Things about Transylvania

Cachtice Castle and Elizabeth Bathory

2013-05-12T08:25:00.001-07:00

I got another request. I had talked a little bit about Cachtice Castle, where Elizabeth Bathory lived, in my travel post. There are some who wish for me to expand on this topic. I couldn’t be happier to do this topic. There is so much to talk about, I will have to restrain myself. Cachtice Castle is located on the top of a hill just about the village of Cachtice. Cachtice Castle was a wedding present given to Countess Elizabeth Bathory in the 16^th century, along with the 17 surrounding villages. Elizabeth moved into Cachtice Castle when she was 14 years old. It was not until 1615, when Elizabeth was about 40 years old, that she started killing young women within the wall of Cachtice.

For those of you who have not read my previous posts on travel and Elizabeth Bathory I will give a bit of a background on the historical context of this amazing castle. Elizabeth Bathory was a countess who lived in Cachtice Castle in the late 16^th and early 17^th centuries. She was also known as the Blood Countess. She believed that if she bathed on the blood of young women she would remain youthful and beautiful. Over approximately a five year period, Elizabeth Bathory killed about 600 young women from the surrounding villages. When this was found out Elizabeth was found guilty of these crimes. Since they could not kill a member of the nobility, they walled her up in the castle and left her to die.

With all of that in mind, one is surely thinking that Cachtice Castle must be haunted. So many deaths took place here. The castle is in ruins. Today people are allowed to go on a hike to the ruins. They can’t go in due to the ruins being a historical landmark for the local people. There could also be some superstitions connected to the castle and anyone who would choose to walk in there. There is also a museum within the village of Cachtice that is dedicated to the castle and relics that were able to be saved after the castle was burned down in 1708.

It was in 1708 that the castle was laid siege to and burned. They did repair the castle in 1715 though. After that it was used as a jail. No one has used Cachtice Castle as a residence since 1708. Not many people remember that this castle was used as a jail though. It is most famous for being the residence of Elizabeth Bathory. I think I have gone through about 10 articles that talk mainly about Elizabeth Bathory and horrible things she did during her life at Cachtice Castle. People are mainly wanting to hear about where Elizabeth Bathory lived during the infamous years of her life. Along with the details of the horrible things that she did during those infamous years. One can never forget to mention why Elizabeth Bathory is infamous.

Sources:

http://www.slovakheritage.org/Castles/cachtice.htm

http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/ruins-cachtice-castle

Time Travel to Transylvania, Romania

2013-05-06T20:57:00.003-07:00

So, I got a comment on my post about travelling. YAY!!!! I love it when people give me feedback, it lets me know that people are reading the post and are enjoying it. The comment I got was asking me which era I would like to travel to. This is a no brainer for me. It would have to be the High Middle Ages. For those who are unaware of when that time period is, it is the period between 1066 and 1500. Vlad the Impaler lived right at the end of the High Middle Ages. I know that a lot of people call this period the Dark Ages as well, mainly because they believe that nothing of importance really happened during this era. They are very wrong though. So much happened during the Middle Ages.

For me the draw to Transylvania would be the people more than the events that took place. Compared to the rest of the world the Middle Ages were pretty quiet for the people of Transylvania, at least when it came to events that took place. There were not too many major battles that took place so it would have been a relatively safe place to live. Sure there would have been a lot of the small battles where people would be trying to seize power or maintain a hold on power. These battles were inevitable during the Middle Ages. The thing to consider is that they would have kept life interesting back then. They did not have television or movies or internet for entertainment. Their entertainment would have been the gossip or news that was circulating at the time.

Another thing for me would have been the activities that did take place. For example, the faires or even just the day to day life of the common people. Yes, I would have chosen to be a commoner, not a person of nobility. Sure life would be harder for a commoner than a person of the nobility. As it is, I love doing crafts like knitting, crochet and sewing. These are talents that would have been used on a daily basis in the Middle Ages. Each country had their own styles and patterns that they would have used. The Transylvania styles and patterns can be hard to come by now a days, so the idea of having the opportunity to learn them is something that I would not be able to pass up.

The final thing that would bring me to the Middle Ages in Transylvania would have been the people who did become famous. I would love to have a chance to meet both Vlad the Impaler and his father, Vlad Dracul. Meeting Vlad Dracul would be more of the interest of learning just what kind of father Vlad the Impaler had. Also I am kind of obsessed with anything that involves dragons so learning more about the Order of the Dragon (from those who were actually in the Order) would be another temptation that I could not pass up. The desire to meet Vlad the Impaler is more of a curiosity with comparing the man he was to the character of Count Dracula that Bram Stoker created.

This was a post I had a lot of fun with. Looking things up and just deciding ‘when’ I would travel there if there was a time machine available. For those of you wondering why I did not name Elizabeth Bathory, it’s because she was not alive during this period. Well, that and I would be afraid that she would want to kill me and bathe in my blood. Please feel free to comment and leave more ideas for future posts.

Transylvanian Society of Dracula

2013-04-29T21:52:00.001-07:00

Looking back through some previous websites that I have sourced before I noticed a new link had been added. It was a link to the TSD, the Transylvanian Society of Dracula. When I first saw this link I was thinking that it was a new link talking about an old society that had existing in either the time of Vlad Tepes or just after he had died. The thing was it wasn’t. It is a new link about a society that had formed in 1991. It is still strong in the present day.

The main thing about it is that it is a society that is dedicated to the study of both the fictional character of Count Dracula and the historical man Vlad Tepes. This is a society that people can join and find other people who share their love of Dracula, both the history and the myth. There are events held annually in Romania by the TSD. It is a non-profit organization that has chapters throughout Romania and Europe. There is even a Canadian chapter. Unfortunately, no chapter in the US, but Americans can join through the Canadian chapter. There are even some of BramStoker’s relatives that are a part of the society.

Once a person becomes a member they do receive a few things. They will get a quarterly newsletter, a free copy of the annual scholarly publication (Journal of Dracula Studies), access to membership directory, the occasional in-house publication, access to various resource materials of the TSD (upon request only), and updated information on Dracula conferences and travel tours. Of course the main thing that people receive is the feeling of belong to a group of like minded people. The link will be at the bottom of the page. The head office is located in Bucharest, Romania. There is also the “Company of Mysterious Jouneys.” This is the travel agency that is run by members of the TSD. They have tours of Transylvania and Romania available. The link provided will also have the methods of how to become a member of the TSD. There does appear to be an annual fee, which is understandable due to the newsletter and annual scholarly publication that members will receive.

