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Eukara Vox -> Issue 48 - Which Dracula Were We Talking About Again? (Genoclysm) (11/10/2009 17:15:56)
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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...
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* 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).
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