Six Degrees of Separation...

 ‘Six Degrees of Separation’ Applies to Countries as Well ...

(A travel piece I wrote for Quill magazine, a publication of MPH Group Publishing, way back in 2010)

WHEN I FIRST HEARD that we were going to be posted to Cuba, the thought occurred to me “Surely there is nothing to connect Malaysia to this faraway Caribbean island ...” But I found out that the hypothesis of ‘six degrees of separation’ applies to countries as well as people. The first connection—we were informed at a diplomatic dinner party that one of the best-known Spanish songs among Malaysians originated in Cuba: Guantanamera (‘lady from Guantanamo’). Significantly, the lyric to the song is based on a poem by José Martí, the Cuban poet and national hero who fought against the Spanish for the country’s independence.

Pix 1: Peacocks strut in the inner courtyard of the Havana City Museum, located at the Plaza de Armas. The statue in the background is that of Christopher Columbus, who is credited with discovering Cuba.

Even more surprising came the revelation that many Cubans of the older generation have heard of Malaysia before, thanks to a book called Sandokan, the Tiger of Malaysia. Not surprisingly, the mention of this book produced enthusiastic nods from the Cubans and mystified expressions from the Malaysians ... could it be about a tiger from Sandakan? (Sandakan is a town in Sabah, a state in Malaysian Borneo)

After a bit of Internet research, I discovered that Sandokan was written by an Italian writer named Emilio Salgari in the late 19th century. The book was translated into Spanish as Sandokan, La Tigre della Malesia and is about the adventures of a heroic pirate chief called Sandokan! The book was a childhood

favourite of Cuban revolutionary, Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara (who was actually born in Argentina) and became popular in Cuba as well. Apparently Guevara suffered from asthma as a child and was quite a bookworm! Never having read it, I can’t vouch for the accuracy of Sandokan with regard to Malaysia but it seems that Salgari was well-read and well-informed about the East as he committed ritual suicide in the manner of the Japanese ... but I digress.

Pix2: Panoramic view of Havana

To return to Havana ... if you are expecting lush tropical vegetation, white sandy beaches and Caribbean-style shantytown right out of Pirates of the Caribbean, you will not be disappointed. But Havana offers so much more—La Habana Vieja, an architectural treasure which truly deserves to be called a World Heritage site; the world famous cigars of La Casa Del Habano; the vintage American cars still cruising its streets, the talented artists and performers of the city; not to mention Ernest Hemingway! The suburbs are reminiscent of Kuala Lumpur 40 years ago, except that the houses in Havana are grander and more elegant. For a Malaysian, used to seeing ‘cloned’ terrace houses everywhere, it was refreshing to note that each house no matter how big or small was individually designed!

Pix 3: The Malaysia Residence in Siboney, Havana is typical of the stately old houses here. The major residential areas of Havana are: Miramar, Siboney and Cubanacan.

In fact, the phrase ‘faded glory’ comes to mind as one walks down the tree-lined avenue of the Paseo del Prado in Central Havana. As for Old Havana (La Habana Vieja) it is like stepping into the past. Old Havana is the core of the original city and it is for the most part intact, albeit in need of restoration and is one of the best examples of Spanish colonial architecture in the Americas. Central Havana and its outlying residential areas display more heterogeneous architectural styles: Colonial, Baroque, Neoclassical, Art Nouveau, Art Deco and Modern.

Pix4: Pedestrian walkway along the Paseo del Prado, Central Habana

To find out more about Old Havana and its past, we decided to invite along a Cuban friend, Sra Miriam Rosabal, as a guide on a tour of the old city. Two other Malaysian ladies residing in Havana—Mrs Siti Sadiah Ahmad Zaidi and Mrs Patricia Chan—made up the small group. Sra Rosabal is a profesora in her early sixties and a bit of a history buff; like many bright Cubans of her generation, she studied in Moscow, speaks Russian and has many fond memories of that city. Nowadays, young Cubans are more likely to go to Beijing to further their studies.

