Dracula – Legend or Truth?

Dracula – as perceived today – is the result of interference of the real historical facts, entered into legend, about the reign of Vlad Tepes – Dracula, the diaries of the chroniclers of the time, with the intention of the great prince put in a bad light, amplified in the following centuries the association with personage fiction novel “Dracula”, published in England in 1897, starring as an author on the Irish writer Bram Stoker.
The truth about Romanian ruler Vlad the Impaler (1456-1462, 1476) is known from many works by Romanian and foreign historians. Convinced that only a strong rule inside the country able to provide order and organize successfully defend her external dangers Vlad recourse to authoritarian rule, his honesty and diligence required subjects as virtues, dishonesty (theft) were punished laziness and cunning harshly by impaling, a cruel punishment, but can be understood only in relation to the times in which he lived, an era of great cruelty, which has seen other punishments as harsh, such as burning , Hangman, etc. ..
Due to its drastic measures, Vlad Tepes was able to establish order in the country, “foreign pity and mercy – history says ADXenopol – he made a terrible job of yarn in his country and after a clean inner relay, he put chest demean the country had fallen. “

But his actions drew the hatred of many of his contemporaries. They have slandered and accused of understanding with the Turks against the interests of the country, was imprisoned by King Matthias Corvinus and the latest image or cruel man, but has “terrible job of yarn in his country” has been associated with vampire Dracula, the famous character in fiction novel “Dracula” the Irish writer Bram Stoker published in London in 1897 and considered by Oscar Wilde “perhaps the most beautiful novel of all time.”
Characters in the novel “Dracula” are the result of fantasy author, but the facts Dracula and its end are based on popular beliefs about the existence of evil forces: vampires or ghosts. In many peoples beliefs vampires are dead people who by virtue of a sentence or a curse during life, leaving his grave at night and wander among the living people who sleep and suck their blood – their only food. Everything is considered and vampire bat, an animal that lives in the cave at night to suck blood out and people .* In Central America and South America are a species of vampire bats feed on blood of large birds and mammals found in sleep . In his famous work Odisseea poet Homer, identify the bat with the souls of the dead.
In popular beliefs of the Carpathian-Danubian-Pontic correspondent vampire in acceptance of people who leave their dead at night and wander among the living tomb which I capture in sleep and do a lot of inconvenience and damage, they suck blood and milk taken from cattle, the ghost. May be ghosts living, one that – as recorded folklorist I. Aurel Candrea – “all day he sees things that other people, but at night I fell asleep as soon as the soul goes out to meet with other ghosts, and the body remains as dead on the bed. The souls of these ghosts … kill children and suck their blood, take the hand of the cows and the crops. “The same author says “then you die one of these beings that are believed to have been ghosts in the heart of summer is a spit fire or even redness in her soul that can not escape from the grave and not torture people night “.
Bran Castle, one of the most valuable monuments of medieval architecture in Romania, officials historical, military and economic, is known by tourists from around the world as Dracula’s Castle.
Most tourists, after visiting Bran Castle, leaving him disappointed not met Dracula – The vampire who sucks the blood of men, known from movies and figure associated with Romanian prince Vlad Tepes – Dracula. And meet him because visitors do not distinguish between historical reality and the origin story behind both the character in Bram Stoker’s novel, Dracula called, the action is based on popular beliefs about ghosts and vampires and legends about Vlad Tepes, especially those that present it as a cruel prince. Interference with the main character from the novel Dracula legends real Prince Vlad Tepes – Dracula, a reference figure of Roman history, has spawned an imaginary character known as Dracula’s vampire as an embodiment of evil spirit who disrupted the peace of people, I struggling and those came under his rule transforms them into these forces of evil. This character exists at the imaginary and can not be shown in a museum exhibition as one of the Bran Castle.Bran Castle was named Dracula’s Castle  after three decades, by tourists, especially Americans, who came in search of Dracula in horror movies made after the novel by Bram Stoker. Tourists are surprised to enter a castle in Transylvania that the appearance resembled the castle described by Irish author. Therefore they named Castle Dracula. What about the imagination can be between Dracula vampire and tourists come in search of Bran Castle? It’s simple. If it is the ruler of the Romanian Country, History records many campaigns undertaken by Vlad – Impaler – Dracula, the  punish Saxons merchants who disobeyed the commands of the ruler on the trade fairs of the Romanian Country. And it makes sense that the transition to be made in Bran, Brasov closest pass, which links to Targoviste, residence Wallachian ruler. Relations with the Bran castellans will not be too friendly, because they were representatives of the city of Brasov, hostile to Vlad Tepes.
If Vlad Tepes ruled Bran Castle is hard to answer because it does not mention written documents. But existing documents in the archives of the Castle – Bran Castle, as many are still preserved, are primarily administrative in nature, relates to income and expenses from the city Bran and very little in the political-military events. One can argue that in autumn 1462, after army Hungarian king Matthias Corvinus, caught near the city of Dambovita Bridge, near Rucar, located about 25 km from Bran, Prince Vlad Tepes, was taken to Castle Bran and dark here for about two months, as Vlad Tepes recent volume recorded Dracula, Editura Mirador, Arad, 2002, author George Lazea Postelnicu. From there he was taken and imprisoned at Fortress Visegrad.
In terms of vampire, known in Romanian folklore as the undead (vampire name is common in Serbian) is noted as in Bran village still believe in the existence of evil spirits called ghosts.
Village elders remember that until half a century ago it was believed that there were some people in life – the undead – who led a normal life day and night sleep their souls leave the body and roamed the village and tortured people in sleep. These evil spirits roamed from midnight until the first singing of the roosters, they no longer had the power to inflict evil people.
Belief in ghosts and other evil spirits is a component of popular mythology. It can be told, imagined by every individual. But beyond this imaginary universe populated with vampires and ghosts, tourists can meet in Bran a reality that will enjoy and relax the soul.
The fierce image of Dracula in mind, came to Bran, the tourist will meet in picturesque places of the shepherds with herds mountain grazing or mowing the grass, whose women weave the fabrics that adorn the interiors of houses war or preparing traditional dishes (bulz Shepherd, pastrami, buttermilk, etc.). both in their own houses and pensions prepared in particular for those who want to spend Bran from sunrise to sunset and even at night when you can dream, come and Dracula vampire whose strength will wither on the garlic clove sitting of housewife above the door at the entrance because it knows it from old to defend the house from evil spirits.