Transylvania in fiction
Encyclopedia
Largely as a result of the success of Bram Stoker
's Dracula
, Transylvania
has become a popular setting for gothic horror fiction, and most particularly vampire fiction
. In some later books and movies Stoker's Count Dracula
was conflated with the historical Vlad Dracula, also known as Vlad III the Impaler
(1431–1476), who though most likely born in the Transylvanian city of Sighișoara
, ruled over neighboring Wallachia
.
Bram Stoker
Abraham "Bram" Stoker was an Irish novelist and short story writer, best known today for his 1897 Gothic novel Dracula...
's Dracula
Dracula
Dracula is an 1897 novel by Irish author Bram Stoker.Famous for introducing the character of the vampire Count Dracula, the novel tells the story of Dracula's attempt to relocate from Transylvania to England, and the battle between Dracula and a small group of men and women led by Professor...
, Transylvania
Transylvania
Transylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
has become a popular setting for gothic horror fiction, and most particularly vampire fiction
Vampire fiction
Vampire literature covers the spectrum of literary work concerned principally with the subject of vampires. The literary vampire first appeared in 18th century poetry, before becoming one of the stock figures of gothic fiction with the publication of Polidori's The Vampyre , which was inspired by...
. In some later books and movies Stoker's Count Dracula
Count Dracula
Count Dracula is a fictional character, the titular antagonist of Bram Stoker's 1897 Gothic horror novel Dracula and archetypal vampire. Some aspects of his character have been inspired by the 15th century Romanian general and Wallachian Prince Vlad III the Impaler...
was conflated with the historical Vlad Dracula, also known as Vlad III the Impaler
Vlad III the Impaler
Vlad III, Prince of Wallachia , also known by his patronymic Dracula , and posthumously dubbed Vlad the Impaler , was a three-time Voivode of Wallachia, ruling mainly from 1456 to 1462, the period of the incipient Ottoman conquest of the Balkans...
(1431–1476), who though most likely born in the Transylvanian city of Sighișoara
Sighisoara
Sighişoara is a city and municipality on the Târnava Mare River in Mureş County, Romania. Located in the historic region Transylvania, Sighişoara has a population of 27,706 ....
, ruled over neighboring Wallachia
Wallachia
Wallachia or Walachia is a historical and geographical region of Romania. It is situated north of the Danube and south of the Southern Carpathians...
.
Books
- According to some versions of the story, the Pied Piper of Hamelin took the children of HamelinHamelinHamelin is a town on the river Weser in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Hamelin-Pyrmont and has a population of 58,696 ....
to Transylvania. The story may be an attempt to explain the OstsiedlungOstsiedlungOstsiedlung , also called German eastward expansion, was the medieval eastward migration and settlement of Germans from modern day western and central Germany into less-populated regions and countries of eastern Central Europe and Eastern Europe. The affected area roughly stretched from Slovenia...
of the Transylvanian SaxonsTransylvanian SaxonsThe Transylvanian Saxons are a people of German ethnicity who settled in Transylvania from the 12th century onwards.The colonization of Transylvania by Germans was begun by King Géza II of Hungary . For decades, the main task of the German settlers was to defend the southeastern border of the...
in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. - DraculaDraculaDracula is an 1897 novel by Irish author Bram Stoker.Famous for introducing the character of the vampire Count Dracula, the novel tells the story of Dracula's attempt to relocate from Transylvania to England, and the battle between Dracula and a small group of men and women led by Professor...
, a novel by Bram StokerBram StokerAbraham "Bram" Stoker was an Irish novelist and short story writer, best known today for his 1897 Gothic novel Dracula...
. Much of the early action is set in Transylvania, the homeland of the title character. - Many important figures in HungarianHungarian literatureHungarian literature is literature written in the Hungarian language, predominantly by Hungarians.There is a limited amount of Old Hungarian literature dating to between the late 12th and the early 16th centuries...
and Romanian literature came from Transylvania and treated the region extensively in their works. These writers include the Hungarians Áron TamásiÁron TamásiÁron Tamási was a Hungarian writer. He became well-known in his native region of Transylvania and in Hungary for his stories written in his original Székely style.-Biography:...
