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Issue 48 - Which Dracula Were We Talking About Again? (Genoclysm)

 
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11/10/2009 17:15:56   
Eukara Vox
Legendary AdventureGuide!


Which Dracula Were We Talking About Again?
by Genoclysm

It is hard, if not impossible, to fail to notice that vampires have been growing ever popular recently. I can understand why, especially from the standpoint of someone who thoroughly enjoys fantasy games and literature. I feel that there is some cause for concern, however... at least for me. At a glance, it seems that, lately, every vampire appearance has something quite different from any other. Each source appears to have its own set of rules and weaknesses that their creations follow.* Many vampire fans have no idea what the original weaknesses and rules they had to follow even were. That is what I would like to address.

To clarify, I will not be delving into the original vampire myths and legends, but instead I will be focusing on the original POPULAR vampire, the one who started the inclusion of vampires in literature and games, Count Dracula.

The first inconsistency is sunlight. Many sources cite that sunlight cause vampires to either burn to ash from exposure or behave like Superman after being spoonfed kryptonite. But how did sunlight affect Dracula? It did not. Dracula quite frequently walked around in broad daylight in the original novel. He was neither harmed nor weakened physically. He did, of course, lose his supernatural powers, but this is where a very large misconception occurs. It wasn't sunlight that robbed him of his supernatural powers. It was the hour of the day. In the original novel, vampires could be active at any time of day without harm, but they could only access their supernatural abilities between dusk and dawn... and during the hour of noon. That is right, Dracula had full access to all abilities at the hottest and brightest time of day. Quite different from many of the current popular sources, is it not?

The second inconsistency is water. This has actually gone in the other direction from sunlight, at least to an extent. Many sources have either forgotten or left this weakness/rule out completely. And those who have used it, often get it wrong and usually use it as a weakness. Writers have water harm vampires in some fashion, in one case burning them like acid. So what was the rule in Dracula's case? Vampires cannot cross running water without being on soil from their native land.** When moving from one country to another country across water, Dracula had to take coffins with him lined with dirt from Transylvania and remain in one for the trip. He got off the boat by having it crash into the beach and thereby no longer being on the moving/running water it was sailing across.

The third inconsistency is sleep. Recent writers have been getting better about this over time, but I have not seen a single source other than the original novel itself that had this particular rule about sleep. Most sources seem to make it a requirement that vampires sleep during the day and are active at night. This obviously wasn't the case for Dracula as I said before. Vampires did in fact have to sleep at some point*** however, and there was a rule about it, at least if they were away from home. Vampires in the original novel were able to sleep away from their native land only if they had some soil from their native land to sleep upon. This is the other reason why Dracula brought multiple coffins with him. They were incredibly handy for providing a convenient bed for him that he could pack and move around.

The fourth inconsistency pertains to the weapons they are vulnerable to. Many of the sources vampire fans might assume match the original story merely use a stake through the heart to kill them and holy water to weaken them. This is only partially true compared to the original Dracula. To put it plain and simply, Dracula was killed by a knife. The heart was indeed his point of weakness, but it only needed piercing. A stake wasn't required. As for holy water, it wasn't even mentioned in the novel. What was used against him and the vampires he created, was holy wafers, which I assume to be the bread used for the Lord's Supper in Christian tradition. Merely touching the stuff would cause a severe burn and scarring for the vampire or servant, and Doctor Van Helsing**** used this to great effect by lining all the windows and doors of Dracula's castle as well as the tombs of known vampires.

Those at least are the major differences current sources tend to have with the Dracula novel, but there are certainly more than just that. For anyone interested, I highly recommend the novel. I enjoyed it thoroughly, but be warned, it is an unconventional read. As "unconventional" as the heirs to Dracula's legacy, it seems...

____________________________________________
* Assuming the source even has such things. I'm looking at you, sparkly.
** Actually, I'm having trouble remembering. It might have been that he was required to sleep while crossing moving water, but it would wind up equating to the same thing.
*** Forgive me, for it seems that I am either unaware or have forgotten how often and for how long they have to sleep.
**** Another inconsistency that doesn't relate directly to vampires is Doctor Van Helsing himself, but that is a topic for another time (or personal research).

< Message edited by Eukara Vox -- 11/14/2009 12:20:09 >
AQ DF MQ AQW Epic  Post #: 1
11/10/2009 23:27:29   
Dragonnightwolf
How We Roll Winner
Apr/Jun/Aug15


Dear Genoclysm.


After reading your article about Dracula, with as much interest and focus as I could muster. I found a very well informed lesson. You do state the original novel of Dracula, and with Bram stoker, and other dracula stories abounding both in the movies and in books, I can't help but wonder to which novel of Dracula do you refer?

It would be helpful if you would say, provide me with the authors name so I may look up that particular book. I love to read about vampires, and I love to read about dracula.

You stated you couldn't remember or were uninformed about how long a vampire actually sleeps.

A quick search in yahoo raised some debated answers. In twilight they don't sleep. In underworld(the movie series) they do sleep and as Selena showed us, they get burned in sunlight. There were other numerous answers. But if I remember correctly from a lot of the vampire(old stuff mind you) stories I've read and seen, They were sleeping somewhere between eight hours like normal humans(or less depending on their status) for example elders tended to sleep for longer periods. If they were critically injured, I believe that adds to their overall sleep, though in some cases it might be a form of meditation or hibernation.

In any case though, your article was just such a wonderful read. Thank you so much for writing it.
AQW Epic  Post #: 2
11/11/2009 2:42:59   
Genoclysm
Legendary AdventureGuide!


Oh wow, you're right, I never once specified the author. I deeply apologize for that. Bram Stoker's Dracula is the one I was talking about. (Though I can't help but notice the irony that you essentially asked the very question that is in the title.)

The point was, after all, to contrast the first appearance of Dracula with more recent vampire stories, and to show just how far things have deviated since then.




And thank you so much for reading it. For me, as well as for many writers, hearing that our work has been enjoyed is one of the most satisfying things we can hear.

< Message edited by Genoclysm -- 11/11/2009 2:53:54 >
Post #: 3
11/11/2009 12:01:48   
Randomnity
Member

And then there is Alucard, who's just awesome, but he isn't in literature unless you consider manga literature. Or anime/OVA's for that matter.
AQ  Post #: 4
11/11/2009 12:23:33   
Deathwalker
Member

Vampires will indeed burn if they stay in the sun too long, but they can just sort that out by wearing sun tan lotion or putting on some aloe.

< Message edited by Eukara Vox -- 11/11/2009 17:46:21 >
DF AQW  Post #: 5
11/11/2009 14:09:08   
Genoclysm
Legendary AdventureGuide!


Hrm. Yeah, that was supposed to be broad daylight.

That wasn't the kind of burning I was talking about, but fair point.
Post #: 6
11/14/2009 7:40:58   
Robowarrior forum
Member

great article

If you find a typo, please use the typo thread to submit such notations.

< Message edited by Eukara Vox -- 11/14/2009 12:23:33 >
Post #: 7
11/14/2009 14:44:27   
Genoclysm
Legendary AdventureGuide!


Thank you very much. But was there anything I could have done better? Some way that I might improve?
Post #: 8
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