Dracula, such as the west knows him, was invented by an English writer in one of the most overt examples of cultural projection known to man. At exactly the time that the Brits were reconnoitering Romania's oil fields to suck them dry, B Stoker conceived of a Romanian daemon/bat who sucked his victims dry of blood and corrupted innocent females.
>Vlad the Impaler was the first Romanian leader to expel successfully the
>Turkish invaders but his reign was also known for being virtually
>crime-free. Modern Romanians and many foreign investors long for the
>return of that golden age.
So Vlad, the only Romanian historical figure who is distinguished and honored for repelling a foreign master, becomes the model for B Stoker's evil, parasitical Dracula. Good one.
Barf,
Joanna