Dr Leal Spangler - foreigners call him Dr Spangler, which is actually his mother's
maiden name. Cubans call him Dr Leal (his father's surname)

It was a lovely day- brilliant blue sky with a bracing wind blowing- and the four of us had a pleasant time exploring the many criss-crossing narrow streets (calles) of old Havana with quaint names such as Calle Mercaderes (Merchants Street). We walked between rows of tall old colonial townhouses, and noticed that in spite of being linked, each townhouse is unique. Some are falling apart and have been boarded-up but one could tell from the ornate wrought iron grills on balconies and bay windows and the massive 12-foot tall carved wooden doors that some were once great houses.

Pix6: Patricia Chan walking along Calle Brasil, Old Havana

Cuba was discovered by the great exlorer Christopher Columbus in 1492, who claimed it for Spain. However, the Conquistador of Cuba was Diego Velazquez de Cuellar, who founded the first Spanish settlement at Baracoa, a town close to Havana, in 1511. Although the island’s lack of mineral resources (i.e. gold and silver) made it uninteresting to Spain initially, its strategic geographical location gave it much importance later. Havana itself was founded by Panfilo de Narvaes in 1519; the original name of the city was San Cristobal de le Habana. The city celebrated her 490th anniversary on 16 November 2009, a milestone in a long and colourful history. According to Sra Rosabal, on every Anniversary of the city followers of the Santaria faith light candles around an ancient Cieba tree, planted just beside a monument called El Templete, at the stroke of midnight.

Pix 7. The Cieba tree and El Templete, located at the Plaza de Armas, commemorate the founding of Havana in 1519.

The name Habana is said to be derived from Habaguanex, the local chief of a Native American tribe. Legend also has it that he had a beautiful daughter called Habana. In any case, one of the icons of the city is a sculpture of a beautiful Native American maiden. But that is legend; the reality was, when the Spanish conquistadors landed on the island, two worlds collided and one was annihilated. The native Siboney and Taino tribes who used to inhabit the island were enslaved and forced to look for gold! Most were wiped out by a war of attrition with the Spanish settlers and the diseases they brought with them.

Pix 8: The ‘Noble Native’ at Parque de la India. India here actually refers to Native Americans, not India.

Due to its strategic location, sheltered natural harbour and the fact that the island is close to the Gulf Stream, Havana Bay became the meeting point for Spanish galleons crossing the Atlantic. (Galleons are large ships with sails used mainly between the 15th and 17th centuries for fighting and for transporting goods.) Merchant Ships carrying gold, silver, tropical woods, alpaca wool, gemstones and other riches from the New World would assemble at Havana harbour, before making the journey to Spain accompanied by the Spanish Armada. Havana became the principal port of Spain’s New World colonies and a royal decree in 1634 gave Havana the impressive titles of Key to the New World and Rampart of the West Indies! The earlier reference to ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ is not spurious—English, French and Dutch sea marauders (i.e. pirates, corsairs and buccaneers) attacked the city in the 16th century.

Pix 9: Vintage car on the Malecon; in the background is Havana harbour

This led to massive fortifications to protect the harbour and the city. As the only entrance to the harbour is through a narrow inlet from Havana Bay, two fortresses were erected in the 16th century to protect the entrance—El Morro Castle guards the western flank while La Punta Castle guarded the eastern flank. According to Sra Rosabal, “A long chain stretching across the inlet, from one castle to the other, was raised at sunset every day to prevent pirate ships from entering the harbour after dark and lowered at sunrise the next day!”

Pix 10: El Morro Castle seen from across the Malecon sea wall. El Morro is the oldest colonial fortress in the Americas.

