[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index][Author Index][Search Archives]

Re: Dear Vlad, was Re: a little history lesson




Poster: Heather Swann <heather@pop.net>

> I think that name is more usually spelled Tepic (with diacritical marks
> all over), but I could be wrong about that.  :-)

In American texts, I've mostly seen 'Tepes' or 'Tsepes'.
> 
> The Dracul nickname came to him from his father, a member of the chivalric
> Order of the Dragon, which was originally founded as a crusading order to
> protect Eastern Europe from the Turks.
> 
> >From what I know of him, Vlad didn't like the Turks much at all.  You can
> still visit his castle (in the modern Romania).  A friend of mine was
> there a few months ago.

Part of his reason for not liking the Turks might stem from childhood
and being held by the Turks, hostage to his father's political choices,
along with, IIRC, his brother...Radu, I believe?  I don't have my books
with me at work..  ;)
> 
> In Kay Staniland's _Medieval Crafstmen: Embroiderers_, there's a
> photograph of a really remarkable embroidered badge of the Order of the
> Dragon

I'll look that up!
> 
> As far as mediaeval vampires (ie undead who drink the blood of the living)
> I've seen mediaeval descriptions of animate corpses which match the modern
> concept of ghouls and wights, but not vampires, at least as we would
> understand the term.
> 
> Alianora
> 
For a good work on vampires, check out 'Vampires of the Slavs' by
Perkowski.  It has historical notes as well as the author's notes on his
research among Slavic peoples on vampires and local stories.  One woman
he talked to told him the man a few farms down was a vampire.  A vampire
hunter he spoke to told him to 'take an iron spike and nail those
suckers to the ground!'.  Interesting stuff.

Miri
=======================================================================
List Archives, FAQ, FTP:  http://merryrose.atlantia.sca.org/
            Submissions:  atlantia@atlantia.sca.org
        Admin. requests:  majordomo@atlantia.sca.org