Having learned about this new society it makes me think of some things. For example are some of the directors and producers of Dracula movies part of the TSD? Dracula is slowly coming back to popularity. They are even making a new television series for Dracula within the year of 2013-- hopefully this will help Transylvania and its history. Are any of the people involved in the making and production of this show member of the TSD? Are any of the people involved in previous Dracula shows and movies members of the TSD? It is something to consider. The members of the TSD can and do come from all walks of life.

One major thing to keep in mind is that the TSD does not connect itself to either practicing or aspiring vampires. They study one vampire, which would be Dracula, in a fictional sense.

Vampire (Dracula) Myths and TV

2013-04-28T08:55:00.003-07:00

So the other night I was watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer re-runs. Just happens I watched the episode where they had Dracula make an appearance. I find it interesting that for the majority of the episodes the vampire myths have pretty much been ignored but once Dracula is brought in the writers suddenly remembered all of the myths to go along with vampires.

One of the things that is remembered is the method of transportation for vampires. Dracula is shown to be using the method of travelling in his coffin full of dirt. The thing is the other two major vampire characters on Buffy, Angel and Spike, never use this method of travel. They prefer to drive everywhere. They might walk to some places, but it is seen that they both have cars and both can drive.

Another thing that comes to mind is that neither Angel nor Spike use any form of charming. They only use normal seduction techniques to get women to do what they want. Dracula on the other hand is still using his charm techniques to get women to do as he wants. Dracula is able to put Buffy and some other characters under his trance. Granted Buffy is able to get out of the trance, while the other characters put in the trance had to wait until Buffy defeated Dracula.

One of the main myths that I am happy that the show kept with is that only one person is able to actually kill Dracula. That one person has to be a werewolf, because they are Dracula’s sworn enemies. With this in mind, the writers had Buffy defeat Dracula in battle, but not defeat him permanent. They make a point of showing that Dracula was never truly defeated by Buffy.

Another thing that comes up is that Dracula always has to have a castle. Is this supposed to be a reference of how Dracula is based on Vlad the Impaler, who was Prince of Wallachia-- and not of Tranyslvania? I think that it is more than that though. Majority of the vampire movies I have seen always have the vampire in a castle of some kind. Once again there is a discrepancy with Buffy’s vampires, mainly Angel and Spike. Well actually mainly just Spike. He lived in an underground hole under a mausoleum. Angel had an apartment that he lived in. Once Angel got his own show though, he got a hotel that resembled a castle.

I understand that the show Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and the show Angel for that matter, want to show that they are a modern show. That they are not stuck in the past with what they may consider outdated myths when it comes to vampires. I can completely understand this thought process. It is just that when they bring in an old vampire, aka Dracula, they decide to bring back those myths. Kind of dust them off and pretend as if nothing is different from what they have been doing it. This confused me, just because the vampire is newer doesn’t mean that the myths can be dismissed.

Vlad Tepes, Transylvania and the British Royal Family: Ambitious Family

2013-04-20T18:00:00.000-07:00

You know how some families have the same traits. That these traits just seem to infect a lot of members of a family all the way down the line. They slowly become what we refer to as family traits. Well, I believe that the Tepes family have the family trait of being ambitious. By the Tepes family I am referring to all those related to Vlad the Impaler. His father had the ambitions of becoming the Prince of Wallachia. He even made his way into the Order of the Dragon to help make that ambition a reality. Vlad the Impaler had the ambition of keeping the throne of Wallachia within his family. He may have lost it repeatedly, but he also recovered it repeatedly. But I have already posted about both of these men. Now it is time to talk about the women of the family. I have already talked about Countess Elizabeth Bathory, The Blood Countess. This time I want to talk about Mary of Teck, the future Queen Mary of the United Kingdom.

The Princess Royal- Mary of Teck's daughter

Mary of Teck is thought to be descended from either Vlad the Impaler himself or his brother Radu. She was born May 26, 1867. She was from an upper-class British family. She was a distant member of the British Royal family through her mother. Since she was a distant relative though they were not that well off. Actually during the time between 1883-1885 Mary of Teck’s family fell into a lot of debt and had to live on the continent with relatives. During this period Mary would help out by serving as her mother’s unofficial secretary. She was only 15 when she started doing this.

Mary of Teck was not unlike the other Tepes family members of the past. She was an ambitious girl, who had her sights set high. The British Royal family to be specific. At the age of 24 she was engaged to Albert Victor, Prince of Wales. This match was encouraged by Queen Victoria, she was fond of Mary. Now unfortunately Albert fell to the influenza epidemic of 1891-1892 a few weeks before he and Mary were to marry and died. It was during her period of mourning Albert that Mary became close to his brother Prince George. It was 1893 that George proposed to Mary, they were married that July. Something to consider is that the proper mourning period is one year. So, in other words Mary waited just the appropriate amount of time of mourning before moving on. Her ambitions never failed. She did become Queen of Great Britain.

Something to take from this is that Mary of Teck is the grandmother of Queen Elizabeth II, the current reigning Queen of the United Kingdom. It was actually just ten weeks before Elizabeth’s coronation that Mary passed (in 1952). It is said that Mary thought of duty above all else and was dedicated to her role as Queen of Great Britain. There is a story going around where Prince Charles is supporting the genetic link between his great-grandmother and Vlad the Impaler. He is fighting for his stake in the future of Romania. As a bit of interesting trivia-- the Romanian Royal Family have no connection to Vlad-- Queen Marie of Romania was a first cousin to George V.

Sources:

http://www.biography.com/people/mary-of-teck-21124339?page=1

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-31749_162-20127044-10391698/vlad-the-impaler-how-is-prince-charles-queen-elizabeth-related-to-him/

Did You Know? Three Links To The British Royal Family

2013-04-19T06:54:00.001-07:00

Transylvania has links to many people. Some of them are famous, some of them are not. One of the more famous ladies in the world, Queen Elizabeth II has links to Transylvania, in some the form of some unlikely people.

Some of her grandfather's paternal cousins, reigned as Kings or as a Consorts in Romania. His Majesty King George V, had a first cousin whose name was Marie. She would gain international fame as Queen Marie of Romania. Her son and grandson would become: King Carol II and King Micheal of Romania. Another Romanian- British link was King Carol II wife, Queen Mother Helen. Her grandmother was Empress Victoria of Germany, the Princess Royal of Great Britain.

