As a proud romanian, I am always excited to talk about my country's history and legends. Born and raised in Brasov, the capital city of Transylvania, I had the chance to be surrounded by old legends and sayings that developed my imagination as a child and gave my teachers a lot of headaches.
It is said that Transylvania sits on one of world's most stronger magnetic fields and its people have extra-sensory perceptions. Vampires are believed to hang around crossroads of Saint George's day ( April 23rd) and the eve of Saint Andrew (November 29th). The area is also home of the famous Stoker's Dracula and it's easy to get caught up in the tale while driving along winding roads through dense, dark, ancient forests and mountain passes. The vampir myth is still well remembered in eastern Europe. Similarly the name of Dracula is still remembered in the Romanian oral tradition, as somewhat of a champion of the common man against the oppression of the boyars ( or noble people). Many of the pamphlets demonstrate the count's effort to eliminate crime and dishonesty from his land and he is known in Romania as a national hero who resisted Turkish conquerors and Hungarian kingdom.
Vlad Tepes ( Vlad the Impaler) adopted the method of impaling criminals and enemies and raising them aloft in the town square for all to see. Almost any crime from lying and stealing to kiling could be punished by impalement. Being so confident in the effectivness of his law, dracula placed a golden cup on display in the center of Targoviste city to be used by traverers who were thirsty. According to the history it was never stolen. Crime and corruption ceased; culture and commerce thrived and many romanians to this day view Vlad Dracula as a hero for his fierce insistence on honesty and order. However, given the fact that he was after all a notorious ruler, Dracula became a natural candidate for vampirism.
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