INTRODUCTION

My work is entitled “The Vampire. Legend, Myth, Facts”. I chose this subject because it is not
that common and also, I saw a lot of movies and documentaries and I wanted to learn more about
this supernatural creature that fascinated philosophers, scientists, historians, authors and also
ordinary people.
In my opinion, vampires are the most amazing supernatural creatures, due to many reasons:
they are immortal, they never get old, they are fearless, powerful, intelligent, mysterious, they
have the ability to control the mortal minds and other powers that will be discussed in my thesis.
Vampires are not meant to exist as heroes, they drink blood, which is the essence of their life,
they are cursed to kill without mercy, they bring slow death to their victims, but they have a
weak point: they are afraid of the sunlight, as during day time they hide in their coffins. The
scope of my work is to study the vampire figure starting from general aspects and continuing
with the well-known novel Dracula by Bram Stoker.
In the first chapter I will talk about The Concept of Vampirism, including the definition of the
term vampire, how to become a vampire, how to kill one, their abilities and historical vampires.
Also, I will illustrate some legends, myths and facts about these creatures that show people the
evolution of the vampire through the years.
In second one, I will bring into discussion the novel Dracula, written by Bram Stoker. Dracula
is the ancestor of the whole vampire literature and shows the fight between good and evil and the
victory of the good. I will show the powers of Count Dracula, which are absolutely incredible
and also his weak points.
All in all, my piece of work has an interesting subject that shows the dark world of the
vampires, with its secrets and curses from Dracula.
 Chapter 1. The Concept of Vampirism

Looking through the entire history of the supernatural world, there is no powerful figure as
the vampire, which produced fascination and in the same time fear. The vampire is neither a
ghost nor a demon, it has a human appearance and for the large public he “is a bloodsucker who
comes to sleepers at night and brings about their slow deaths by siphoning away their vital
substance”1.The physical distinctiveness of this creature is the “pale skin, overdeveloped and
pointed canine teeth, vermilion lips, and long fingernails. His hand is icy cold and has a grip of
steel”2.The origin of the word “vampire” is obscure and has got many theories. One of them
submits that “ the word vampire and its Slavic synonyms upior, uper, and upyer are all
derivatives of the Turkish uber–witch.” The second one signs up to a Slavic origin, which is the
most accepted ,demonstrating that “the root noun underlying the term is considered to be the
Serbian word BAMIIUP.” Some of the linguists affirm that the origins of the word comes from
the Hungarian term “vampir”.3
Matthew Bunson gave the definition of the word vampire :” One of the most unique beings
in the world, surviving from the darkest times in history, existing for millennia among mortals,
feeding on them and using them to create more of its own kind in order to ensure the
continuation of the species, perhaps in preparation for a final struggle between the living and the
undead…The word vampire (vampir, vampyre) has hazy origins, although scholars generally
agree that it can be traced to the Slavic languages, with debates continuing as to its etymological
sources. The word may have come from the Lithuanian wempti ("to drink"), or from the root pi
("to drink"), with the prefix va or av. Other suggested roots have included the Turkish uber
("witch") and the Serbo-Croatian pirati ("to blow"). Cognate forms developed, so that there can
be found in Serbo-Croatian the term vampir, upyr in the Russian, upior in the Polish, and upir in
the Byelorussian. Some scholars prefer the concept that upir is older than vampir, an eastern
Slavic name that spread westward into the Balkans, where it was adopted by the southern Slavs
and received vigorous circulation. The word vampire (or vampyre) arrived in the English
language with two 1732 publications: the March translation of a report by the investigators
looking into the case of Arnold Paole of Meduegna and the May release of the article "Political
Vampires”. There are as many theories about the home of the undead as there are species. Many
regions and countries have been suggested over the years as the cradle of vampirism. Some
vampirologists hold Egypt to be their birthplace; others believe it to be India, China, Russia,
Mesopotamia, and, of course, Romania (or Transylvania). Religious or semidivine bloodsuckers
were an integral part of the ancient cults and were potent elements in formative religions and