Another unlikely link is through the person of Queen Mary of Great Britain, the grandmother of Queen Elizabeth II. The claim comes from her son that he is related to Vlad Tepes through his half-brother or his sons. This also shows how related the royal families of Europe are. (The former monarchs of Greece, Romania and Yugoslavia are also related to the British Royal Family through either Queen Marie or Queen Sofie of Greece)

A third link between Transylvania and the British Royal family is property (which has helped tourism in Transylvania as well). Some of the members have homes in Transylvania, and Prince Charles is passionate about the area, as he feels that it is environmentally sensitive. As members of his extended family are former monarchs of Romania, there is also a Romanian and British link there. There is also a link to the Russian Imperial Family in the person of King Michael, whose great-grandmother was the daughter of Alexander II, and the mother of Queen Marie of Romania. Queen Marie would live in the walls of Bran Castle after the end of World War I.

Travelling To Translyvania, Romania Where Would You Go?

2013-04-11T18:32:00.004-07:00

I am not sure about the rest of you, but now that spring has arrived it’s time to start planning summer vacations. So, who wants to make their travel destination Transylvania? I would love to do this. There would be so much to see and experience. Now, one thing to keep in mind is that I am a history lover. This means that if a location has a historical importance I want to see it.

I guess the first place that comes to mind when thinking about travel to Transylvania would be Bran Castle. I love everything historical, and what is more historical than a castle and one which house a prince and a Queen? Seriously which among you would be able to pass up a trip to see Bran Castle? This is the place that inspired Bram Stoker’s imagery for Dracula’s castle in his novel Dracula. This was also the home of Vlad the Impaler. Talk about your significance. Bran Castle has significance in both history, in Hungary and Romania, and literature. It would be cool to see where the man who inspired Bram Stoker’s character of Dracula actually lived. Be able to walk down the same halls that Vlad the Impaler walked down while he was living there.

The next place would be Cachtice Castle. This was where Elizabeth Bathory lived. Now I know that this castle is no longer technically in Transylvania, but this is where the Blood Countess lived. It is also where she committed her crimes of killing all of those young women and soaked in their blood. Not to mention this was also where Elizabeth Bathory was walled up alive and left to die as a punishment for her crimes. Well that, and I really do love all castles. So much has happened in them. It would also be cool to see if the castle is haunted. With that much violence taking place in such a short amount of time there are many who would argue that the place is most definitely haunted. So, those of you who like haunted places, Cachtice Castle should definitely be on your list of places to visit in your life time.

The third place I would want to visit would be the village in Wallachia, where Vlad the Impaler spent his early childhood. This location would be more about looking at the day to day life that people would have had back then. It would be looking at the architecture of the area and which buildings have made it through the centuries. It would be about walking down the streets and just seeing the scenery. It would be about seeing how long the shops have been around for. This location would be about relaxing and taking in the history of the place, and it has a lot of famous people you can learn about.

So those would be my choices for locations if I was going to have a Transylvania themed summer vacation. SO much history to take in with only three locations. I would probably spend about a week at each location, to make sure that I got everything I could out of the location. Don’t be scared to leave a comment and let me know where you would want to go. You never know I may pick some of those suggestions and do some research and maybe mention them next time.

Who Made Transylvania Famous?

2013-04-04T15:59:00.002-07:00

Transylvania is a famous place. Located in Romania, it has old ruins of castles, many citadels, huge churches, and of course, Bran Castle. There are also many famous people who lived in Transylvania. Some of them are famous for being born royal, and others are simply famous for their religion or for their politics. These are people who helped to make Transylvania famous in the eyes of the world.

Stephan Roth was a Lutheran pastor, and an intellectual, and was killed by the Hungarians who controlled Transylvania in 1849, after the many uprisings in Europe during 1848. He was famous in his own right within the Transylvanian Saxon community. Had he lived longer he could have made Transylvania famous across Europe.

Bram Stoker made his name as a writer. He was a Irish writer whose most famous novel, Dracula, is known as one of the novels which made much of Transylvania famous. However, Stoker didn't seem to worry much that Bran Castle was identified as Dracula's Castle. Good or bad, this novel has lead to more tourism and money for both Transylvania and Romania. In one of the areas which Stoker wrote about, there is now a Dracula's Hotel that people can visit.

One of the more famous people of the 20th Century, Queen Marie of Romania lived in the walls of Bran Castle. She was famous as a granddaughter of Queen Victoria, and as the cousin of Russian Tsar Nicholas II and King George V of England and Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany. When she married Crown Prince Ferdinand of Romania, Transylvania was a part of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary. By the end of the First World War, Queen Marie was sent to the Paris Peace Conferences and Romania would gain Transylvania. She would later write many books on Romania. Because of her association with Bran Castle many tourist who are interested in Royalty and also Dracula make their way there each year. Unlike Elizabeth Bathory, she would leave a positive mark on Transylvania.

Elizabeth Bathory; The Countess of the Blood, and Dracula's Relative

2013-03-30T19:02:00.004-07:00

Now it is time for a change of pace, or more specifically change of topic. I have been posting about Vlad Dracul and Vlad Dracula for my past few post. It’s time for a change, which means a new topic. This time I have read about Elizabeth Bathory. She was actually a distant cousin to Vlad Dracula. She was a countess of Transylvania. She was known as the Blood Countess. Elizabeth Bathory was a very vain woman during her time. She was raised as Magyar royalty and surprisingly had an active childhood. People who were around her knew that they had to praise and be enthusiastic about it. It was at the age of 15 that Elizabeth was married off, for political ambitions of her family, to a rough soldier of aristocratic roots.

That is when she began her fall into darkness

Once she was married Elizabeth found life to be boring on her new estate. She was rich, very rich, but also very bored. Since Elizabeth had a different way of seeing the world she found ways to amuse herself. Namely she brought in other people who saw the world as she did. This means that she would hire people who thought of themselves as witches, wizards, seers, etc. If there was a chance that they could be connected to the Devil, Elizabeth probably had one of them in her home or employment. They would teach her their arts, through nefarious means. What she was taught was cruelty in its worst form. The thing with Elizabeth though, was that it was not enough.

At the age of 43 Elizabeth found herself single again. Her husband was stabbed repeatedly by a harlot that he did not pay. She was all for finding a new lover. She never really liked her husband, so to her there was no point in mourning for him. The thing was Elizabeth had reached the age of 43, and time had not been that kind to her. She also had the kingdom of Poland on her mind at this time. She was next in line after all. Finding a husband, or lover, was second to becoming King of Poland and gaining true power.

Everything got started by a weird incident. Elizabeth hit a servant girl and drew blood where her nails scratched the girl. It was later on that Elizabeth realized that where the girl’s blood had touched Elizabeth’s own skin the skin looked younger and fresher . Of course she went to her alchemists for answers. Since they did not want to lose her patronage they told her a story of how the blood of a virgin girl was able to renew the skin of an older woman.

