Essential Foreword Do we know what a vampire is? If we do, then why don’t we post the definition loud and clear, for everyone to read? Because you wouldn’t understand. Try “Vampires protect life”. Does it make sense? But try “Vampires are archetypes of fear, therefore of protection”. It should make more sense, we assume.
The expectations of the foreign visitor are maximum when in Romania in search of Dracula. (A massive transfer of competence occurred – with Bram Stoker’s choice of Transylvania for the emplacement of the vampire-count’s castle – something unparalleled in the history of civilization). And how did the Romanians cope with these heightened expectations? All but one took the easy way – offering “Dracula initiation tours” in the footsteps of the historical prince Vlad Dracula (1431 – 1476); but this is not what you are looking for, is it? The exception is called The Transylvanian Society of Dracula, a cultural-historic, non-profit organization. The TSD has been founded by scholars curious to understand what makes the westerner tick at the name “Dracula”, the vampire-count (a name unfamiliar to the Romanians; Bram Stoker’s novel was translated here only in 1992). First, these scholars read your books and saw your films. They noticed you have long forgotten what a vampire is (industrial and post-industrial societies have the folkloric roots severed; you look for its origin in rabies, porphyry, or outer-space – and completely forgot what its role is. True, literature and cinematography managed to transform it beyond recognition).  Then these scholars interviewed hundreds of Dracula buffs to learn of their hopes and fears. An interesting issue emerged: the vampire is often likened to the devil. So, experts in compared religions were invited to contribute their knowledge – alongside folklorists, anthropologists, ezoterists, historians, etc. Then the experiments begun. The results were puzzling. Our thin rational mind (5,000 years old) is utterly vulnerable to the eons of fears encoded in protective superstitions (probably the ones which kept our human race alive to this day). Dracula must be handled with care; the Romanians discovered it the hard way. The studies go on. We are at the stage where we store confirmations of what we’ve discovered. And what we’ve discovered are the recesses of our mind, reminiscent of what the count said: “The old centuries had, and have, powers of their own, that mere ‘modernity’ cannot kill”. One last word: some romantics are shy and cautions writing to us. Inevitably, the name “Dracula” brings about suspicions of black magic or satanistic practices. There is nothing in our initiation tours even remotely connected with such practices (they are corrupted folklore, one-way roads); Dracula is enough. The initiation tours of the Transylvanian Society of Dracula run by its own Company of Mysterious Journeys – are not made to scare, but to inform on the roots and role of the supernatural entities. The information comes in a light, touristic, entertaining way, illustrated by original shows - a true adventure of the spirit. You will be doctors, masters of the supernatural at the end of the society “Classic Dracula” initiation tour. Link: www.mysteriousjourneys.com |
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