1, Lecouteux ,Claude;”The Secret History of Vampires: Their Multiple Forms AND Hidden Purposes”,
(1999/2010),p. 5
2 Ibidem , p.5
3 Katharina Wilson, “The History of the Word ‘Vampire’” Journal of the History of Ideas 46, no. 4 (Oct.
– Dec., 1985): p. 577-581
pantheons in the old and new worlds where divine approbation, blood, and the earth that gave
life and food were inextricably linked.”4
Another definition of the term “vampire ” is given by Webster's International Dictionary,
which characterizes this supernatural creature as "a bloodsucking ghost or reanimated body of a
dead person, a soul or reanimated body of a dead person, believed to come from the grave and
wander about by night sucking the blood of persons asleep. ... " .

1.1 How to become a Vampire

Looking through the folklore, myths and legends, there are three ways in order to become a
vampire: by birth, by being bitten by another vampire or the last one, by death. Some of the
methods are creepy and scary, but others are really incredible and interesting.
“By Birth: Born at certain times of the year (new moon, holy days) born with a red caul, with
teeth, or with an extra nipple, born with excess hair, with a red birthmark, or with two hearts,
conceived on a holy day, weaned too early, suckled after weaning, born the seventh son of a
seventh son, death without baptism, received a curse, the mother did not eat enough salt during
pregnancy, mother stared at by a vampire while pregnant.
Actions in Life Leading to Vampiric Transformation: committing suicide, practicing sorcery or
witchcraft, eating sheep killed by a wolf, leading an immoral life, i.e., prostitutes, murderers, and
treacherous barmaids, saying a mass while in a state of mortal sin (for priests), being a werewolf.
Death or After-Death Causes :death at the hands of a vampire, wind from the Russian
Steppe ,blowing on the corpse, having a cat or other animal jump or fly over the corpse, having a
shadow fall on the corpse ,no burial or improper burial rites ,death by violence or
murder ,murder that is unrevenged, having a candle passed over the corpse, having one's brother
sleepwalk, death by drowning ,stealing the ropes used to bury a corpse ,being buried face up in
the grave (in parts of Romania).”5

1.2 How to kill a vampire

Even though, these creatures have eternal life, by being immortals, they can also be killed, but
not as easily as the mortals. Once they are destroyed, they transform into ash. After studying as
many methods as possible I found some that are very fascinating and maybe some of the people
know them. The vampires are creatures of the night, they always hide in the shadows and during
the day they are sleeping in their coffins. Some say that “briefest exposure to UV radiation will
turn a vampire into a pillar of screaming flames; others maintain that truly powerful vampires
can move around freely during the daytime, suffering only the temporary loss of their super-
human abilities.”6

4 Bunson, Matthew, ”The Vampire Encyclopedia” (1993), p.270-271

5 Ibidem, p.20
6 http://halloweenalliance.com/stories-legends/top-ten-ways-to-repel-and-kill-vampires
 Silver can also kill a vampire and it can be used in stakes or even bullets. They are very
sensitive to pure metal and is painful for them to be even touched by it. Another method is the
classic stake through the heart, which would instantly kill the vampire.
Fire is also the enemy of the vampires, because it produces lots of pain to them and brings a
horrible end not only to humans, even to these immortal creatures. The most powerful fire is the
one with holy flames. “These are holy cleansing flames blessed by the Priest of any religion in
the name of their God(s), or Goddesses(s).  Christian Priests generally produce the most
powerful holy fire due to the widespread belief in Christianity.  Most likely a Priest blesses a
torch of normal fire and then goes into battle with a vampire.  People can light other people’s
torches and their flames will be holy as well.”7
The vampires feed with blood, but not all kind of blood. It is said in folklore that there are two
types of blood, which would kill instantly the “bloodsucker”:” Angel blood and Sasquatch
(Bigfoot) blood.  Both of which are nearly impossible to come by.  The odds of an Angel taking
physical form are beyond rare although the vampire will be drawn to it without reason and will
sink it’s fangs within his holy body.  The holy cleansing blood of the Angel will kill the
supernatural vampire virus that is intertwined with his DNA.”8
Other methods are the beheading, also religious objects such as: crucifixes, bibles, crosses,
icons with saints and holy water. The vampire is repelled by these things so he will avoid the
people who posses them.