A third fortress,  La Real Fuerza Castle, located at the historic Plaza de Armas, guarded the city. La Real Fuerza Castle is now the Maritime Museum and is well worth a visit—from above the castle walls, the four-leaf clover design typical of Spanish fortresses in the New World can be clearly seen. A model of the Santisima Trinidad, the most powerful battleship of the 18th century is also housed in this museum. It should be mentioned that the original Santisima Trinidad was constructed in Havana harbour itself and that the ship went down in the famous Battle of Trafalgar in 1805!

A fourth fortress, the San Carlos de la Cabana, was constructed in the 18th century. This massive fortress, the largest in the Americas, was constructed not to keep out mere pirates but the British Navy itself. Cuba fell to the British in 1762; eleven months later, Britain returned Cuba to Spain in exchange for Florida. (British occupation is the third connection we have with Cuba.)

Upon regaining Cuba, the construction of La Cabana was initiated to make sure Havana never fell into enemy hands again. Despite its enormous cost, the fortress never engaged in any major battle. San Carlos de la Cabana is now a museum and a popular destination for tourists who visit to watch a re-enactment of the past: the firing of the cannons at nine o’clock every night by young Habaneros (natives of Havana are called Habaneros/Habaneras) in period costumes, signalling that the city is closing its walls!

Pix 12: The massive ramparts of San Carlos de la Cabana

All this information should convey the message that Havana was a very important and very well-fortified city, but it was also an elegant and cultured city. By the mid-18th century it was the third largest city in the Americas—behind Lima, Peru (seat of the old Inca Empire) and Mexico City (seat of the old Aztec Empire), but ahead of Boston, New York and Philadelphia. By the 19th century, Havana would be known as the ‘Paris of the Antilles’.

Pix 13: The lobby of the National Hotel

Havana’s strategic location also made it part of a dark chapter in the history of the New World—the transatlantic slave trade. It was the British who introduced slave labour to Cuba in 1762. In less than a year, the British transformed the island’s economy and society by opening trade with Britain’s Caribbean and American colonies and introducing slave labour; slaves from West Africa were transported to the island to work in the sugar plantations.  Havana became an important part of the Slave Route—ships carrying slaves from West Africa would stop at the harbour for supplies. Some would be sold in Havana itself. According to Sra Rosabal, “Slaves were downloaded from ships in the harbour and brought to the plaza of the Basilica de San Francisco de Asis, paraded on a platform and sold to the highest bidder!”

Pix 14: Woman in traditional dress walking across the Plaza de San Francisco de Asis

In the past, the economy of the island depended on slave labour not just for the sugarcane, coffee and tobacco plantations but also for the construction of the city itself. Most of the slaves were from the Yoruba nation and brought their cultural practices with them, which combined with Catholicism eventually evolved into Santaria. African heritage is pervasive throughout the Caribbean and it is believed that up to 50 per cent of Cubans are followers of this faith.

Today, the Basilica de San Francisco de Asis has been converted to a museum and concert hall for classical musicians and singers. Music enthusiasts say that the acoustics in the Basilica are so good that singers and musicians performing there do not need microphones. Further down the road from the Basilica is the Antigua Iglesia de San Francisco de Paula—another popular venue for musicians. Talented musical groups such as Ars Longa, an acappella group specializing in Medieval music; and Santa Cecilia, an all-female wind ensemble perform at both venues regularly. The San Francisco de Paula church also boasts magnificent stained glass windows.

Pix 15: Santa Cecilia performing at the Basilica de San Francisco de Asis

When slavery was abolished in 1886, the role of the African slaves was taken over by the Chinese coolies. The upheavals in the Middle Kingdom towards the end of the Qing Dynasty forced many Chinese to look for a better way of life overseas—they were looking for ‘tai ping’ but ended up almost enslaved with very harsh living and working conditions. These indentured labourers were mainly Cantonese speaking and the first shipment of 209 coolies arrived in 1847. Most of the coolies were put to work in sugarcane plantations, however in Havana itself they were forced to work in the construction of the railways, together with Irish and Mexican workers. Conditions were so harsh that it was estimated that each kilometer of railway line came at a toll of 16 lives! Although the consequences were dire for some, by the dawn of the 20th century, Havana had one of the oldest and largest Barrio Chino (Chinatown) in the Americas with 60,000 inhabitants. (I definitely see a fourth connection here!)