Elizabeth thought that she had the solution to her problem of aging. All she had to do was bathe in the blood of young virgin girls, preferably pretty ones, and she would be able to maintain her own youthful looks. Elizabeth planned to take on girls, posing as someone willing to finish the education of the young girls. In reality Elizabeth was actually killing them and bathing in their blood-- unlike her relative Vlad Tepes. She got away with this for 5 years. When she was finally caught the total count was up to reported to be 600 girls. Since Elizabeth was nobility, and her cousin was King of Hungary, she was not allowed to be executed. So instead they decided to wall her up in a closet and let her die without any people to be near her.

Source:

http://www.abacom.com/~jkrause/bathory.html

Dracula and The Order of the Dragon

2013-03-29T17:46:00.000-07:00

One thing that came up in a previous post about the family of Vlad Dracula was that his father was a member of The Order of the Dragon. I did not have the chance to elaborate on The Order in the previous post so I thought I would talk about it for this post, it plays a large part in Vlad Tepes' family.

The Order of the Dragon was created by the Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund in 1408. It was created to be like the St. George Order from 1318. The Order was created while Sigismund was still reigning king of Hungary. It appears that his wife Queen Barbara had some input as well. This was due to the fact that The Order was originally created as a form of protection for the royal family. Since this Order was based on a religious Order it did have a mandate where the members had to defend the cross and fight against the enemies of the Church. At this point and in that area, the main enemy of the Church were the Turks. In the beginning The Order of the Dragon was comprised of 24 members. All of them had nobility status. They even had Stefan Lazarevic of Serbia and King Alfonso of Aragon (which would become a part of Spain) and Naples.

It was in 1431 the King Sigismund summoned a number of vassals and princes to Nuremburg in order to bring them into the Order of the Dragon. He thought of these princes and vassals as useful in either political or military alliances. One of the ones who was summoned was Vlad, Vlad the Impaler’s father. After Vlad pledged into the Order of the Dragon, Sigismund gave Vlad his word that he would support Vlad’s ambitions to the Wallachia principality. Anyone could see that Vlad was really proud of being brought into the Order. He as minting coins with a curled dragon (symbol of the Order) on the back of them. He even took on the name Vlad Dracul, meaning Vlad the Dragon. I know most people know it as meaning Vlad the Devil, but it actually does mean Dragon and not Devil. The idea that it means Devil or is connected to the devil is because of iconology during the Middle Ages.

Images from Christianity have portrayed the Dragon as the Beast of Revelation. In other words they thought of Satan/the Devil as a Dragon when in a beast form. The Dragon is always slain by the good guys, mostly portrayed as Christians. When Vlad took on the name Dracul and incorporated dragons into his family coat of arms. Vlad the Impaler was proud of his father for joining the Order of the Dragon so he took on the name Dracula. These names ‘Dracul’ and ‘Dracula’ were originally used as names of honour. They were always used as names of honour by those who looked up to them. It was the enemies of Vlad and Vlad the Impaler who turned them into insults and spread the word that Dracul meant Devil. It was this meaning that made it into the An Account of the Principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia written by William Wilkinson. That means that it is the meaning that made it into the history books and that everyone knows now.

Vlad Dracula's Reputation Within Europe

2013-03-23T14:29:00.003-07:00

So picking up where we left off. Vlad has just returned from Turkey to find that his father had been assassinated and his older brother had been buried alive. It was at this point that Vlad Dracula became the warlord of Wallachia for the first time. At this point in 1448, Vlad Dracula kept the throne for less than a year. He would spend 6 years plotting his way to take the throne back. In 1456 he was successful and regained the throne. He spent 6 years on the throne. He had some major battles with the Turks in 1462. He ended up having to flee and escape to Transylvania. Obviously, Vlad Dracula lost the throne at this time. He was captured and held prisoner by a Hungarian king, Matthias Corvinus. Matthias Carvinus held Vlad Dracula prisoner until the mid-1470s. It was in 1476 that Vlad was able to regain this throne again.

Vlad Dracula’s reign was short, even when all three reigns were added together. Despite this, Vlad Dracula had a large reputation across Europe. People could not make up their minds about him though. Some thought of him as a ruthless, merciless, vindictive monster. On the other hand there were some who thought of Vlad Dracula was a hero who thought of his people above all else. It was the Germans who had the most influence on Vlad Dracula’s reputation. They were writing pamphlets on him and circulating them while his was still alive, earliest dating around 1463. The Germans were more likely to make Vlad Dracula appear like a monster. Within these pamphlets there were also wood carvings of the likeness of Vlad Dracula and occasionally images of the atrocities that Vlad Dracula would commit.

The Russians were more likely to see Vlad Dracula in a dual role. They would mention his cruelty, but would also mention his sense of justice. They would talk about how Vlad Dracula wanted to restore order. The Turks were more likely to make Vlad Dracula look like the monster that the Germans were also portraying. It was the Romanians who were most likely to portray Vlad Dracula as a heroic man. They would describe Vlad Dracula as a man who bravely defended his people against the Turks who attacked.

Something to take into account is that most, if not all, of these primary documents would be loaded with bias. They would have been written by either Vlad Dracula’s victims or his people. With that in mind, they were the ones either being protected by Vlad Dracula or were being attacked by Vlad Dracula. Vlad Dracula was known to be attacking the German Saxons of Transylvania, even though they were a neutral state at the time. The Turks were the same, because they would have talked more about how amazing they were. The Turks and Vlad Dracula were always on opposite sides of the battles. Since the Romanians were the ones who were always on the same side of the battle so they always saw Vlad Dracula in a positive light. As with any person in history, there will always be conflict over the opinions of Vlad Dracula.

Source:

http://www.ucs.mun.ca/~emiller/index.html

Vlad's Family History

2013-03-21T18:05:00.001-07:00

Vlad the Impaler had a really interesting family. For example Vlad’s grandfather, Mircea cel Batrin (Mircea the Old). He was a medieval warlord. He was famous for his struggle against the Ottoman Empire. He wanted to prevent any permanent Turkish settlements in Wallachia. When Mircea died in 1418, he left behind multiple illegitimate children. At this time there were not really any set laws on inheritance so a feud broke out. This feud was called the Draculesti-Danesti feud. It was between Mircea’s illegitimate Vlad (Vlad the Impaler’s father) and Dan, the son of one of Mircea’s brothers. In the end, or more precisely in 1431, Vlad was stationed at Sighisoara as one of the military commanders. He was responsible for guarding the passes from Transylvania to Wallachia from enemies trying to invade. During the same year Vlad was summoned to Nuremburg by Sigismund, the Holy Roman Emperor. He was one of many that were initiated into the Order of the Dragon. This order was modelled after the St. George order.