1.3 The Abilities of the Vampires

These creatures of the night have unimaginable powers, that allows them to do anything they
ever want. Every type of the vampires has its own abilities starting from common ones to less
common.
They are able to “create other vampires, some believe the vampire can choose to create more
of its kind; others think that it takes three bites to be effective, they can fly: The bruxsa, langsuir,
and aswang can fly; other vampires change shape to fly. Other powers are misting or vaporizing
which gives the vampire access to places considered secure or hard to reach. Also, they have an
incredible strength, which is equal to that of many men and increases with age. Hypnosis which
is useful in luring and ensnaring victims. They can change in size or dimensions. Control the
elements: Their power extends over wind, rain, and other natural forces, even control of animals:
power extends over many creatures, including insects, rats, fleas, and bats. They can scale walls:
Vampires are as nimble as spiders. Transformation: Vampires can turn into bats, cats, dogs,
wolves, butterflies, insects, rats, birds, fleas, mice, and locusts. Drain life force or psychic
energy: An attribute of the psychic vampire.
Less Common Attributes Causing blights and crop failures: Vampires are opposed in this
activity by the kresnik. Causing plagues or epidemics: The result of killing so many people.
Siring children: The offspring are called dhampirs in some regions, causing impotence: A power
7 http://mysticinvestigations.com/vampire-extermination/
8 http://mysticinvestigations.com/vampire-extermination/
of the nosferatu. Stealing organs: A power of the jigarkhwar (takes the liver) and upier (takes the
heart).”9
1.4 Historical vampires
When people think of vampires the first name that comes in their minds is Dracula, a
well-known fictional character, whose fame began in 1897 and lasts till in our days.
In the last decay the teenagers and the young adults have been fascinated by this subject,
so in order to give them something to read the authors started to create lots of books that in a
very short time became bestsellers. Especially the young girls are obsessed with Edward Cullen 10
,Damon and Stephan Salvatore 11 or the vampires from “The Southern Vampire Mysteries” series
written by Charlaine Harris. If we look deeper there are a lot of stories about vampires that are
not very famous and some of them are real, but imply one thing that is common in all of them
“blood.”
The first story is about Peter Plogojowitz, a man who died and retuned from the death. “Within
10 weeks of his death, nine people died suddenly from a mystery illness, and prior to their deaths
they all accused Peter Plogojowitz of throttling them in their dreams. Peter’s own son reported
seeing him in the kitchen three days after his death, demanding food—before he also died mys-
teriously. Peter’s wife fled town after she alleged he would shown up late one night to demand a
pair of shoes.
The army was called in, and Peter’s body was exhumed. It was reported that he was breathing
and that his open eyes were moving. A stake was put through his heart, resulting in a Tarantino-
esque gushing of blood, and his body burned. The deaths and dreams all ended abruptly.”12
Another interesting event happened in  Northumberland , UK at the Alnwick Castle and it is
about a men who believed that his wife is cheating him and he decided to spy on her ,but he died
and returned as “ a revenant—a walking, rotting corpse—spreading plague in his wake.
Eventually, a priest gathered some of his parishioners and found the vampire’s grave. They
opened it and stabbed the corpse with a shovel. Warm blood ran from the body and confirmed
their suspicions that it had been drinking the blood of the living. They burned the body, and the
attacks ceased.”13
In 1969 appeared in Highgate Cemetery in London some death animals with bites on their necks
and their bodies were completely drained of blood. There was a witness that saw in the cemetery
“a tall, dark figure that emitted an evil aura and had a hypnotic stare. One man reported that he
became confused and totally lost when trying to leave the cemetery. Suddenly, he found himself
facing the Highgate Vampire—which transfixed him, gluing him to the spot. After a while, it dis-
appeared. Reports in the press led to the graveyard being trampled by an army of self-proclaimed