, Albert Wass, and Károly KósKároly KósKároly Kós was a Hungarian architect, writer, illustrator, ethnologist and politician of Austria-Hungary and Romania.- Biography :...
and the Romanians Liviu RebreanuLiviu RebreanuLiviu Rebreanu was a Romanian novelist, playwright, short story writer, and journalist.- Life :Born in Târlișua , Transylvania, then part of Austria-Hungary, he was the second of thirteen children born to Vasile Rebreanu, a schoolteacher, and Ludovica Diuganu, descendants of peasants...
and Ioan SlaviciIoan SlaviciIoan Slavici was a Transylvanian-born Romanian writer and journalist. He made his debut in Convorbiri literare , with the comedy Fata de birău...
. The "Transylvanian trilogy" of historical novels by the Hungarian Miklós BánffyMiklós BánffyCount Miklós Bánffy de Losoncz was a Hungarian nobleman, politician, and novelist. His books include The Transylvanian Trilogy , and The Phoenix Land.The Bánffy family emerged in 15th century Transylvania and established itself among the foremost dynasties of the...
is an extended treatment of the region's social and political history during the 19th and early 20th century. - Carpathian CastleCarpathian CastleThe Carpathian Castle is a novel by Jules Verne first published in 1893.-Title:The original French title was Le Château des Carpathes and in English there are some alternate titles, such as The Castle of the Carpathians, The Castle in Transylvania, and Rodolphe de Gortz; or the Castle of the...
, a book by Jules VerneJules VerneJules Gabriel Verne was a French author who pioneered the science fiction genre. He is best known for his novels Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea , A Journey to the Center of the Earth , and Around the World in Eighty Days...
. The action is set in a small village of Transylvania. - Überwald, a fictional region in Terry PratchettTerry PratchettSir Terence David John "Terry" Pratchett, OBE is an English novelist, known for his frequently comical work in the fantasy genre. He is best known for his popular and long-running Discworld series of comic fantasy novels...
's DiscworldDiscworldDiscworld is a comic fantasy book series by English author Sir Terry Pratchett, set on the Discworld, a flat world balanced on the backs of four elephants which, in turn, stand on the back of a giant turtle, Great A'Tuin. The books frequently parody, or at least take inspiration from, J. R. R....
series that is partly based on Transylvania. The name, meaning "across the forest," is a literal translation of "Transylvania" from Latin into German. - The HistorianThe HistorianThe Historian interweaves the history and folklore of Vlad Ţepeş, a 15th-century prince of Wallachia known as "Vlad the Impaler", and his fictional equivalent Count Dracula together with the story of Paul, a professor; his 16-year-old daughter; and their quest for Vlad's tomb...
, a novel by Elizabeth KostovaElizabeth KostovaElizabeth Johnson Kostova is an American author best known for her debut novel The Historian.-Early life:Elizabeth Z. Johnson was born in New London, Connecticut and raised in Knoxville, Tennessee where she graduated from the Webb School of Knoxville...
. Part of the book is set in Transylvania, where the main characters search for clues about Dracula. - The SightThe Sight (novel)The Sight is a novel written by David Clement-Davies about a pack of wolves. The pack members are: Huttser, Palla, Khaz, Kipcha, Brassa, Bran, Larka and Fell, though Kar and Palla's brother Skop join later.- Plot introduction :...
by David Clement-DaviesDavid Clement-DaviesDavid Clement-Davies is a British writer of fantasy fiction. He is best known as the author of the animal fantasy books The Sight, Fire Bringer and Fell .- Biography :...
is set in Transylvania, the book involving a wolf pack and their quest to stop a lone wolf. - The Keep ,a 1981 novel by F. Paul WilsonF. Paul WilsonFrancis Paul Wilson is an American author, primarily in the science fiction and horror genres. His debut novel was Healer . Wilson is also a part-time practicing family physician. He made his first sales in 1970 to Analog while still in medical school , and continued to write science fiction...
