What if Dracula wasn't inspired by Vlad the Impaler at all, but by an ancient Irish vampire king buried upside-down under a thorn tree? Uncover the disturbing true stories, from Elizabeth Báthory's blood baths to premature burials during plague outbreaks, to ancient demons that stalked babies in their cribs—discover the dark tapestry of true stories, medical mysteries, and folklore that created the world's most famous vampire.

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IN THIS EPISODE: Everyone knows about Dracula. Most everyone has seen at least one film starring the undead blood-sucker, or has read the novel by Bram Stoker. But only the real fans of Dracula know about the real people and true stories that inspired Bram Stoker to create the character.

SOURCES AND REFERENCES FROM THE EPISODE…
BOOK: “Transylvania Superstitions” by Emily Gerard: https://amzn.to/3vsAqrs
BOOK: “Carmilla” by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu: https://amzn.to/3cw291I
History.com, Ranker.com, AtlasObscura.com, InternationalHero.co.uk, HowStuffWorks.com, Universtiy of Iowa’s Victorian Wiki, Google Books, HistoryIreland.com: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/mnrpdm36,
https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/eeypjjz3, https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/4et6ysvs,
https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/5bcstakc, https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/53vbu5dr, https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/bhd6f7yv,https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/y36n7y9v, https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2nc96tjx, https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2848x4mk
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Originally aired: March 16, 2021
EPISODE PAGE at WeirdDarkness.com (includes list of sources): https://weirddarkness.com/BeforeDracula

ABOUT WEIRD DARKNESS: Weird Darkness is a true crime and paranormal podcast narrated by professional award-winning voice actor, Darren Marlar. Seven days per week, Weird Darkness focuses on all thing strange and macabre such as haunted locations, unsolved mysteries, true ghost stories, supernatural manifestations, urban legends, unsolved or cold case murders, conspiracy theories, and more. On Thursdays, this scary stories podcast features horror fiction along with the occasional creepypasta. Weird Darkness has been named one of the “Best 20 Storytellers in Podcasting” by Podcast Business Journal. Listeners have described the show as a cross between “Coast to Coast” with Art Bell, “The Twilight Zone” with Rod Serling, “Unsolved Mysteries” with Robert Stack, and “In Search Of” with Leonard Nimoy.DISCLAIMER: Ads heard during the podcast that are not in my voice are placed by third party agencies outside of my control and should not imply an endorsement by Weird Darkness or myself. *** Stories and content in Weird Darkness can be disturbing for some listeners and intended for mature audiences only. Parental discretion is strongly advised.
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