9 Bunson, Matthew ,”The Vampire Encyclopedia” (1993), p.210

10 A fictional character in Stephenie Meyer’s “Twilight” series. He is a vegetarian vampire, because he

feeds only with animal’s blood. Edward is a telepathic vampire who falls in love with a human teenager
Bella Swan.
11 Two vampire brotherswho are the main characters in the novel series “The Vampire Diaries”, written
by L.J.Smith
12 http://listverse.com/2013/08/11/10-vampires-from-history-youve-never-heard-of/
13 http://listverse.com/2013/08/11/10-vampires-from-history-youve-never-heard-of/
vampire hunters. They dug up several graves, leading conservationists to lobby for the graveyard
to be closed nights. Eventually, sightings and reports of the vampire decreased.”14

Sava Savanovic is a Serbian ghost vampire that lived in an old village in an old mill and fed on
thoughtless travellers. He was not killed and one day he simply stopped hurting the people that
stopped by.” Meanwhile, the mill where he lived was passed down generation after generation,
each new owner too scared to repair the building until it eventually collapsed. Now locals report
that he is awoken from his long slumber and roams the Serbian countryside—looking for a new
home. And it’s not just superstitious locals making these claims. The actual council them-
selves are the ones who put out the warning.”15

Another event took place “ in the 1800s when the Cranwell Family took up residence in Groglin
Range in Cumbria. Lady Cranwell noticed strange lights in the garden below, but thought noth-
ing of it until she woke to find the lights at her window—but they weren’t lights. They were
eyes.

Lady Cranwell was frozen in terror as she saw the thing outside her window remove the panes
one by one before reaching a rotten hand through and opening the latch. Her brothers heard her
screaming and ran in to help her, arriving just in time to see her bleeding profusely from the neck
as a catlike figure darted out into the darkness.

The brothers decided to slay the vampire. Some time later, they returned to the estate
and set a trap. Lady Cranwell pretended to sleep in the same room the original attack happened
in. When the vampire tried to come through the window again, the brothers jumped out with pis-
tols and shot at it. It screamed and ran off into the night. The next day, the brothers gathered an
angry mob and searched the graveyard until they found an open crypt. Inside were gnawed bones
and an open coffin containing a rotten corpse with a recent bullet wound. Needless to say, they
burned it.”16

The most famous vampire in history after Vlad Tepes is Elizabeth Bathory. “She was a Ro-
manian Countess in the 16th century who found joy in torturing peasants. The torture ranged
from simple beatings and stabbings to piercing fingers and lips with iron nails or dousing them in
freezing cold water and letting them die in the snow.

Rumors that Elizabeth was a vampire began when it was alleged that she bathed in the
blood of young maidens. It’s reported that she began this to reduce the effects of aging, though
some historians refute this claim as being added to the story after the fact. Eventually Bathory
was walled inside her castle alive, with only enough space for her to receive air and food until
she died years later.”17 She was the devil embodied, The Blood Countess as she was named, tor-
tured a lot of people and in the next rows I will cite a few torture methods that she exposed the
peasants to.
“Kept her servants chained up every night so tight their hands turned blue and they spurted
blood.

14 http://listverse.com/2013/08/11/10-vampires-from-history-youve-never-heard-of/
15 http://listverse.com/2013/08/11/10-vampires-from-history-youve-never-heard-of/
16 http://listverse.com/2013/08/11/10-vampires-from-history-youve-never-heard-of/
17 http://listverse.com/2013/08/11/10-vampires-from-history-youve-never-heard-of
 Beat them to the point where there was so much blood on the walls and beds that they
had to use ashes and cinders to soak it up. Beat a servant in Vienna so loudly that her neighbors
(some monks) threw clay pots at the walls in protest. Strangled a servant to death with a silk
scarf (a harem technique known as “the Turkish way”, a euphemism I now endeavour to work
into my daily life).”18

Chapter II. Dracula

Dracula is an important character in Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula, and also a famous
vampire whose name is popular in many cultures and traditions. Dracula is the ancestor of the
whole vampire literature and illustrates the English gothic novel. With this amazing novel, Bram
Stoker wanted to emphasize the fight against evil and the victory of the good. His heroes are all
intellectuals who confront with supernatural phenomena. The main character of this narration is
Dracula, a vampire or a strigoi, but not an ordinary one.