. - In the Harry Potter series Transylvania has a QuidditchQuidditchQuidditch is a fictional sport developed by British author J. K. Rowling for the Harry Potter series of novels. It is described as an extremely rough, but very popular, semi-contact sport, played by wizards and witches around the world...
team. - In the Left BehindLeft BehindLeft Behind is a series of 16 best-selling novels by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins, dealing with Christian dispensationalist End Times: pretribulation, premillennial, Christian eschatological viewpoint of the end of the world. The primary conflict of the series is the members of the Tribulation...
series, the head of the global government, the Global Community, is a man named Nicolae Carpathia, who reigns from the Transylvania region of Romania.
Movies
- Nosferatu (1922)
- Transylvania 6-5000Transylvania 6-5000Transylvania 6-5000 may refer to:*Transylvania 6-5000 , an animated short film starring Bugs Bunny*Transylvania 6-5000 , a comedy/horror movie...
, a 1963 Bugs BunnyBugs BunnyBugs Bunny is a animated character created in 1938 at Leon Schlesinger Productions, later Warner Bros. Cartoons. Bugs is an anthropomorphic gray rabbit and is famous for his flippant, insouciant personality and his portrayal as a trickster. He has primarily appeared in animated cartoons, most...
cartoon and a 1985 horror movie parody. - The galaxy of Transylvania, the origin of the weird characters in The Rocky Horror Picture ShowThe Rocky Horror Picture ShowThe Rocky Horror Picture Show is the 1975 film adaptation of the British rock musical stageplay, The Rocky Horror Show, written by Richard O'Brien. The film is a parody of B-movie, science fiction and horror films of the late 1940s through early 1970s. Director Jim Sharman collaborated on the...
(and its stage musical predecessor, The Rocky Horror ShowThe Rocky Horror ShowThe Rocky Horror Show is a long-running British horror comedy stage musical, which opened in London on 19 June 1973. It was written by Richard O'Brien, produced and directed by Jim Sharman. It came eighth in a BBC Radio 2 listener poll of the "Nation's Number One Essential Musicals"...
) (1973, Broadway; 1975, Motion Picture) - Dracula (1931 film)Dracula (1931 film)Dracula is a 1931 vampire-horror film directed by Tod Browning and starring Bela Lugosi as the title character. The film was produced by Universal and is based on the stage play of the same name by Hamilton Deane and John L...
(1931) - Assorted Hammer Horrors (c. 1950)
- My Fair LadyMy Fair Lady (film)My Fair Lady is a 1964 musical film adaptation of the Lerner and Loewe stage musical, of the same name, based on the 1938 film adaptation of the original stage play Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw. The ballroom scene and the ending were taken from the previous film adaptation , rather than from...
(1964) - although not shown in a horrific way, during the embassy ball the "Royal Family of Transylvania" makes an appearance - The Fearless Vampire KillersThe Fearless Vampire KillersThe Fearless Vampire Killers is a 1967 comedy horror film directed by Roman Polanski, written by Gérard Brach and Polanski, produced by Gene Gutowski and co-starring Polanski with future wife Sharon Tate...
(1967) - Young FrankensteinYoung FrankensteinYoung Frankenstein is a 1974 American comedy film directed by Mel Brooks and starring Gene Wilder as the title character, a descendant of the infamous Dr. Victor Frankenstein. The supporting cast includes Teri Garr, Cloris Leachman, Marty Feldman, Peter Boyle, Madeline Kahn, Kenneth Mars, Richard...
(1974) - The Rocky Horror Picture ShowThe Rocky Horror Picture ShowThe Rocky Horror Picture Show is the 1975 film adaptation of the British rock musical stageplay, The Rocky Horror Show, written by Richard O'Brien. The film is a parody of B-movie, science fiction and horror films of the late 1940s through early 1970s. Director Jim Sharman collaborated on the...
