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Question: Bram Stoker's Dracula/vampire folklore question!?
I'm reading Bram Stoker's Dracula right now for my English Lit class, and as I read the first few chapters, I come across a part where Jonathan Harker cannot see Dracula's reflection in the mirror!. Harker also finds it mysterious that there are not mirrors at all in the castle!.

Bram Stoker also lists in parts of the chapters that I've read so far that 'odd gifts were given to [Harker]' by the passengers he was with inside the stagecoach just before his ascent to Castle Dracula!. These odd gifts consisted of garlic, wild rose, mountain ash, and crucifixes (a crucifix neckalce was also given to Harker by the lady peasant at the roadside inn)!.

Now I'm pretty sure that the garlic, crucifixes, etc!. are all part of the Eastern European vampire folklores that have been around for centuries before Stoker wrote his novel!.!.!.or, are they really!? Or did Stoker made that up!? Did he also make up the whole mirror thing or was that part of natural vampire folklore already!? Because there are many modern day writers that disregard some of these (or at least, the Eastern European ones, since that is the most widely used) vampire folklore traits!.Www@QuestionHome@Com


Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
A very good classic, and to go with it, an interesting question! To the best of my knowledge, Abraham (Bram) Stoker did not necessarily research vampire folklore, but as it has already been pointed out, certain well-known facts such as Vlad the Impaler did exist!. Yes, the garlic, crucifixes, etc came greatly from Eastern European mythology and traditions, but the mirrors!. !. !.maybe a little of both!.

In that time period, vampires and the like were thought to have no souls!. At the same period, it was thought that if the person had no soul, the soul could not be reflected in the mirror and therefore the person would have no reflection!. I would not be inclined to think that Stoker created that part of the rules of vampirism, but I suspect he did embellish on it a little!. In fact, many legends say vampires do not appear in photographs for the same reason!

You are correct!. Many modern writers ignore these traits!. The truth of the matter is this: there are so many stories and legends floating around, that a writer must choose and lay out his or her own laws of vampirism!. Anne Rice's vampire laws are different from Stephenie Meyer's are different from Richelle Mead and so on!.

As a writer, I have two pieces to my name which involve vampires!. One is a screenplay (not published) and the other is a novel!. Neither of my stories have the same rules of vampirism!. I changed them here and there to suit the purpose of my story!. For example in my screenplay my vampires cannot be out in the sunlight, it burns their skin!. In my novel, however, simply the shade or a cloudy day will do, otherwise short term exposure just gives a mild sunburn of sorts!.

I hope this helps - or at least interests you enough to do some of your own research!. There's a lot of information out there, too much to type here!. Enjoy!. :)Www@QuestionHome@Com

Bram Stoker was writing a novel, and did not research "vampire folklore", so he pretty much wrote the rule book on vampires and their associated mythology!. He did, of course, research into general superstitions and Eastern European culture, choosing the (little known at the time) Romanian hero Vlad Tepest (Vlad the Impaler), Count Dracul, as his "baddy" dracula!.

Safe to say he made it all up!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

I'm sure if you read a book on Vampire Folklore you would find out the answers to your questions!. There is one!.Www@QuestionHome@Com