He is the phantom of a legendary hero, Vlad the Impaler. “The Dracula family, which
Stoker’s count describes with pride in the early chapters of the novel, is based on a real fifteenth-
century family. Its most famous member, Vlad Dracula or Vlad the Impaler, as he was commonly
known, enjoyed a bloody career that rivaled that of his fictional counterpart. The Prince of
Wallachia, Vlad was a brilliant and notoriously savage general who impaled his enemies on long
spikes. The prince also had a reputation for murdering beggars, forcing women to eat their
babies, and nailing the turbans of disrespectful ambassadors to their heads. While Stoker’s Count
Dracula is supposed to be a descendant of Vlad, and not the prince himself, Stoker clearly makes
the count resemble his fearsome ancestor. This historical allusion gives Dracula a semblance of
truth, and, as the Author’s Note and the coda make clear, Stoker wants to suggest that the
documents assembled in the novel are real.”19

The novel was published in 1897 and became a bestseller and is well-known even in our
days. It is written in 1st person through a collection of journals, letters and telegrams written by
Jonathan Harker, Miss Mina Murray, Dr. Seward, Lucy Westenra and Dr. Van Helsing. Carol
Senf A. observed that “With the exception of Dr. Van Helsing, all the central characters are
youthful and inexperienced. Moreover, the narrators appear to speak with one voice; and Stoker
18 http://www.rejectedprincesses.com/princesses/elisabeth-bathory
19 http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/dracula/context.html
suggests that their opinions are perfectly acceptable so long as they remain within their limited
fields of expertise. The problem, however, is that these perfectly ordinary people are confronted
with the extraordinary character of Dracula.”20

2.1 The Powers and Weaknesses of the Vampires

As I said in the previous chapter, vampires are immortal creatures that never get old, they drink
blood, which “means many things in Dracula; it is food, it is semen, it is a rather ghastly parody
of the Eucharist, the blood of Christ that guarantees life eternal”21, and have unbelievable
powers, which make them different from the humans. But, these powers are distinctive from a
vampire to another. Bram Stoker’s vampires are constructed after the classical vampire model:
they are afraid of saint objects such as: crucifies, wafer, garlic, they cannot enter into a house
without invitation, during the day they are vulnerable and have no reflection in the mirror.

Moreover, the vampires have incredible powers and abilities: they are stronger than twenty men,
they can control the elements: the storm, the fog, the thunder, they can shapeshift into wolves,
bats, they can also control them but also the rats, the owls, the moth and the fox, they can come
in mist, they can become very small to enter into small places, they can see in the darkness. They
can be killed by a sacred bullet, by a stake through the heart or by cutting their head off. Carol
A. Senf explained that Professor Van Helsing is the one who “informs the other characters about
the vampire’s nature. While most of the discussion concerns the vampire’s susceptibility to
garlic, silver bullets, and religious artefacts, Van Helsing also admits that the vampire cannot
enter a dwelling unless he is invited by one of the inhabitants. In other words a vampire cannot
influence a human being without that person’s consent. Dracula’s behaviour confirms that he is
an internal, not an external, threat. ”22

The main characters have an important discussion about the powers and weaknesses of the
vampires and how to kill them. “The vampire lives on, and cannot die by mere passing of the
time, he can flourish when that he can fatten on the blood of the living. Even more, we have seen