(1975) - a parody of horror and sci-fi movies, featuring characters from a distant galaxy called Transylvania - Nosferatu: Phantom der NachtNosferatu: Phantom der NachtNosferatu the Vampyre is a 1979 West German vampire horror film written and directed by Werner Herzog. Its original German title is Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht...
(1979) - The Transylvanians series is a trilogy of Romanian Red Western films featuring Transylvanians in the Wild West
- The Prophet, the Gold and the TransylvaniansThe Prophet, the Gold and the TransylvaniansThe Prophet, the Gold and the Transylvanians is a 1978 Romanian film directed by Romanian director Dan Piţa. It is the first in a Red Western trilogy that also comprises The Artiste, the Dollars and the Transylvanians and The Oil, the Baby and the Transylvanians.It is spoken in English and...
(1978) - The Actress, the Dollars and the TransylvaniansThe Actress, the Dollars and the TransylvaniansThe Actress, the Dollars and the Transylvanians is a 1979 Romanian film directed by Mircea Veroiu and scripted by Titus Popovici....
(1979) - The Oil, the Baby and the TransylvaniansThe Oil, the Baby and the TransylvaniansThe Oil, the Baby and the Transylvanians is a Romanian Red Western directed by Dan Piţa.It dramatises the struggles of Romanian and Hungarian settlers in a new land, the American frontier. Despite the American setting, including such minor details as use of the phrase "Bad-lands", it was entirely...
(1981)
- The Prophet, the Gold and the Transylvanians
- The KeepThe Keep (film)The Keep is a 1983 horror film directed by Michael Mann and starring Scott Glenn, Gabriel Byrne, Jürgen Prochnow, Alberta Watson and Ian McKellen. It was released by Paramount Pictures. The story is based on the F...
(1983) - The Howling2: Your sister is a Werewolf (1983)
- Transylvania TwistTransylvania TwistTransylvania Twist is a 1989 comedy film that parodies horror movies. Originally released by Concorde Pictures, this film is distributed on home video by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. In the film Angus Scrimm reprises his role of the "Tall Man" from the Phantasm movies, as a parody. The humor of the film is...
(1989) - Dracula: Dead and Loving ItDracula: Dead and Loving ItDracula: Dead and Loving It is a 1995 comedy film starring Leslie Nielsen, directed by Mel Brooks. It is a parody of the novel Dracula by Bram Stoker, and of some of the films it inspired....
(1995) - Van HelsingVan Helsing (film)Van Helsing is a 2004 American action horror film directed by Stephen Sommers. It stars Hugh Jackman as vigilante monster hunter Gabriel Van Helsing, and Kate Beckinsale...
(2004) - TransylvaniaTransylvania (film)Transylvania is a 2006 French drama film starring Asia Argento. In 2006, Director Tony Gatlif and composer Delphine Mantoulet won the "Georges Delerue Prize" at the Flanders International Film Festival for the score, and Gatlif was nominated for the "Grand Prix" award...
, a 2006 French film about a young woman who travels to Transylvania looking for a lost love - Castlevania (TBA)
- Hotel Transylvania (2012)
Television programs
- Transylvania is Count von CountCount von CountCount von Count, often known simply as "The Count", is one of the Muppet characters on Sesame Street, performed by Jerry Nelson. The Count is a vampire modeled after Bela Lugosi's interpretation of Count Dracula.-Description:...
's birthplace.
- Transylvania is the main setting for the animated series Count DuckulaCount DuckulaCount Duckula is a British animated television series created by British studio Cosgrove Hall, and a spin-off from DangerMouse, a show in which the Count Duckula character was a recurring villain. The series first aired on September 6, 1988 and was produced by Thames Television for 3 seasons and...
.