It was at this point that Vlad took the name Dracul. “Dracul” is a Wallachian word derived from the Latin word “Draco”, meaning “Dragon”. Later his son, Vlad the Impaler, would take on the same Dracula, meaning “son of the Dragon”. This was the positive connotation to the names Dracul and Dracula. There is a negative connotation where the name Dracul means “Devil” and Dracula means “son of the Devil”. This connation was used more as a way to describe the actions of Vlad the Impaler. Vlad the Impaler was also known as Vlad Tepes. This name was drawn from the Turkish nickname “kaziklu bey”, meaning “impaling prince”. As one can see this is also where the nickname Vlad the Impaler comes from.

Not much is known about Vlad Tepes’s early childhood. We do know that he was the second born and had two brothers, Mircea and Radu. Vlad live most of his early childhood was spent living in Sigisoara. It was in 1436 that the family moved to Targoviste and Vlad Dracul became the warlord of Wallachia. Vlad Dracula was brought up here. He was educated in court and was learning the ways of knighthood, until Vlad Dracul’s political machinations changed everything. It was after Sigismund died that Vlad Dracul’s political agenda started to change. He would go from being pro-Turkish to neutral policies when dealing with the Turks. He apparently was only considering the welfare of Wallachia. The Sultan was smart though. In order to guarantee Vlad Dracul’s support he had Vlad Dracul send Vlad Dracula and Radu to be held in Turkey. Vlad Dracula would have been approximately 11 and Radu approximately 7 when they were sent to Turkey. Radu was treated better while they were in Turkey due to the fact that he attracted the attention of the future sultan. During their stay neither boy was harmed physically, psychological harm is another matter. Since we are looking at things in the past it is hard to determine the exact extent of the psychological harm done to Vlad Dracula. It was 1448 that Vlad Dracula and Radu were allowed to leave Turkey. Radu decided to stay in Turkey while Vlad Dracula went home to Wallachia. Upon returning to Wallachia, Vlad Dracula found out that his father had been assassinated and his older brother Mircea had been buried alive. This was done by nobles of Targoviste in support of a rival claimant. It was at this point that Vlad Dracula took on the title of warlord of Wallachia.

Source:

http://www.ucs.mun.ca/~emiller/index.html

Where is Count Dracula's Castle?

2013-03-19T10:13:00.001-07:00

Count Dracula, the fictional character that Bram Stoker wrote in his famous novel Dracula, did have a castle, which he described as crumbling and old, and one which made Harker very nervous about going there. It did not have servants, and with a final touch, Stoker adds the description that the wolves were howling outside.

This gives the reader a good idea that this places is less than friendly, and that Harker should have turned back, except that there would not be a story. While Stoker does describe the castle nicely, he does not say which castle it was. Now, we know that he had Bran Castle in mind when he wrote the novel.

There is something about this castle which does make people want to know more.

There is more to this story, Dracula goes to London, and then meets the people whom Harker loves, and in a final battle he would be back in his castle and die there. Where is Count Dracula's castle?

It is in the Southern part of Transylvania, or at least Bran Castle is found in the Southern part near the city of Brasov, Romania. Stoker himself never went to see this famous castle, although he did do a lot of research, some still argue that Dracula's Castle may have also been the Blood Countess's Castle, where Elizabeth Bathory killed young women to keep her beauty and youth. This castle is ruins and it is a part of a national park.

Bathory Castle in the Evening

When reading Dracula, he does make the point of describing where the castles was, which fits closer to the place where Bran Castle lies, which is between "the land beyond the forest" (Transylvania) and Moldavia and Wallachia.(It is called Bukovina in the novel). In Romania, this has lead to a tourist attraction where Bran Castle is also known as Dracula's Castle.

Image of Bran Castle Around the time of Count Dracula

The landscape also mentions that to get to Count Dracula's castle Harker had to travel past Borgo Pass (now known as Tihuta Pass, in Romania) it connects Bistrita to Bokovina (Vatra Dornei is a possible city in the area) and this was where the castle was supposed to have been found. This is where hotel Dracula was built in 1974 and is also a popular tourist destination.

Vlad the Impaler, Count Dracula

2013-03-14T18:13:00.001-07:00

Everyone knows the story of Dracula — or Count Dracula. He is the best know vampire in the world. What they do not always know is that Dracula was just a character based on the true actions of Vlad Dracula. He was a prince in the Middle Ages, specifically he lived from 1431-1476. Vlad Dracula was born in Romania. He was the son of Vlad Dracul and a Moldavian princess. Dracul means “devil”, and Dracula mean “Son of the Devil”. Vlad Dracula had a real lust for blood and loved to fight. He was known to torture his prisoners as well. He got the name Vlad the Impaler because he impaled his prisoners with stakes of wood. He did not care who he killed with this method; he reportedly enjoyed seeing people suffer and impalement is an extremely painful way to die. He apparently had 4000 people impaled over the course of a two year period.

Vlad the Impaler was mainly known as either Prince Vlad III of Wallachia, of the House of Basarab. As a prince, and then as a king, Vlad III had a throne to defend. Well, actually, first he had to regain the throne. In 1448, Vlad held the throne for a short time, but by 1456 he had the throne back. In 1462, the Ottoman Sultan Muhammad II took Vlad III’s throne from him by force. Vlad III was imprisoned for 12 years in Hungary, during which time he adopted the Catholic religion. Vlad III was able to get out of imprisonment and regain his throne by 1476. Unfortunately, within the same year, Vlad III was killed by an ally of the Ottomans, Laiota Basarab.

Bram Stoker made the name of Dracula immortal with his book “Dracula”. There was not much connection between the Vlad III and the Count Dracula character from the book. Bram Stoker used the name Dracula first because of the meaning. Vlad IV also had a lust for blood like the character; they just craved it in different ways. Where Count Dracula wished to drink the blood of his victims, Vlad III just wished to spill it. Bram Stoker also took some other inspirations from the life of Vlad Tepes. For example, the only way to kill Dracula was by impaling him, the same method Vlad III used to torture and kill his victims. Having been born in what would become Romania, Vlad III was familiar with the mythology of the werewolf. It would have been a myth he was raised with and taught to fear. Bram Stoker took things one step further and made a werewolf the only being who was able to kill Dracula.

In the end, Vlad III or Vlad Dracula was a normal man during the Middle Ages, who lived in Transylvania. He may have had a slightly higher than normal blood lust than most, though. It was this blood lust that made Vlad III stand out just enough to be noticed and remembered in history. Bram Stoker was the one who made sure that Vlad Dracula was remembered as more than a man but also as a legend.

