[Tidbits] Prince Vlad Tepes

Prince Vlad Tepes

Well folks…to dig right in…Prince Vlad Tepes was also known to the
peasants over which he ruled as Vlad-the-Impaler. This little tidbit
should immediately give you an idea of our prince’s nature and
character. Had he been called Vlad-the-Lover…he would have been
something else entirely. That aside…the most interesting thing
about Vlad is that he became a major model in fictional
literature…known, I would venture to say…to all. He was called the
Impaler because of his favorite little practice of impaling his live
victims upon stakes. Morbid…yes? And yet…so great did his literary
counterpart become…that not only did his fame become world
renown…but gold jewelry was even made in his–the fictional
character’s–image.

Before I show you the graphic of our hero (?)…I present you with
this little puzzle. Who was the more bloodthirsty…our friend
Vlad… or his fictional counterpart. They could both easily vie for
first position…leaving the likes of Genghis Khan smouldering in the
dust of third or fourth place. Perhaps–methinks–a simple yet live
impalement is not quite enough to rank Vlad as numero uno. Perhaps I
should give you another example. So here it is: Vlad…sensitive chap
that he was… could not abide any slights–real or imagined–to his
dignity. And so…one day…envoys of the Sultan came to greet Prince
Vlad officially. Alas…as was their custom…they refused to take off
their turbans. Prince Vlad viewed this indignity as a great
offense…and summarily had the turbans nailed into the heads of the
envoys as they sank at the foot of his throne and bled to death
before his eyes.

Vlad was a versatile chap…and impaling was not his only method of
execution. He enjoyed equally decapitation…boiling alive…
scalping…skinning…and general maiming. He was given a nickname,
which, when translated, meant “son of the devil.” Our prince was
Hungarian. His father was also Vlad…and was also called Devil… the
word for which–in the language of the day–was “Dracul.” Interesting
to note that the word for devil and vampire was interchangeable. And
so Vlad the devil–or Dracul–became the model for Stoker’s Dracula.

Back in the early 1900’s…I seem to be stuck in that era…a firm by
the name of Alling & Co. produced a golden brooch of a bat winged
monster with a demon’s head and a pearl in it’s mouth. Not something
you see every day…perhaps even not something every woman would want
to wear on her blouse…or lapel…or wherever. And yet…our little
bat…which was surely Dracula in flight…is a fascinating piece of
jewelry.

So…for those of you who are new to this thing called Tidbits…may
I direct you to my home page at www.tyler-adam.com where you will
scroll down the table menu till you get to the box that says
Tidbits…and inside the box where it says Tidbit Graphics…click on
the link that says: Dracula…where you will see a rendering in gold
of our adorable little monster.

And there ya have it.
That’s it for this week folks.
Catch you all next week.
Benjamin Mark

TYLER-ADAM CORP.–Jewelry Manufacturers
Tel: 1-800-20-TYLER
E-Mail to: webmaster@tyler-adam.com