- Transylvania is one of the main settings for Wizards vs. Werewolves, a Wizards of Waverly PlaceWizards of Waverly PlaceWizards of Waverly Place is a Disney Channel Original Series that premiered on October 12, 2007. It won "Outstanding Children's Program" at the 61st Primetime Emmy Awards in 2009...
episode.
Animation
- Transylvania is Count DuckulaCount DuckulaCount Duckula is a British animated television series created by British studio Cosgrove Hall, and a spin-off from DangerMouse, a show in which the Count Duckula character was a recurring villain. The series first aired on September 6, 1988 and was produced by Thames Television for 3 seasons and...
's residence - In the Teen Wolf cartoonTeen Wolf (cartoon)Teen Wolf, known as The Cartoon Adventures of Teen Wolf in the United Kingdom, is an animated American television series broadcast from 1986 to 1987 that was produced by Southern Star Productions in association with Clubhouse Pictures...
, Transylvania is the origin country of main character Scott Howard's grandparents. - Dr. Zitbag's Transylvania Pet ShopDr. Zitbag's Transylvania Pet ShopDr. Zitbag's Transylvania Pet Shop was an animated television series created by Tony Barnes. The show originally aired on TF1 and it was later dubbed for English audiences as well; even the show's title got a name change...
Video games
- Most CastlevaniaCastlevaniaCastlevania, known as in Japan, is a video game series created and developed by Konami. The series debuted in Japan on September 26, 1986, with the release of for the Family Computer Disk System , followed by an alternate version for the MSX 2 platform on October 30...
games revolve around the epic struggle between the Belmont lineage and Count Dracula who resides in Transylvania. - In Red Alert 2: Yuri's Revenge, Transylvania is said to be the ancestral home of Yuri. It is also featured as the map in the final mission of the Soviet Campaign.
- In Bugs Bunny and Taz Time Busters, there is a Transylvanian era where the main boss is a vampire.
- In Transylvania (computer game)Transylvania (computer game)Transylvania was the name of a trilogy of computer games released for several home computers of the 1980s. The games were graphic adventure games created by Antonio Antiochia and produced by the now defunct Penguin Software.-Transylvania I:...
, the nation is the setting of the trilogy of graphic adventure games. - A level in Spider-Man: Friend or FoeSpider-Man: Friend or FoeSpider-Man: Friend or Foe is a Spider-Man computer and video game based on the comic book series and Spider-Man movies. The game was released on October 2, 2007....
- A level in Twisted Metal: Head On centered around a fictional castle in Transylvania.
- The DuckTalesDuckTales (video game)DuckTales is a video game based on the Disney animated TV series of the same name. It was first released in the United States for the Nintendo Entertainment System by Capcom in 1989. In this game, Scrooge McDuck travels around the world collecting treasures to become the world's richest duck. The...
video game has a level set in Transyvania, with ghosts and skeletons as enemies and a vampire as the level boss. - Soviet Strike has a level set in an irradiated area of Transylvania, containing small "rivers" of radioactive material scattered around the terrain.
Songs and albums
- Trip To TrancesylvaniaTrip To TrancesylvaniaTrip To Trancesylvania is a psychedelic trance album released by X-Dream in 1993. It is the first album released by the group. "Trancesylvania" is wordplay on transylvania....
(sic), an album by X-DreamX-DreamX-Dream are Marcus Christopher Maichel and Jan Müller ; they are also known as Rough and Rush. They are producers of psychedelic trance music and hail from Hamburg, Germany... - "Transilvania" by Czech hard rock/gothic rock group XIII. Století.
- "Transylvania" an instrumental song by Iron MaidenIron MaidenIron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from Leyton in east London, formed in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Since their inception, the band's discography has grown to include a total of thirty-six albums: fifteen studio albums; eleven live albums; four EPs; and six...