Sources: (Note: on this website it says Vlad IV, however he was Vlad III, his half brother Vlad Calugarul was Vlad IV)

http://www.middle-ages.org.uk/vlad-dracula.htm

Dracula, the Novel by Bram Stoker

Transylvania Romania and The Romanian People

2013-03-13T14:03:00.002-07:00

Transylvania is a part of the country of Romania, and has been since 1919. Before that time it it was a part of the Kingdom of Hungary (which was itself a part of the Empire of Austria.) Before the late 1800s there was no country by the name of Romania, but it became a princedom in the early 1870s. At this time, the was a unification of the two principalities, Wallachia and Moldavia. Transylvania was not a part of this formal union.

Even then, Transylvania, and other areas were of interest to the Romanian government of the time. When Romania became a kingdom under King Carol I, it was simply another small Eastern European country, along with Greece, Bulgaria and others. There was tension between these nations, as there was across Europe.

Something was about to happen.

In 1914, in the small Kingdom of Serbia an archduke of Austria and his wife, a countess, were assassinated and this lead to the beginning of World War I. Romania would later make the choice to fight alongside the Allies, and many believe this was because of Queen Marie's influence on her husband, King Ferdinand.

At the conclusion of the War, Transylvania became a large part of Romania. The Kingdom of Romania remained this way until 1940, when there was another treaty signed by which the Northern half of Transylvania was returned (or given, depending on your perspective) to Hungary. Transylvania, Romania and its people are at the heart of this story.

It was a queen who made the suggestion that Romania should fight with the Allies, and she also went to the Paris Peace Conference and positioned Transylvania and Besserabia in the process which would increase her Kingdom. Most of this territory had many ethnic Romanians living there.

The fact remains that there was a large population of Romanians who lived in Transylvania, and they identify with Romania, but there were also populations of Germans who identified with Transylvania (then Romania), and ethnic Hungarians. All this means is that Transylvania has a diverse culture; one which the Romanian people play a strong part in. As for Vlad Tepes, there was a link to the Romanian Royal family with an English Princess. She became Queen of Romania, where he once ruled as Prince of Wallachia.

Vlad Tepes, Dracula and Transylvania, Romania

2013-03-04T07:45:00.003-08:00

There was a Vlad Tepes, and there is a Transylvania. (Where is Transylvania? In Romania). The problem is that readers of the novel Dracula will often comment that there was also a Count Dracula since Bram Stoker did a wonderful job of writing about Transylvania. People forget that it is a work of fiction, but is set in a real place, and that the author based the character on a person who lived in the area.

Vlad Tepes was one of the many Princes of Wallachia, and he was born in Transylvania while his father was in exile there. He was on the move much of the time during his adult years, either fighting for his throne or fighting his enemies. People either loved or hated him.

Transylvania, although not the land he ruled, was a place where he was exiled or where he fought other people. It is interesting that the stake through the heart to kill Count Dracula, or his vampires, was Tepes's method of torture and killing of his enemies. Unlike "newer vampires" he was not harmless. Yet, while no one argues that the man was kind and caring to his enemies, he was generous to his followers.

The birthplace of Vlad Tepes, the man upon whom Count Dracula was based

Transylvania has benefited from the Count Dracula novel and character. There is a large castle, called Bran Castle, that people come and see because it is the one that Tepes was supposed to have lived in for a time. However, there is no mention specifically of Bran Castle in the novel. One city in Transylvania is mentioned, and that is a city which in the Northern part of Transylvania, and it is Bistriţa It is important for people to have interesting places to visit, but they also need history and books to show them what they should and should not believe.

Vampires and Transylvania: Dracula vs Edward Cullen

2013-02-28T17:52:00.002-08:00

After looking at my previous topics, another one came to me. What is with people and their assumption that all of a sudden vampires are cool and harmless? I blame modern movies and television for this idea people have about vampires. Sure, Dracula was a cool story, but he was more of a cautionary tale. Women were not encouraged to pursue him. Actually, they were encouraged to run as fast as they could if they ever met him. Modern writers and media have ruined the vampire myth. I would really blame Twilight for this. The younger generations probably think that all vampires sparkle when they walk in the sunlight. They probably do not know about Angel, let alone Dracula.

Girls think that Edward Cullen is the best thing to come along. The thing is they just like the actor that plays him in the movies, Robert Patterson. When it comes to the actual character of Edward Cullen, I find him really whiny. He has the whole brooding thing down pat, and that would really annoy me after a while. Also, I am not really fond of the personal pity party thing he does. He is usually feeling sorry for himself because he is a vampire. Okay, sure it may not be the best thing to be, but seriously, one would think that after a century he would have found some way to make the best of things. He also tried to push Bella away at the beginning. At one point he actually left her. Personally, I would want to have someone to share eternity with.

Then there is Dracula. He took his immortality for all he could get. He hunted and played games with the peasants around his castle. He went around seducing women wherever he could. He travelled the world. He had multiple wives and did not complain that he did not want to change them into vampire, unlike another vampire we all know. Dracula loved the idea of having children with his wives. As we saw in the movie Van Helsing, Dracula was willing to go to extreme lengths to give his children life. As a character profile, Dracula is very confident in every move he makes. In any story told about him, he never believes that someone can beat him.

I think that The Key of Awesome described things pretty good in their song TWILIGHT SUCK! Emo Vampire Song. It is Dracula singing about how the vampire myth has gotten all messed up. They mention how the vampires of today are all whiny and weak. This video is really well done. They have the guy playing Dracula dressed in traditional Dracula clothing, including cape. One of the song's lines really makes me laugh. It basically says that Dracula wants no part of where the mythology of vampires is heading, and to wake him up when the world grows a pair of fangs. When it comes down to it, I would take Dracula over Edward Cullen any day.

Movie Review of Van Helsing

2013-02-21T19:29:00.003-08:00

Van Helsing... I consider it to be a great movie — when I look at it as a movie. I found a lot of trouble with consistencies throughout the movie and the mythology of the movie. This movie has some interesting ideas, but looking at the message under their ideas really makes a person look at the movie in a different light.

One of the biggest things I noticed in the movie actually happens more towards the end, when the children of Dracula came to life. They looked like little bat like creatures. The thing is, Dracula and his wives were all human at first. Okay, sure, eventually they all became vampires and could take on bat like forms, but those are not their natural forms. One would think that the children would be born/hatched looking a little more humanoid. Sure, the children can still have some bat like features, since they are born vampires. I just still believe that they should have been born more humanoid. They could have been given the ability to shape shift like Dracula and his wives.

