Castle is a medieval castle located in Brașov County, Transylvania, Romania. The castle was built during the 14th century, though an earlier fortification stood in the area during the preceding...
Corvin Castle, also known as Hunyadi Castle or Hunedoara Castle, is a Gothic-Renaissance castle in Hunedoara, Romania. Photo source: Adrianstanica.ro / CC BY-SA 4.0

Renaissance-Gothic Corvin Castle: One of the Seven Wonders of Romania

Corvin Castle is a castle in Hnedoara, a city in Transylvania, Romania. The castle dates to the 15th century and was built in the Renaissance-Gothic style. The builder of Corvin Castle was John...
Vlad the Impaler as Dracula

Vlad the Impaler: The Real Count Dracula?

In 1897, Bram Stoker, an Irish writer, wrote a novel called Dracula , which has since become one of the classics of the Gothic horror genre. Despite the fact that Dracula is a fictional character,...
Detail of a portrait of Vlad Ţepeş, the Impaler, Prince of Wallachia (1456-1462) (died 1477). Weapons of this man who inspired the vampire Dracula have been found in Bulgaria. Source: Public Domain

Dracula’s Balls: Weapons of Hyper-Violence Used by Vlad III Discovered Under Bulgarian Fortress

Archaeologists excavating at the medieval Bulgarian ‘Zishtova Fortress’ have unearthed ‘stone cannonballs’ which are thought to have been used by Vlad III [Tepes], the historical inspiration for Bram...
Jure Grando and The First Documented Case of Vampirism in Europe

Jure Grando and The First Documented Case of Vampirism in Europe

In the English-speaking world today, vampires are perhaps most famously associated with the region of Transylvania in Romania, thanks to Bram Stoker’s Gothic horror novel, Dracula . Nevertheless,...
An illustration of a strigoi.

Preventing the Evil Dead from Arising, Ancient Practices Alive in Present-Day Romania Part 2

Read Part 1 As shown in numerous existing Romanian legends and testimonies, the main measure of protection against strigoi (vampires) is respecting funeral rites in detail. (The majority of strigoi...
A vampire, often likened to the Romanian ‘strigoi’.

Confronting the Evil Dead: Terrifying Ancient Beliefs Still Alive in Present-Day Romania – Part I

Romanian folklore records two atypical versions of the western vampire. These are the strigoi and the moroi which, even though they resemble the western image of the vampire, are very different from...
Dracula

Was Dracula Story inspired by Abhartach, the Bloodsucking Chieftain of Ireland?

Tales of vampires and other similar blood-sucking creatures have been told in various societies across the world. The most famous of these tales is the story of Dracula, written by Bram Stoker, and...
Newly-discovered tunnels and dungeons in Tokat Castle

Turkish castle where 'Dracula' was imprisoned will open to the public

The dungeons in Turkey where Vlad the Impaler is believed to have been held will now open to the public. Vlad was the notorious 15th century Prince of Wallachia from Transylvania, and the model for...
Newly-discovered tunnels and dungeons in Tokat Castle, Turkey

Archaeologists believe they have found dungeons that held 'Dracula'

Archaeologists in Turkey have uncovered a secret tunnel, storage rooms, a military shelter, and two dungeons during restoration work on Tokat Castle, where Vlad III the Impaler, who served as the...

Historians claim to have tracked down remains of Vlad the Impaler

A team of Estonian scholars believe they have finally discovered the long-lost location of Vlad the Impaler, the 15 th century Prince upon which Bram Stoker based his 1897 gothic novel ‘Dracula’...