Pix 16: The pai fang at Calle Dragones marks the entrance to Barrio Chino

Eventually, most of the Chinese became integrated into the fabric of the country and a few achieved prominence—among them, the late Wilfredo Lam who is counted among the foremost of Cuban painters. The Centro Wilfredo Lam is located at a corner of Plaza de la Catedral and there is a Casa de Artes y Tradiciones China (House of Chinese Arts and Traditions) in Havana. However, many Chinese Cubans left the country for the United States during the revolution of 1959. At present, the Chinese Community Centre is located at the former Casino Chung Wah at Calle Amistad, Centro Habana. A member of the clan association said that the number of Chinese still living in Havana now totalled only 200.

In an exception to the rule, the Chinese restaurants in the Barrio Chino are allowed to operate as private enterprises; however, visitors tend to comment that the food offered is Cuban and not Chinese! However, intrepid Malaysians living here have managed to find one restaurant in Barrio Chino offering real Chinese food—Tien Tan. (Chinese food is the fifth connection.)

Cuba’s long association with Spain ended with the sinking (more accurately blowing up) of US battleship Maine in Havana Harbour in 1898. This led to the Spanish-American War, which signalled the end of Spanish colonisation in the New World, and Cuba became independent in 1902. The period 1902 to 1959 became known as the Republican state and saw a boom in construction – a prominent architect stated that 80% of the buildings in Central Havana and the outlying metropolitan areas were constructed during this period. However, the boom attracted the attention of the Mafia and Havana became a ‘casino in the 1950’s’ according to the same source.

“Cubans call the administration in the years 1902 to 1959 as the ‘pseudo-republic’ as the country was still under US influence,” according to Sra Rosabal. Apart from the Capitolio, American influence is seen in the names of certain streets, which reminded me of New York. There is a Parque Central (Central Park) in Central Havana; Miramar which is the ‘embassy enclave’ is on 5^th Avenue while Siboney is on 7^th Avenue. However, skyscrapers are absent – no building is supposed to be taller than the Jose Marti Memorial.

Pix 18: The Capitolio in Central Havana is a replica of the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C.

After the revolution of 1959, the city halted its growth and (with a few exceptions) seems to have frozen in time. However, the last few years has seen extensive restoration to the most historic landmarks and buildings of Old Havana and Central Havana. A Malaysian visitor who was here eight years ago said that she saw a great deal of improvements, especially in Old Havana. I’ve noticed a remarkable amount of restoration work being done in the short time of two years too.

Pix 18: Horse drawn carriage on the street of Old Havana.

Much of the credit for this accomplishment goes to Dr Eusebio Leal Spengler, Havana city’s official historian. He is credited with the idea of turning Old Havana into a living museum, where people can live and carry out a trade while at the same time preserving the old buildings by turning some of them into specialty shops, restaurants and hotels. The money derived from tourism is re-invested into restoring the rest of the old city, which is very extensive.

Pix 18: Jardin Diana de Gales (Diana of Wales) is a part of the Havana City Historian’s Office

A great example of this project is the Hostel Los Frailes on Calle Brasil, a former hostel/tavern for poor pilgrims run by monks, which has been turned into a boutique hotel with a medieval monastery look. Other interesting places with quaint names include the Chinese-styled Torre de Marfil (Tower of Ivory), Casa de Asia and Casa de Arabe. And the Museo de Chocolate serves the best milk chocolate ‘smoothie’ I’ve ever tried!