It is interesting to look at one of the messages being told through this movie. It is pretty much centred on the fact that Van Helsing is the only one who can kill Dracula and the fact that Van Helsing is Gabriel, one of the archangels. This means that only a servant of God is able to kill Dracula. No one else had the ability to do this. Over four centuries one family devoted all of their time and energy, even their lives, to finding a way to defeat Dracula. Then, Van Helsing walks in and within a few days, no more than a week, he is able to find things out, and kill Dracula, all by using maps to find Dracula's Castle. He did not even know who Dracula was before being given the job by the monks. This message could be interpreted as saying that servants of God are better than everyone else.

Now, to look at the choice of actors in this movie. Hugh Jackman is an amazing actor. I felt that he was great in this role. He was able to take on the role of the brooding man very well. Kate Beckinsale, kind of let me down. Her accent did not seem to always be the same scene from scene. It was also different from, and stronger than, that of the local villagers. One would think that the accents of the villagers would be stronger than that of the noble house. There is also the fact that she did not really seem able to stick to one role. One minute she is a strong confident woman, in need of no man to help her, and the next minute she is like a damsel in distress, needing Van Helsing to save her. Granted, this could be a character flaw and not the fault of the actress at all. They may not have been able to decide how they wanted their character to react towards different situations that she had to face.

The History of Transylvania is Found in Maps

2013-02-20T07:08:00.001-08:00

To say that Europe has a long history would be an understatement. You can go and read more books, or you can look at maps. Both tell a story, but one you can learn from by looking at the information graphically instead of trying to form the pictures in your mind from the text.

This map is from about 1600, just after Michael the Brave was killed. You can see what would become Romania, and also you can see Transylvania. On the left is Hungary, and the main heading is "Ottoman", referring to the Ottoman Empire which ruled this part of Europe. (You can also see part of the word Empire at the bottom of the map.)

You can also learn about the history of schools in Transylvania. This map shows some of the areas where there were churches and schools. While it is mostly focused on the German Saxons, this map gives a person an idea of where people lived. There are facts and legends that need to be put into the proper context, especially when it comes to Transylvania. Maps help people do this. They can see and learn from them. Not all the information is there, but some is.

Each map provides details and parts of history. When it comes to Transylvania, there is a lot of history to deal with. There are as many legends out there as well, and if a person understands the history, the legends become more interesting. The map above shows one of the major German Saxon cities, but it also gives a good indication of the type of region in Europe that Transylvania was part of. You can see the details of mountains and hills and rivers from this map. The history of Transylvania is found in maps, but you have to know what to look for.

Werewolves: Blood and Chocolate

2013-02-14T18:25:00.000-08:00

Movies are interesting to me. They can be used for many different things. For example they can be used to get across certain points, facts, or myths. I recently watched the movie Blood and Chocolate. Finally, a movie set in Romania that does not involve Dracula or any vampires at all. This movie is set in Bucharest, Romania. The best-known myth in this city is that of the werewolf. Intriguing, isn't it, that Dracula’s biggest enemy originates from somewhere so close to him?

Werewolves were not always the feared creatures of myth that they are today. I personally blame the movies like Ginger Snaps for that reputation. The original werewolf myth, the myth of the Loup Garou, is extremely different from the modern-day, Hollywood werewolf myth. For example, a person is either born Loup Garou or not. There is no bite that can infect someone and transform them into a werewolf. For the modern werewolf, shifting forms from human to wolf or wolf to human is extremely painful. For the Loup Garou it is effortless to shift forms and completely painless. The full moon does not force them to transform either; they can transform whenever they choose. Silver does still affect Loup Garou, as it says in all werewolf myths. It is also said that if someone is able to hurt a Loup Garou, they will catch a glimpse of the animal inside. It is all in the eyes.

Now back to the idea of the reputation that the werewolf has. Many movies have really made a shambles of how werewolves are seen. The Loup Garou were revered by people. There are rumours that they were descended from royalty in Bucharest. There was a time where they ruled cities and countries. They were not the feared creatures that most people know werewolves as. Don’t get me wrong, they were very much respected and people gave them space if the Loup Garou was known to be a Loup Garou. And they were not romanticized like they are in Twilight. They were not all muscular like in Twilight either. Another part about the werewolf myth from Twilight that is opposite from the Loup Garou myth is that there was an equal chance of the wolf being male or female was equal.

After watching Blood and Chocolate, I was interested in learning more about the Loup Garou. I basically wanted to confirm the information that was given in the movie, see if the writer, director and producers got their facts straight. Turns out that they did do their research. I also found out some more interesting things. For example, people in Romania don’t really know the myth of Dracula the vampire. They just know the historical story of Vlad the Impaler, who was a Romanian prince. Kind of interesting how both myths have a connection to royal lines and were mortal enemies. Makes me wonder if these two royal families were competing for power in Romania. Another thing is that Romanians may not have known about Dracula as a vampire, but they sure knew about the Loup Garou. They even had churches decorated with images of the Loup Garou.

Traveling In Romania? Transylvania is a Must Visit

2013-02-10T07:53:00.000-08:00

North Americans feel a need to go and visit Europe. Most people buy travel books about a few specific and well known countries, such as England, France, Spain or Portugal. Unfortunately for them, they miss out on other Eastern European countries that can offer them a completely different perspective of history.

There is a strong Middle Eastern and Russian influence in these areas. Romania, one of these countries, is no different. Compared to much of Western Europe, where the countries were created long before the 19th Century, it was not until the 1850s that Eastern Europe began to form the countries we talk about now. For example: Greece, Bulgaria, and Romania became nations around this time. They are hidden gems, and you should travel there to see them first-hand. If you are travelling in Romania, there is one part of it you must visit: That area is Transylvania.

Travelling to Romania takes a bit of planning; there is no "Hotel Transylvania," but there are plenty of wonderful places to stay and areas to explore. You can start in Bucharest, but once you are in Transylvania, there is, seemingly, another whole world to explore. Bran Castle is a popular site, as is the Black Church in Brasov. There is also the city of Timișoara, found outside of Transylvania in the Banat region. There you can tour Huniade Castle, which was built for John Hunyadi.

The Royal Palaces of Romania are a joy to see, and Transylvania itself has many royal places to see for those who love both royalty and history. There is even a Western European connection here; the current British royal family, through Queen Mary, has relatives born in Transylvania. King George V (her husband) was the first cousin of Queen Marie of Romania. Since there is no official Romanian royal family, many of the palaces are open to the public. (King Michael of Romania, although not the King of Romania since 1947, uses the Elizabeth Palace in Bucharest.)

If you are travelling in Romania, you should bring with you a good book on the Romanian language, but knowing a bit of Hungarian and German will also help.

Romania has a lot of tourist areas to explore, so it is best if you have more than a day or two to visit there.