20 Senf, Carol “Dracula: The Unseen Face in the Mirror”, Journal of Narrative Technique, Vol. 9,
(1979), p.162
21 John Allen Stevenson, “A Vampire in the Mirror: The Sexuality of Dracula”, Source: PMLA, Vol. 103,
No. 2 (Mar., 1988), pp. 139-149 Published by: Modern Language Association Stable, p. 144, URL:
http://www.jstor.org/stable/462430
22 Senf, Carol “Dracula: The Unseen Face in the Mirror” p.165
amongst us that he can even grow younger, that his vital faculties grow strenuous, and seem as
though they refresh themselves when his special pabulum is plenty. ‘But he cannot flourish
without this diet, he eats not as others. Even friend Jonathan, who lived with him for weeks, did
never see him eat, never! He throws no shadow, he makes in the mirror no reflect, as again
Jonathan observes. He has the strength of many of his hand, witness again Jonathan when he shut
the door against the wolves, and when he helps him from the diligence too. He can transform
himself to wolf, as we gather from the ship arrival in Whitby, when he tears open the dog, he can
be as bat, as Madam Mina saw him on the window at Whitby, and as friend John saw him fly
from this so near house, and as my friend Quincey saw him at the window of Miss Lucy. ‘He can
come in mist which he creates, that noble ship’s captain proved him of this, but from what we
know, the distance he can make this mist is limited, and it can only be round himself. ‘He come
on moonlight rays as elemental dust, as again Jonathan saw those sisters in the castle of Dracula.
He becomes so small, we ourselves saw Miss Lucy, ere she was at peace, slip through a
hairbreadth space at the tomb door. He can, when once he finds his way, come out from anything
or into anything, no matter how close it be bound or even fused up with fire, solder you call it.
He can see in the dark, no small power this, in a world which is one half shut from the light. Ah,
but hear me through. ‘He can do all these things, yet he is not free. Nay, he is even more prisoner
than the slave of the galley, than the madman in his cell. He cannot go where he lists, he who is
not of nature has yet to obey some of nature’s laws, why we know not. He may not enter
anywhere at the first, unless there be some one of the household who bid him to come, though
afterwards he can come as he please. His power ceases, as does that of all evil things, at the
coming of the day. ‘Only at certain times can he have limited freedom. If he be not at the place
whither, he is bound, he can only change himself at noon or at exact sunrise or sunset. These
things we are told, and in this record of ours we have proof by inference. Thus, whereas he can
do as he will within his limit, when he has his earth-home, his coffin-home, his hell-home, the
place unhallowed, as we saw when he went to the grave of the suicide at Whitby, still at other
time he can only change when the time come. It is said, too, that he can only pass running water
at the slack or the flood of the tide. Then there are things which so afflict him that he has no
power, as the garlic that we know of, and as for things sacred, as this symbol, my crucifix, that
was amongst us even now when we resolve, to them he is nothing, but in their presence he take
his place far off and silent with respect. There are others, too, which I shall tell you of, lest in our
seeking we may need them. ‘The branch of wild rose on his coffin keep him that he moves not
from it, a sacred bullet fired into the coffin kill him so that he be true dead, and as for the stake
through him, we know already of its peace, or the cut off head that giveth rest.”23

2. 2 The Image of Dracula

Carol Senf. A says that: “although Stoker did model Dracula on the historical Vlad Voivode of
Wallachia and the East European superstition of the vampire, he adds a number of humanizing
touches to make Dracula appear noble and vulnerable as well as demonic and threating; and it
becomes difficult to determine whether he is a hideous bloodsucker whose touch breeds death or
a lonely and silent figure who is hunted and persecuted.”24

Dracula was an old vampire and his appearance was constructed after the classical model: sharp
teeth, pale skin, red lips and sharp nails: “His face was a strong, a very strong, aquiline, with
high bridge of the thin nose and peculiarly arched nostrils, with lofty domed forehead, and hair
growing scantily round the temples but profusely elsewhere. His eyebrows were very massive,
almost meeting over the nose, and with bushy hair that seemed to curl in its own profusion. The
mouth, so far as I could see it under the heavy moustache, was fixed and rather cruel-looking,
with peculiarly sharp white teeth. These protruded over the lips, whose remarkable ruddiness
showed astonishing vitality in a man of his years. For the rest, his ears were pale, and at the tops
extremely pointed. The chin was broad and strong, and the cheeks firm though thin. The general
effect was one of extraordinary pallor. Hitherto I had noticed the backs of his hands as they lay
on his knees in the firelight, and they had seemed rather white and fine. But seeing them now
close to me, I could not but notice that they were rather coarse, broad, with squat fingers. Strange
to say, there were hairs in the centre of the palm. The nails were long and fine, and cut to a sharp
point.”25 He was a well-educated gentleman with noble manners, he knows exactly how to
welcome a visitor and how to make him feel like home. “‘Welcome to my house! Enter freely

