1. Page 255. " He may not enter anywhere at the first, unless there be some one of the household who bid him to come "
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Welcome - Credit:Photofinish 2009Though this may sound reassuring to us, a well-to-do Victorian household was full of servants and regular visitors (food deliveries, coal deliveries, etc), and the chances of unwittingly inviting a vampire in would have been much higher.Though most later fiction tends to ignore this aspect of vampirism, some have played with it effectively; e.g. in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, a reverse spell can be performed in order to ‘change the locks.’
2. Page 256. " a sacred bullet fired into the coffin kill him so that he be true dead "
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Bullet - Credit: An Nguyen/Wikimedia CommonsIn Romania, the precautionary measure of shooting a bullet through the coffin of the recently deceased might be taken. Presumably a sacred bullet is one that has been blessed by a clergyman.
The use of bullets (specifically silver ones) is more common in werewolf fiction.
3. Page 256. " over the great river on the very frontier of Turkey-land "
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The Danube, Bulgaria
Map of Bulgarian and Romanian territory as it was in 1853, with the Danube drawn above "TÜRKEI"The Danube is one of the longest rivers in Europe, stretching 1,785 miles from the Black Forest (Germany) to the Black Sea. It forms the majority of the border between Romania and Bulgaria, which had languished under Ottoman rule for five hundred years. Hence, for centuries the Danube had indeed been the "frontier of Turkey-land", although Ottoman control and influence frequently extended north of it.
By the time of Dracula, things were starting to change south of the river. The Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78 had led to the liberation of part of Bulgaria. The Principality of Bulgaria, though nominally a vassal state of the Ottoman Empire, was now effectively independent. The restored and enlarged nation finally declared full independence in 1908, pushing the decrepit empire back close to the border of modern Turkey.
4. Page 256. " They learned his secrets in the Scholomance "
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Scholomance was said to be a castle on a lake - Credit: Stuart Yeates at FlickrThe Scholomance was a legendary school of black magic in Transylvania. It was said to be run by the devil himself. An extract from Emily Gerard’s article ‘Transylvanian Superstitions’ describes the Scholomance:
As I am on the subject of thunderstorms, I may as well here mention the Scholomance, or school supposed to exist somewhere in the heart of the mountains, and where all the secrets of nature, the language of animals, and all imaginable magic spells and charms are taught by the devil in person. Only ten scholars are admitted at a time, and when the course of learning has expired and nine of them are released to return to their homes, the tenth scholar is detained by the devil as payment, and mounted upon an Ismeju (dragon) he becomes henceforward the devil's aide-de-camp, and assists him in 'making the weather,' that is, in preparing thunderbolts.
5. Page 259. " a burnt rum punch, much patronized on Derby night "
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Feuerzangenbowle - Credit: Kore NordmannThis is Feuerzangenbowle (fire-tongs punch), a traditional German concoction made by setting light to rum-soaked sugar and letting it drip into mulled wine.
Derby Night follows the Epsom Derby, one of the classic British horse races. It is a flat horse race over theEpsom Downs that takes place in June each year. The name Derby has now been adopted for prestigious horse races around the world.
Derby Day, 1850s - Credit: William Powell Frith6. Page 269. " rushed at his natural enemies "
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The celebrated terrier "Major" kills 100 rats in 8 minutes and 58 seconds
Jack Russell Terrier - Credit: Emery WayTerriers are small but plucky dogs, bred in Britain to hunt and kill rodents, rabbits, foxes and otters. Many are adept at hunting underground in burrows, hence their name (from the Latin terra, meaning earth). Rat-catching breeds include the Jack Russell, the Border and the YorkshireTerrier. Other breeds, such as the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, were developed for pit fighting.
As a largely nineteenth century invention, with most breeds being established in the latter part of the century, the terrier can be seen here as another of the recent technological innovations with which Stoker arms his heroes in their fight against the ancient forces of Dracula.
Border Terrier - Credit: Samuel Cockman7. Page 284. " the Aërated Bread Company "
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ABC Tea Shop in Fleet StreetThe Aërated Bread Company was both a bakery and a chain of tea shops. Like Lyons Corner Houses, ABC Tea Shops were considered suitable for unaccompanied ladies to frequent, and so became popular as London's population of working women grew.
The company was founded in 1862 with a new bread-leavening technology that made use of carbon dioxide instead of yeast. The company was acquired by Allied Bakeries in 1955, and the name was finally phased out in the 1980s.
ABC Menu, 19008. Page 289. " Rats and mice and such small deer "
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ShakespeareAnd now we're back to Shakespeare’s King Lear, and once again Act 3 Scene 4:
But mice and rats, and such small deer,
Have been Tom's food for seven long year
That makes four consecutive Shakespeare quotes - from three different plays - all from Act 3, Scene 4. What is Bram Stoker up to?! Is it a code?
9. Page 294. " we must trephine at once "
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Trephining - Credit: Hieronymus BoschA trephine is a surgical instrument for cutting out discs of bone, generally from the skull. It has a circular, saw-like blade. Trephining, or trepanning, is the act of cutting a hole in the skull, often to relieve pressure or enable cranial surgery.
Trephine - Credit:Chambers, 1908
10. Page 295. " men who have heard the death-watch "
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The Death-Watch Beetle - Credit: Sarefo/wikimedia commonsThe Death-watch beetle is a wood-boring beetle that creates a distinctive ticking sound, often heard in the rafters or floorboards during quiet nights. Because of this they have become associated with the watch kept over the dying, and so their ticking noise is sometimes considered to be an omen of death. A person who hears the death-watch beetle, according to superstition, does not have long to live.
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The Death-Watch Beetle - Credit: Sarefo/wikimedia commonsThe Death-watch beetle is a wood-boring beetle that creates a distinctive ticking sound, often heard in the rafters or floorboards during quiet nights. Because of this they have become associated with the watch kept over the dying, and so their ticking noise is sometimes considered to be an omen of death. A person who hears the death-watch beetle, according to superstition, does not have long to live.
