Thursday Theory – The Vlad Curse (Romania)

Source from Atlas of Cursed Places – Nat Geo

I am almost 100% sure that everyone who reads this will know who Vlad the Impaler is. Even if you don’t know who Vlad is, you will certainly have heard of one of the most famous mythical characters, based after him.

Vlad the Impaler died (by decapitation). However, hundreds (roughly 600) of years later and after many years of many “curses”. It seems to be the people of Romania have developed, through genetics, to feel not as terrified as say other countries do.

#Itsinourblood – A popular hashtag in Romania.

Curses and Good Luck are strongly believed in the Romania culture. They do believe that after Vlad’s death, he put a curse on Romania. The Witches of Romania have been influential in the business of politics within Romania.

Photographer explores rituals and traditions of Romania’s modern witches

If you understand how DNA works. One part of DNA they believe can be put down to Hereditary factors. Which means, even though the plagues and floods and national tragedies happened in Romania, happened after Vlad. It is in Romania’s metaphorical “DNA” to deal with tragedies and disasters, in a much more calm matter. They’re much less fearful.

Romania is known as one of the most flood-prone countries in Europe. Floods killed 1,000 people in 1926; 215 people in 1970; 60 people in 1975; 108 people in 1991; and 33 people in 1995; 76 people in 2005; 21 in 2010. – Spark (elearning).

So even though, they do live near a river, and the floods. Basically every tragedy can be explained.

When Vlad was killed, he reportedly put a curse on Romania. Basarab Laiotă, who tried to defend his throne against Vlad with Ottoman support. Vlad despised and hated the Ottoman Empire. Vlad and his younger brother, Radu, were held as hostages in the Ottoman Empire in 1442 to secure their father’s loyalty.

Vlad is a hero the Romania people, and they fear him and still believe that he had cursed the lands…to this day!

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Dracula Untold

*Possible Spoilers!* I did not have anything to do with the creation of the movie, I am just purely writing some observations*.

Check out more here at the imdb page: Dracula Untold – IMDB

I finally got to see this movie and I really loved it! Dracula Untold is based on the story of Dracula. Except the difference is here it shows how “Dracula” become the monster. Something that I previously had no idea about, I had always heard about what happened with Dracula after the fact. I knew bits and pieces, I knew that the moment that pushed him over the edge was the death of his wife.

Without giving too much away, I really enjoyed this movie. It was one of those movies though that seemed to go quickly through one part and slowly through another without really a specific reason why they seemed too focused on one part. For example, where Luke Evans actually turns into Dracula I felt that it went far too fast for such a pivotal part. I felt like it was a movie that could have done better off it had been longer. Maybe not an epic movie, but it definitely needed to be longer than it was.

The acting was awesome, I have had such a crush on Luke Evans ever since I saw him “The Three Musketeers 2011“. I think he has an air of old Hollywood about him. Dominic Cooper (think Mama Mia, Captain America) plays his enemy, and plays the bad guy extremely well. You completely don’t like him and have no sympathy for him, but his last scene was another part that I felt needed to be more spectacular.

Expect to be intrigued in this movie, I wouldn’t say that it will blow your mind. You will be interested though, you won’t notice the time that has gone past.