Mary McFaddenUtah Tech UniversityThroughout the history of vampire stories—from folklore to literary fiction—the portrayal of these inhuman creatures has metamorphosed from Carl Jung’s myth, born of the Shadow archetype, into three distinct vampiric archetypes, none of which have completely left their mythic origins behind. These archetypes present themselves as the monster vampire, the tragic vampire, and the romantic vampire. By examining the etymology of the word vampire, ancient vampire folklore, early to modern vampire literature, and early to contemporary vampire cinema, this paper will show that the vampire is no longer relegated to the role of antagonist to the story’s protagonist. The vampire could be the tragic anti-hero or the protagonist of a story. Many early folklores about vampires are represented by stories humankind told to explain evil and misfortune visited upon their family. However, when the vampire entered early literary fiction, authors began to exercise their power to manipulate the vampire narrative, creating new vampire constructs. This shift in vampire characterizations is an allegorical commentary on man’s fight to overcome his sinful nature by seeking salvation through redemption.
By the end of the nineteenth century, the quintessential literary vampire solidified in the form of Bram Stokers Count Dracula, the progeny of Giaour, Lord Ruthven, Varney, and the like. While some cinematic versions, to some extent, portray him as a romantic seducer, he is still undeniably evil. Yet his tragic story has entranced readers for centuries.
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Vlad the Impaler, touted as Stokers inspiration for Dracula, bears little resemblance to him, other than sharing a name. In Stokers personal notes for Dracula, there is only a short mention of the name Dracula in reference to Vlad the Impaler. However, in the novel itself, Van Helsing mentions that a scholar friend of his believes He must, indeed, have been that Voivode Dracula who won his name against the Turk, over the great river on the very frontier of Turkey-land (Stoker, 2003, p. 285). Yet, other than a thirst for bloodDraculas being literal and Vlads being figurativeDracula shares no characteristics with Vlad the Impaler. In fact, Stoker was initially considering the name Count Wampyr. Stoker notes that the name Dracula means devil in the Wallachian language, which is likely the reason for the name change (Eighteen-Bisang, 2008, p. 244-245). His name lends credence to the idea that the fight against vampires is the fight against evil in its purest form. What better name to portr
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Assistant Professor Ani Kokobobo, from the University of Kansas, believes that rather than Vlad the Impaler being the inspiration for Dracula, it is more likely that Elizabeth Bathory, known as the Blood Countess, was his true inspiration (The Bleeding Truth about Vampires, 2020). While Dracula does have more in common with the blood-draining Countess than Vlad the Impaler, he bears a much closer resemblance to the earlier literary folklore and fiction vampires.
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Curiosity: Interdisciplinary Journal of Research and Innovation 9 A History of Vampires and Their Transformation From Solely Monsters to Monstrous, Tragic, and Romantic Figures Dracula was the fulcrum of generations of vampires to come. Stokers genius was in his ability to combine the most interesting vampiric traits derived from his nineteenth-century contemporaries, as well as earlier folklore, to create a frightening yet fantastical creature whose darkness appeals to humankinds deep-seated dark nature. From his name to his physical and supernatural characteristics, Stoker meant to affect the very picture of a monster when one heard or read the name Dracula. Van Helsing speaks of Draculas cunning, just as the Bible speaks of the serpent in the Garden of Eden as more crafty than any other beast of the field (English Standard Version Bible, 2001, Genesis 3:1).
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