Pix 19: The entrance to Hostel Los Frailes

Another amazing example is the Museo de le Farmacia. This establishment started as an apothecary called La Reunion Farmacia in 1853. By the turn of the century, it was the most prestigious and elegant pharmacy in Havana with formulas obtained from England, France and the United States. By 1912, it was the second most important pharmacy in the world, covering 13,000 square metres! The pharmacy was nationalised in 1959 and was adversely affected by the economic blockade on Cuba; it was turned into a museum and restoration work was completed in 2004. Part of the Museo de le Farmacia also serves as a regular pharmacy today.

Pix 20: A salon in the La Reunion Farmacia, Calle Brasil, Old Havana.

I’ll end with the most famous writer associated with Cuba—Ernest Hemingway. He lived in Havana for the last 22 years of his life and wrote the Nobel Prize-winning The Old Man and the Sea here. According to Sra Rosabal, “This novel is based on the lives of the fishermen he observed in Cojimar, a fishing village a few miles north of Havana. His favourite place at Cojimar was a restaurant called La Terraza.” Hemingway actually lived in the Ambos Mundos Hotel in Old Havana for seven years (1932-1939). The famous Room 511 in the hotel, which appeared rather small and spartan to me, has been converted to a museum and preserved for posterity. After his marriage to Martha Gellhorn, Hemingway moved to a house called Finca La Vigia, located in a village a few miles outside of Havana. (Although Gellhorn is best known for being Hemingway’s third wife, she was also one of the foremost war correspondents of the 20^th Century). The farmhouse is now the Museo Hemingway. This is the sixth connection as Sra Rosabal spent a month helping to catalogue the items in this house and I read The Old Man and the Sea as a teen!

Hemingway also stayed at the Ambos Mundos Hotel for many years.

GRIMM TALES

Grimm           

I was thrilled when I first heard about a new TV series called Grimm, last year. After all, I write books based on folklore. My interest was also piqued by the fact that David Greenwalt was one of the creators/writers of the series - he is the co-creator of both Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel.

Grimm is based on the premise that we live in a world where wesens (creatures from faerie tales as written by the Brothers Grimm) are in fact real and very much alive. These creatures are shapesifters and humans can't see their true forms. However, there are a handful of people out there called Grimms who are able to see their true faces and whose destiny is to protect humanity by keeping the predatory wesens at bay. (I assumed that the Grimms are in fact descendants of the Brothers Grimm, who were of course able to see these creatures for what they were when they wrote those famous fearie tales!)

The fantasy crime drama is set in Portland, Oregon; a refreashing change from the usual LA/NY crime scenes. David Guintoli is cast perfectly as Detective Nick Burkhardt, the darkly handsome Grimm. His partner, Detective Hank Griffin is played by Russel Hornsby. However, Hank appears confused and out of his depth most of the time (maybe he was meant to be!) in the first series.

The love of Nick's life is Juliette, a vetenarian. Played by Bitsie Tulloch, Juliette is beautiful but quite uninspiring. The casting of Silas Weir Mitchell as Munroe, a shapeshifting Wieder Blutbad (big bad werewolf) is a stroke of genius. His friendly, laid-back character is a perfect foil to Guintoli's intense Grimm. Munroe later develops a relationship with a friendly Fuchsbau called Rosalee Calvert (Bree Turner) who runs an apothecary for the wesen community. Rosalee makes potions to counter the illnesses and break the spells which sometimes afflict the wesens. Munroe and Rosalee are two of the most engaging and likeable characters in the series.

The plot thickens when we find out that the Head of the Police Department, Captain Sean Renard (Sasha Roiz) is somehow linked to the dark world of the wesen. Renard turns out to be a Reaper (Grimm Reaper?) - a strong and complex character whose allegiance is uncertain. Renard is assisted by a young lawyer called Adeline Schade (Claire Coffee), who appears to be in love with him. It turns out that Adeline is actually a Hexenbiest (wicked witch), a creature of pure evil.