, that was also covered by Iced EarthIced EarthIced Earth is an American heavy metal band from Tampa, Florida. Originally formed under the name "Purgatory" in 1984, Iced Earth has released a total of ten studio albums, one live album, three EP's, two compilations and boxsets...
on the concept album Horror ShowHorror Show (album)Horror Show is the debut EP by Springfield, IL rock band The Graduate. The album was self-produced and released independently in May 2006. After the CD's release, The Graduate were signed to Icon MES Records.- Track listing :# "Sit & Sink" - 3:34... - "Transylvania 90210" is an album and song by Wednesday 13Wednesday 13Joseph Poole, better known as Wednesday 13 , is a rock musician from Charlotte, North Carolina. He is most famous for his role as the frontman of the Murderdolls...
. - "Transylvanian Concubine" by Rasputina, remixed by Marilyn MansonMarilyn Manson (person)Marilyn Manson is an American musician, artist and former music journalist known for his controversial stage persona and image as the lead singer of the eponymous band Marilyn Manson...
, and can be found on the soundtrack from Buffy: The Vampire Slayer - "Transylvanian Forest" by the Polish blackened death metal band Behemoth (band)Behemoth (band)Behemoth is a Polish blackened death metal band from Gdańsk, formed in 1991. They are considered to have played an important role in establishing the Polish extreme metal underground, alongside bands such as Vader, Decapitated, Vesania and Hate....
- "Transylvania" by American rapper Tyler, The CreatorTyler, the CreatorTyler Okonma , better known by his stage name Tyler, The Creator, is an American rapper, record producer, music video director, actor, graphic artist and fashion designer from Los Angeles, currently signed to English independent record label XL Recordings and his own record label, Odd Future...
- "Transilvanian Hunger" by the Norwegian black metal band DarkthroneDarkthroneDarkthrone is a Norwegian black metal band. They formed in 1987 as a death metal band, but after embracing the black metal style in 1991, they became a driving force in the Norwegian black metal scene. For most of this period Darkthrone has consisted of just two musicians, Nocturno Culto and...
- "Shadows over Transylvania" by Swedish black metal band Dark FuneralDark FuneralDark Funeral is a black metal band from Stockholm, Sweden, founded by guitarists Blackmoon and Lord Ahriman in 1993. They are one of the bands to have emerged in Sweden during the Second wave of black metal....
- "Transylvania Transmission Pt1" by Rob ZombieRob ZombieRob Zombie is an American musician, film director, screenwriter and film producer. He founded the heavy metal band White Zombie and has been nominated three times as a solo artist for the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance.Zombie has also established a career as a film director, creating the...
- "Transylvania" by McFly on their third album Motion In The OceanMotion In The OceanMotion in the Ocean is the third studio album by English pop rock band McFly and was released in the United Kingdom on 6 November 2006. The first single from the album, "Don't Stop Me Now/Please, Please", was released on 17 July 2006 in the UK and charted at number one in the UK Singles Chart...
- "Transylvania" is a song by The Coffinshakers, a Swedish horror country/rock band whose lyrics focus almost exclusively on vampires and the undead.
- "Welcome to Transylvania" and "Transylvania Mania" are songs in the Mel BrooksMel BrooksMel Brooks is an American film director, screenwriter, composer, lyricist, comedian, actor and producer. He is best known as a creator of broad film farces and comic parodies. He began his career as a stand-up comic and as a writer for the early TV variety show Your Show of Shows...
musical Young FrankensteinYoung Frankenstein (musical)Young Frankenstein, officially known as The New Mel Brooks Musical Young Frankenstein, is a musical with a book by Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan and music and lyrics by Brooks. It is based on the 1974 comedy film of the same name written by Brooks and Gene Wilder and directed by Brooks, who has...
.
Webcomics
- A "Transylvania Polygnostic University", or "Trans Poly U", is featured, with some degree of prominence, in the webcomic Girl GeniusGirl GeniusGirl Genius is an ongoing comic book series turned webcomic, written and drawn by Phil and Kaja Foglio and published by their company, Studio Foglio LLC under the imprint Airship Entertainment...
.