Did You Think Transylvania Was About Vlad Tepes?

Most people still think that Vlad Tepes had a large influence on the people of Romania.  In a sense, he did.

He was born there, but he was a Prince of Wallachia. Most people don't realize that at that time, though, Transylvania and Wallachia were two separate principalities that didn't unite for centuries.  However, since Bram Stoker chose Bran Castle as the home of the main character of his novel, it's become a common (mis)perception that Vlad Tepes was Transylvanian.

Transylvania is not about Vlad Tepes, but it is about his influence on the people who have read Dracula seem to want it to be this way.  This doesn't mean that this influence is good or bad, but it does make one pause and think because Transylvania is not about Tepes, but about the people who lived there.




After watching this video, I found some more things to think about with regard to how people portrayed themselves and the people who saw him as either good or evil.  He wasn't either one; he was a manipulator and a person who wanted power, but he was to some a hero and to others a murderer.  Many people have written volumes about Dracula or Tepes, and the price seems to be right when it comes to publishing a book about this man.

It isn't as if there weren't others who had more influence, but these other men and women have been consigned to the mists of history.  This is not because of their deeds (or misdeeds), but it is because they weren't used as the main character for a Gothic horror novel.  This is the price that Transylvania pays for having a popular character being a part of its history and also a part of the culture of some who live in North America.

Comments