There are a few disappointments in the series. One of them is the death of  Nick's Aunt Marie (Kate Burton), who is a formidable Grimm herself. She was the one who raised Nick as a child and passed on the mantle of Grimm to him. She also bequethed to him a trailer full of fearsome mediaval weapons and ancient books on Grimm Lore (mostly in German)! The death of Angelina Lasser (Jaime Ray Newman), a fiery red-haired Blutbad, who was also Munroe's ex-girlfriend, is another loss. Angelina is riveting as a female Blutbad.

Another disappointment was the fact that as a Grimm, Nick had to rely on weapons to fight the wesens and seemed incapable of defending himself. Thankfully, he later acquires/develops Slayer-like powers! Yet another irksome fact is the wierd names given to the wesens; Blutbad for a werewolf, and Hexenbiest for a witch? Why not stick to the terms we are all familiar with?

I also noticed that while the animal shapeshifters look slick and handsome in their wesen form, the Hexenbiest and Reaper looked hideous and zombie-like, with rotting flesh. Could this indicate that the wesens like Munroe and Rosalee are not really evil, just following their animal instincts? The other point I'm wondering about: does the Grimm also has a different face? What does the Grimm look like to the wesens?

The Brothers Grimm

While on the subject of Grimm, I will make a detour to that fabulous movie, The Brothers Grimm. Released in 2005 (was it that long ago?), it starred Matt Damon as Wilhelm Grimm and Heath Ledger as Jacob 'Jake' Grimm and directed by Terry Gilliam. Apparently, they were cast against type - the larger than life Ledger played the introverted Jacob while the more thoughtful Damon played the confident, outgoing Wilhelm. It was wonderful nonetheless, to see Matt Damon's bright side!  The filming on location in the Czech Republic gave the movie the dark brooding atmosphere, medieval castles and villages and the enchanted forest every fearie tale needs.

In the movie, the Brothers Grimm are travelling con-artists who use their knowledge of German folklore to perform cleverly executed 'exorcisms' to earn a living. However, they are captured by a French General called Delatombe (with the help of Italian inquisitor Cavaldi) and forced to confront a genuine fairy tale curse, on pain of death. The brothers have to muster all their resources to break the curse in a village called Marbaden, where young girls have been disappearing every night. With the assistance of a strong-willed huntress called Angelika, (Lena Headey), the brothers set out to rescue the children and lift the terrible curse.

When they discover an abondoned tower in the middle of the enchanted forest, the brothers learn from a hunter (who is not only Angelika's father but also a werewolf!) that the curse has been invoked by a 500-year Thuringian Queen also known as The Mirror Queen. Thuringia is a hilly forested area, considered to be part of the German heartland; the other heartland being the Black Forest. The Thuringian Queen is a real historical personage - Basina of Thuringia, who married Childeric I. She is famous for being the mother of Clovis I, the first King of the Franks. However, Basina lived in the 5th Century, while the Brothers Grimm lived in the 18th Century. This would make the Mirror Queen 1,300 years old not 500 years old! While we can overlook a century of two in fairy tales, 800 years is perhaps a bit too much? Perhaps they meant 5th Century Thuringian Queen not 500 year-old Queen? Well, moving on... 

The Mirror Queen was also a witch who collected (stole) the spells of the local villagers. She was able to steal all but one of the spells before a plague ravaged the village and the castle. The queen locked herself in the castle tower to escape the plague and cast a spell on herself and her surroundings, which kept her alive for hundreds of years. But unlike Sleeping Beauty she aged and become decrepit. Only her mirror reflected her true beauty. Perhaps this was because she could not steal the last spell to complete her magic?

The breathtakingly beautiful but evil queen (Monica Belluci), is a complex composite of several fairy tale characters - she is Sleeping Beauty (she put a sleeping spell on herself to escape a plague), Rapunzel (she is locked away in a tower which protects her but is also her prison, and has hair which has been growing for centuries!) and of course Snow White's wicked step-mother, the Mirror Queen. In fact, I suspect she is both Snow White (skin as white as snow, lips as red as blood and hair as black as ebony) and the wicked queen! Futhermore she is also a vampire who needs to drink the blood of 12 virgin girls to restore her youth and beauty.