Romania, along with some other Eastern European countries, still uses the leu (plural: lei) as its official currency, but it does plan on adopting the Euro after 2015. You should be prepared for this when travelling in Transylvania and close to the border of Hungary, which uses its own currency, the forint.

When you do travel in Eastern Europe, be sure to travel in Transylvania. It will be the highlight of your trip.

Hotel Transylvania, The Movie

2013-02-07T18:45:00.002-08:00

Watching the movie Hotel Transylvania made me think a lot. It takes all of the old Dracula movies and changes everything. The directors of the old movies had seemed to work hard at the image of Dracula, making him scary. Then Hotel Transylvania went and made him a bumbling father. Okay, sure, Dracula could have had kids, but that doesn't mean he would become any less scary. For me, he would be even scarier, especially if he had a daughter — which he has in Hotel Transylvania. Even in the movie Van Helsing, when Dracula has kids, he is still terrifying.

Now I am a mythology buff so here is another part of this movie that really bugs me: In Hotel Transylvania, Dracula is good friends with a werewolf. No matter what movie you see, you will never see vampire and werewolves actually getting along; Twilight doesn't count because the werewolves still hated the vampires. The movie also advances the myth that Dracula can only be killed by a werewolf. I can't help but ask, why in the world would Dracula be friendly with the very being that could kill him? It makes no sense to me.

Another thing that bothers me is that there is no way a human would be able to be around that many monsters and fool them all with a simple costume. It makes my head hurt. Even if they ended up putting in the disclaimer that the werewolf’s smelling abilities were off, his children’s smelling abilities were. There would have been at least one monster there that should have seen through the disguise and caught on that there was a human among them. Seriously, Frankenstein believing that he has a long lost cousin? Frankenstein has no family; he was created by a scientist who was murdered not long after creating Frankenstein.

And then there was a scene where Dracula, Frankenstein, the werewolf and the invisible man were in the city, in broad daylight... Dracula was able to stand in the sun without burning because he had his cape wrapped around him and was wearing a big sun hat. Then when the humans realized that there were real monsters at their monster fair, they weren't scared of them at all — this after Frankenstein freaked out when the invisible man showed him fire. I'm sorry, but I would be running scared if I ever saw the true Dracula or Frankenstein. I love the stories about these characters, but they are scary.

But as much as I have ranted about this movie and what it got wrong, it is a generally good movie. Children (and children at heart) will love it because it is not really scary and it’s actually pretty funny at times. If this movie makes people want to read the books about any of the monsters, then they should be prepared to find out that the books portray monsters who are v ery different from this movie. Traditionally, Dracula is not really the cool guy who throws the best party every year. They have to realize that Frankenstein is not really the cool loving uncle. Other than that, the movie is a pretty good story about love and acceptance.

Why Queen Marie of Romania Wrote Books

2013-02-02T06:52:00.002-08:00

Most people know that Marie of Romania was born a British princess and was the eldest daughter of Prince Alfred of the United Kingdom and Grand Duchess Maria of Russia. She married the future King Ferdinand of Romania in 1893, and she ruled as Queen of Romania for almost 13 years. She also wrote and published books on royalty and Romania.

She wrote many books to bring Romania some "exposure" to others; most people had heard of Transylvania, or of Romania, but they really didn't know much about this land. Marie also knew that the area needed money, and the means by which she contributed to increasing the kingdom's income was to write about herself and about Romania. One of her more famous books, The Story of My Life, is still available, but because she was a part of the "war to end all wars," other writers have written about her.

She wrote books to give herself a creative outlet, and she also understood that there was a need to promote Romania to America, where she understood that there would be money, or funds, sent to Romania after the end of World War One. This, she understood, would be needed quickly as Romania, after the Paris Peace talks, had grown in population and territory. Many of her books were published between 1912 and 1933, but most were written or published during the war or after.

Just like Bran Castle provides a lot of money to Transylvania and Romania, Queen Marie understood that she needed to make money for Romania to keep her people happy and content. She simply had to look to Hungary and Austria to understand the importance of this fact.

Bran Castle and Dracula

2013-01-25T11:40:00.003-08:00

I found myself re-reading Dracula last night, and I enjoyed it again. I think the idea that there is such a thing as vampires, combined with good fiction, in a place like Transylvania works well. I also think I can sit back and enjoy a good book once and a while.

I also love the characters and the places in this book. It seems that while Stoker might not have specifically chosen Bran Castle, it still works well for this book. The fact that much of it takes place in London, England also is great.

The one thing I was really happy with was the ending. There was no need (at least for me) to have so many other sequel books based on this one, but I do enjoy the movies which came form this novel. Bran Castle and Dracula have done wonders for Transylvania by giving more people a reason to visit the area. It is one great thing about writing and people... the writing, when it is well done, can make something for others.

In this case, Bran Castle, coupled with Dracula has given Transylvania a great tourism ice-breaker since there are so many other fantastic castles that tourists can go and see afterwards.

Transylvania, Money and Writing

2013-01-21T18:52:00.001-08:00

Publishing is easy. If you have written a book, and sent it off to literary agents and edited it, the process of publishing is possibly the easiest part of getting your book out to the world -- even if it is directed at a niche market of interest such as a country or a place like Transylvania, Romania. It is out of your hands to determine what time frame a publisher will have your ready for your readers to purchase -- and when it comes to writing about Transylvania, there are readers who know about it, and will buy it.

But still it is success – you have published that book, and it is a niche market book which makes it all the more wonderful.

It's exciting, and you will make money with that book right?

You wrote it, and you should be seeing some sort of earnings for your book, and you should be happy about what you have done. You have accomplished something many want to do.

But will you call this a success? In my case Transylvania and a book means I have to write more, so is that a success?

In some ways I would call it a success, and I would be happy I have sold many copies, but I also don't see simply publishing a book as a success anymore. My goals have changed, and now that I know I can publish something that sells. In Search of the Lost Ones has done that, and I also know that another book and its sales will increase my total earnings.

Making money is another way I can measure my success. Some of my writing friends will argue that I am thinking purely of profits, where I can sit down and write for a living and continue to publish, more books about Transylvania, and about the land which you can travel to. That is the reason I look at it as one among many means to measure success. I believe that money shouldn't matter when you write, or you will focus on that too much, but money matters when you are setting your goals for success, or when a part of you wants to travel to see and touch the places you write about one more time.

It is because I have done this process once before that I know what doesn't work, and I can try another method to see if that works. The more books I publish about Transylvania the more likely people will know about this wonderful land, and not just about Bran Castle or Dracula. Making money with my writing is one way I can measure how well the three pieces fit together, and how much I need to write to show how wonderful this land is.