Dracula: The Man Behind The Legend
Garrison Hilliard
fortified ancestral home of Vlad the Impaler � also known as Dracula.
Vlad roamed the rooms in Braun Castle more than 500 years ago, where he
was known to impale his enemies on a stick, then sit down to dinner in
front of them.
Today tourists are drawn to Braun Castle, not because of Vlad the man of
history, but because of Dracula the Legend � the blood sucking villain of
famous myth.
And today's teen hearthrob in books and movies such as the �Twilight�
series.
"I think the people are searching vampires and they found Dracula," said
one Romanian citizen.
Romanians are rather protective of Dracula's reputation.
"A good hero, not a bad hero," says one.
They are are aware of, but not thrilled with, Vlad the hero who held off
the Turks being related to some beefcake vampire called Edward.
"So he didn't suck any blood?" asks a reporter.
"No,no, no. He chopped some heads," says another resident.
But with Romania's economy sucked nearly dry in the collapse of the world
economy, even hard core historians are happy for the tourists who come to
Transylvania, buying tickets, T-shirts, mugs and even Dracula wine.
"It's a great story from Dracula. It's a nice story, but not the
truth," says a resident of the Hollywood hype.
They hope it's possible that pop culture curiosity will lead to a lesson
in history, and bring a little respect to the man who inspired such fear
and mystery.
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