I felt that the character of Cavaldi and Delatombe made the film a bit chaotic. I'm not complaining about the acting but rather the script itself. They should have been Van Helsing-like witch hunters who roped in the Brothers Grimm to help the people of Marbaden. Also more time should have been devoted to the story of the Mirror Queen instead of those cringeworthy torture scenes! For a political analysis of the movie and the real Brothers Grimm, you might want to visit this website: www.savageminds.org/2005/09/13/meditations-on-the-brothers-grimm/

The Real Grimms and Charles Perrault

Charles Perrault first wrote the story of
Red Riding Hood but the Brothers Grimm
retold it and claimed the story as it was
based on a German folk tale.





The real Brothers Grimm were in fact serious scholars and linguists who collected and studied German and European folklore. Their first collection of folktales, Children's and Household Tales, were published in 1812. They have been credited with re-telling and preserving now-world famous fairy tales such as Hansel and Gretel, Rapunzal, The Frog Prince, Rumplestiltskin and Snow White. The following link takes you to 12 of their most famous tales: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/grimm/index2.html

It seems to me that the evil queen in the story of Snow White by the Brothers Grimm is based on the legendary Black Queen of Medvedgrad (refer to my post, The League of Vampires). In a recent movie adaptation called Snow White and the Huntsman, the evil queen was called Ravenna and could shape-shift into a raven(s). In the Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowlings, one of the founders of Hogwart was a witch called Rowena Ravenclaw (the other founders were Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff and Salazar Slytherin), a name reminiscent of the Black Queen

The Brothers Grimm also retold Red Riding Hood, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty; however Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella (Cendrillon), Puss in Boots (Le Chat Botte), Bluebeard and even Red Riding Hood were first written by Charles Perrault. His book, Tales of Mother Goose, was published in Paris in 1695 and helped to lay the foundation for a new literary genre, the Fairy Tale. However, Perrault wrote for an aristocratic audience and the Brothers Grimm retold these tales to make them more accesible to a wider readership. The Brothers Grimm also insisted that Red Riding Hood was in fact based on a German folk tale. It should be noted that Perrault's dark fairy tale Bluebeard is actually the story of a serial killer (if you are unfamiliar with the tale, it is a story of a wealthy nobleman called Bluebeard who had a secret chamber in his mansion, which he kept always under lock and key. His young wife decided to open the door one day and found that it contained the dead bodies of his previous wives!)

Most of these fairy tales have been made into films. The most notable being EverAfter, a retelling of the Cinderella story, directed and written by Andy Tennant. It stars Drew Barrymore as a fiesty, funny and very strong Cinderella who is also intelligent, well read and articulate! Her performance in this movie as Nicole is luminous and riveting. Angelica Houston plays the mean and severe step-mother. We all know that Houston does 'wicked' really well from her performance as the queen of the witches in The Witches; a truly entertaining, funny and scary film based on a book by Roald Dahl. Actually, I expected her to be cast as Prof McGonnegal in the Harry Potter movies but it was not to be so (sigh).

Confessions of an Ugly Step-Sister is another re-telling of the Cinderella story; the movie is based on a novel by Gregory Maguire. For me, Bernadette Peters steals the show as the 'wicked' step-mother in Confessions from both Cinderella and her 'ugly' but talented step-sister! Gregory Maguire is most famous for his book, Wicked, which is a retelling of The Wizard of Oz, perhaps the most famous fairy tale to originate from the US, although Washington Irving's Legend of Sleepy Hollow is a strong contender. 

Summary:

Charles Perrault: Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Puss in Boots, Red Riding Hood and Bluebeard.

The Brothers Grimm: Hansel and Gretel, Snow White, Rapunzel, Rumplestiltskin and The Frog Prince. They also retold Red Riding Hood, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty.

Hans Christian Anderson: The Little Mermaid, The Ugly Duckling, The Snow Queen, Thumbelina, The Emperor's New Clothes and The Princess and the Pea.