23 Stoker, Bram “Dracula”,1897, Bantam Classic Edition, October 1981,New York, p.257-259

24 Senf, Carol “Dracula: The Unseen Face in the Mirror”, Journal of Narrative Technique, Vol. 9,
(1979), p.162

25 Stoker, Bram “Dracula”,1897, Bantam Classic Edition, October 1981,New York, p.18-19
and of your own free will!’ He made no motion of stepping to meet me, but stood like a statue, as
though his gesture of welcome had fixed him into stone. The instant, however, that I had stepped
over the threshold, he moved impulsively forward, and holding out his hand grasped mine with a
strength which made me wince, an effect which was not lessened by the fact that it seemed cold
as ice, more like the hand of a dead than a living man. Again, he said. ‘Welcome to my house!
Enter freely. Go safely, and leave something of the happiness you bring!’”26

Conclusion

26 Stoker, Bram, Quoted Edition, p.16

Vampirism is a very popular subject nowadays, but some people are horripilated when they think
of this controversial concept, that has been a source of inspiration for a lot of writers.

Vampires are immortal creatures that never get old, they remain the same as they were when they
were transformed, they have incredible powers, which allow them to do imaginable things, such
as compelling the human beings, shapeshifting into bats, wolves, they can also control them but,
they can also command the rats, the owls, the moth and the fox, they can come in mist, they can
become very small to enter into small places, they see in the darkness, they can control the
elements: the storm, the fog, the thunder. They have an incredible speed, are invulnerable to
snakes and insects, they could fed not only with human blood, but also with the one from the
animals: rats, cows and chickens.

In my thesis, I have talked about the vampires in general and the one from Bram Stoker’s novel,
Dracula. They have a lot of things in common, they sleep in coffins during the day, because the
sun can kill them, they feed with blood, especially human blood, they have the power of twenty
man, they are intelligent.

Besides these, what I think is the most interesting detail of my work is the process of
transformation from a human being into vampire. After the vampire bites the neck of the victim
and drinks his blood, he has to give him his blood from the wrist. Then the victim’s body has to
die in order to fulfil the complete transformation. After waking up as a vampire, the new-born
gain incredible powers and senses, the experience is unique. His or her teeth become sharper, the
face becomes white and smooth, the vampire’s beauty attract the human beings, they feel
paralyzed when they are around this supernatural being. In the Introduction of the novel
Dracula, George Stade shows to the reader the image of Dracula: “Hair grows on the palms of
Dracula’s hands. His ears are long and pointed. His red eyes glare out from under thick
eyebrows that meet over a knife of a nose. His red, swollen lips are flagrant against the glimmer
of his face, with its extraordinary pallor, its long white moustache, its prominent teeth. His breath
is rank. He is centuries old and unnaturally strong. Like Beowulf, he has a “greep of steel”; once
he gets you he doesn’t let go. His intelligence is powerful, but his “child-brain” is entirely at the
service of his appetites, the primitive hungers that civilization to maintain itself must
deny...Dracula is already a reflection, a shadow, an apparition, a matter of mind rather than
matter and in any case, when we look for him in mirrors, our own faces get in the way.
In conclusion, I hope that my project will help the ones that are interested in finding more about
this subject. The readers will discover how a vampire lives, his strong and weak points, his
beliefs, his concerns, his questions about his origins and his true nature, his desires, his hopes
and his experiences as an immortal in a world of mortals. Even though, Vampirism is a new
matter, I tried to cover all the important aspects of this subject, including the origins of the word
vampire, how to become a vampire, how to kill one.