Dracula – "non omnis moriar". Facts and myths from the life of Vlad III the Impaler

Abstract

Almost everyone has heard of the cruel Dracula, the vampire coming out of the grave and feeding on the blood of the living to live forever. But who was the prototype of the character who has permanently settled in the contemporary popular culture? In order to answer this and other questions, the presented article will describe the most important facts from the life of the Wallachian voivode, Vlad III the Impaler. Then, the most famous legends about Dracula will be presented, as they still influence the ever-growing myth of the Transylvanian vampire aristocrat, born in the nineteenth century on the pages of the novel by Irish writer Bram Stoker.