The Prince of Darkness

BRAM STOKER VERSION

Count Dracula is an undead, centuries-old vampire, and a Transylvanian nobleman who claims to be a Székely descended from Attila the Hun. He inhabits a decaying castle in the Carpathian Mountains near the Borgo Pass. Unlike the vampires of Eastern European folklore, which are portrayed as repulsive, corpse-like creatures, Dracula wears a veneer of aristocratic charm. In his conversations with Jonathan Harker, he reveals himself as deeply proud of his boyar heritage and nostalgic for the past, which he admits have become only a memory of heroism, honour and valour in modern times.

Early life
Details of his early life are obscure, but it is mentioned "he was in life a most wonderful man. Soldier, statesman, and alchemist. Which latter was the highest development of the science knowledge of his time. He had a mighty brain, a learning beyond compare, and a heart that knew no fear and no remorse... there was no branch of knowledge of his time that he did not essay."
He studied the black arts at the academy of Scholomance in the Carpathian Mountains, overlooking the town of Sibiu (also known as Hermannstadt) and has a deep knowledge of alchemy and magic. Taking up arms, as befitting his rank and status as a voivode, he led troops against the Turks across the Danube. According to his nemesis Abraham Van Helsing, "He must indeed have been that Voivode Dracula who won his name against the Turk, over the great river on the very frontier of Turkey-land. If it be so, then was he no common man: for in that time, and for centuries after, he was spoken of as the cleverest and the most cunning, as well as the bravest of the sons of the land beyond the forest."

Dead and buried in a great tomb in the chapel of his castle, Dracula returns from death as a vampire and lives for several centuries in his castle with three terrifyingly beautiful female vampires beside him.


CASTLEVANIA VERSION

Dracula Vlad Ţepeş (formerly known as Mathias Cronqvist) is the primary antagonist of the Castlevania series. He is loosely based on the character of the same name in Bram Stoker's novel and the historical figure, Vlad Drăculea.

Originally a human called Mathias Cronqvist, Dracula fell into madness after the death of his first wife, and became an immortal vampire thanks to the powers of the Crimson Stone. With his dark powers, he built his army of creatures and his fortress, Castlevania. Since the 11th century, the Belmont Clan stood in opposition to Dracula, and legendary warriors confronted him each time he came back from the dead. He was eventually definitively destroyed in 1999 by the last descendant of the Belmonts.