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Created by the Whitby Dracula Society 1897 to celebrate the date that the novel “Dracula” by Bram Stoker was published.
Cool to know:
Vampires are based off a variety of folkloric monsters that consume some form of life force from humans or animals.
Often of these creatures were perceived to be undead or in any other way not quite following the anatomy of “normal people”
Creatures that were called vampires probably were first mentioned around the 18th century.
These vampires drank blood, made victims into vampires and looked like corpses.
People that feared their deceased relatives had become vampires incapacitated the corpses in ways that were supposed to stop the vampire from doing harm.
The first vampire novel that would influence the modern idea of the vampire was “The Vampyre” written by John William Polidori.
The concept of “The Vampire” was written during a visit at Villa Diodati, where Lord Byron was hosting an extended visit with several of his friends.
During this visit a story challenge was done. Not only did this result in the above novel, but also resulted in Mary Shelley writing the first drafts of her most famous novel “Frankenstein”.
While “Dracula” by Bram Stoker might not have been a fully original concept.
It was published in a time where the trend of vampire stories was approached in most creative ways.
Also in Victorian Europe the fears for deadly diseases like syphilis and tuberculosis were a threat close to home.
It made people wonder about the fragility of life and how being undead like a vampire might be a mix of both a curse and a blessing.
“How do we seem to you?
Do you find us beautiful, magical? Our white skin, our fierce eyes?
“Drink” you ask me, do you have any idea of the thing you will become?”
(Anne Rice)
#WorldDraculaDay #DraculaDay
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