德拉庫拉：駭人聽聞的真相

一直以來，以吸血鬼為主角的文學和影視作品長盛不衰。這些恐怖但有著迷人魅力、似人非人的“生物”吸引著無數的讀者和觀眾。隨著“暮光之城”（The Twilight Saga）系列首部曲《暮色》（Twilight）中文版的推出，這股吸血鬼熱潮更是有增無減。那么，吸血鬼究竟是什么？歷史上最廣為人知的吸血鬼德拉庫拉背后又藏著什么恐怖的真相？請看——

The 1)rugged Transylvanian Alps provide one of the most spectacular landscapes in Europe. Hawks soar around the 2)craggy， snow-covered peaks， while bears and 3)chamois 4)take refuge in the 5)dense forests below. 6)Medieval villages and the ruins of once-proud castles can suddenly 7)materialize through the mist， as if daring outsiders to uncover their secrets.

Transylvania also produced a leader known as a defender of the Christian faith， a Romanian hero， and a subhuman monster. His name was Prince Vlad， but the world knows him by his nickname: Dracula.

The Order of the Dragon

Vlad， or Dracula， was born in 1431 in Transylvania into a noble family. His father was called “Dracul，” meaning “dragon” or “devil” in Romanian because he belonged to the Order of the Dragon， which fought the Muslim Ottoman Empire.

“Dracula” means “son of Dracul” in Romanian. Therefore， young Vlad was “son of the dragon” or “son of the devil.” Scholars believe this was the beginning of the legend that Dracula was a vampire.

Warrior in Chains

Dracula lived in a time of 8)constant war.

Transylvania was at the 9)frontier of two great empires: the Ottoman Turks and the Austrian 10)Hapsburgs. 11)Treachery and revenge ruled the day， as young Dracula soon discovered.

Dracula was imprisoned， first by the Turks， who 12)hauled him away in chains， and later by the

Hungarians. Dracula’s father was murdered， while his older brother， Mircea， was blinded with red-hot iron stakes and buried alive.

Vlad the Impaler

From 1448 until his death in 1476， Dracula ruled Walachia and Transylvania， both part of Romania today. Twice he lost and reclaimed his throne， once by fighting his own brother， Radu. Although the Vatican once praised him for defending Christianity， it disapproved of his

methods， which soon became 13)infamous.

Dracula earned another nickname， “Vlad Tepes”， which means “Vlad the Impaler.” Dracula’s favorite method of 14)torture was to 15)impale people and leave them to 16)writhe in 17)agony，

often for days. As a warning to others， the bodies would remain on rods as 18)vultures andblackbirds 19)nibbled the 20)rotting flesh.

During one battle， Dracula 21)retreated into nearby mountains， impaling people as he went. The Turkish advance was 22)halted because the 23)sultan could not bear the 24)stench from the 25)decaying 26)corpses.

Another time， Dracula was reported to have eaten a meal on a table set up outside amidst hundreds of impaled victims. On occasion he was also reported to have eaten bread dipped in blood.

Defender of the Faith

At that time， it was believed that religious charity， and a proper burial would erase sin and allow entry to heaven. Dracula surrounded himself with priests and monks and founded five monasteries. Over a period of 150 years， his family established 50 monasteries.

Killed in December 1476 fighting the Turks near Bucharest， Romania， Dracula’s head was cut off and displayed in Constantinople.

The Corpse Disappears

Dracula was buried at the isolated Snagov Monastery near Bucharest， which was also likely used as a prison and torture chamber.

In 1931， archaeologists searching Snagov found a 27)casket partially covered in a purple 28)shroud 29)embroidered with gold. The 30)skeleton inside was covered with pieces of faded silk 31)brocade， similar to a shirt depicted in an old painting of Dracula.

The casket also contained a crown with 32)turquoise stones. A ring， similar to those worn by the Order of the Dragon， was sewn into a shirtsleeve.

The contents were taken to the History Museum in Bucharest but have since disappeared without a trace， leaving the mysteries of the real Prince Dracula unanswered.

崎嶇的特蘭西瓦尼亞阿爾卑斯山脈有著歐洲最壯麗的陸地景觀之一。蒼鷹在冰封雪凍的山峰上翱翔，熊和巖羚羊則在山脈下茂密的森林找到棲身之地。中世紀的村莊和曾經風光一時的城堡遺跡會突然在霧中出現，仿佛在挑戰外來者，看他們敢不敢揭開其中的秘密。

特蘭西瓦尼亞也培養出一位因捍衛基督教信仰而為世人熟知的領導者——他是羅馬尼亞的英雄，也是一個似人非人的怪物。他的名字叫弗拉德王子，但更為世人所知的是其外號——德拉庫拉。

龍騎士團

弗拉德，亦稱德拉庫拉， 1431年出生于特蘭西瓦尼亞的一個貴族家庭。他的父親名叫“德拉庫”，在羅馬尼亞語中意為“龍”或“魔鬼”，因為他是抗擊穆斯林奧斯曼帝國的龍騎士團的成員。

在羅馬尼亞語中，“德拉庫拉”意為“德拉庫之子”。因此，年輕的弗拉德便是“龍之子”或“魔鬼之子”。學者們相信，這正是德拉庫拉作為吸血鬼這一傳說的起源。

帶著鐐銬的武士

德拉庫拉生活在一個戰亂連年的年代。特蘭西瓦尼亞處于兩大帝國——奧斯曼土耳其帝國和奧地利哈布斯堡王朝的邊界。……