Madame LePrince de Beaumont: Beauty and the Beast

Bibliophobia...!: Eight Treasures of The Dragon

(A blogpost taken from Alan KW Wong's blog: Bibliophobia...!)

Eight Treasures of The Dragon

Things have been a bit slow in the publishing department, but the pace is picking up. A new book came off the presses on... Thursday (or was it Friday?), and a couple more will be out within a month or two.

After Eight Jewels of the Phoenix and Eight Fortunes of the Qilin, comes the latest compilation of retold tales by Tutu Dutta-Yean, Eight Treasures of the Dragon.

Cover for Eight Treasures of the Dragon (left) and one of the
book's illustrated frontispieces

Cute cover, isn't it? Like the type that graces supernatural chick-lit for tweens? A slight departure from the layouts of the previous books' covers, but good-looking nonetheless.

As in the volumes before it, Eight Treasures presents eight stories involving the most famous and perhaps most powerful and ubiquitous of all the mythical creatures. From the Far East to Europe and all the way to the jungles of Central America, the dragon has been part of indigenous lore for a very long time.

A page from Eight Treasures of the Dragon

Among Dutta-Yean's eight draconian treasures is a frosty green pearl, sought by an earnest young adventurer looking to save his village from a meteor-induced drought; an enchanted water barrel used by a regal dragon couple seeking revenge for the loss of their home; a dragon's "secret name", gifted to the monastery acolyte who saved its life; a dragon's egg that dooms a man to a life as a scaly leviathan, and the possible corpse of another dragon whose curse snares the man's son.

Eight Treasures of the Dragon

Retold by Tutu Dutta-Yean
Illustrated by Tan Vay Fern

MPH Group Publishing (2011)
Junior Reader/Legends, Myths & Fables
160 pages
ISBN: 978-967-5997-29-7

RM24.90 | Buy from MPHOnline.com

Also in the book is the reinterpreted tale of Nyi Roro Kidul, a princess who became the spiritual Queen of the Southern Sea of Java. The Samudra Beach Hotel at Pelabuhan Ratu (Queen's Harbour) in Java was said to have been built near the site where she threw herself into the sea in an attempt to rid herself of a horrible curse. She is usually depicted as a smoking hot woman in green (her favourite colour), sometimes with a dragon's tail - not unlike the dracaena in Greek mythology.

Perhaps in keeping with the customs of previous Javanese rulers, former prime minister Sukarno had room 308 of this hotel done up in a green theme and ordered it kept empty in case Her Spiritual Majesty decided to visit. Bathers in that part of the sea are advised against wearing green, because she is said to find the colour... "irresistible".

Yes, that's her on the cover.

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Eight Treasures of the Dragon, retold by Dutta-Yean and illustrated by Tan Vay Fern, is published by MPH Group Publishing and available in all major bookstores.

The Devas and the Asuras

Most of us who are familiar with Eastern religions would associate the word Deva with supernatural beings of light and therefore as 'gods' while the term Asura would be associated with beings of darkness and therefore 'demons'. Apparently this was not always so.

While researching the religion of the Zoroastrians on www.sacred-texts.com, imagine how surprised I was to come across this text in a translation of the Avesta:

Ahura Mazda spoke unto Spitama Zarathustra saying:
...The first of the good lands and countries which I, Ahura Mazda created, was the Airyana Vaego, by the good river Daitya.
Thereupon came Angra Mainyu, who is all death, and he counter-created  by his withcraft the serpent in the river and winter, a work of the Daevas.

The Devas are evil? And that was not all, according to the Avesta, the Asuras are the beings of light while the Devas are the beings of darkness. It seemed impossible that two ancient religion had exactly opposite views  on something so fundamental as gods and demons!

The churning of the ocean, Samudra Mantan. Bas-relief sculpture from Ankgkor Wat, Cambodia.
 Image from Wikimedia

Further research showed that both the Avesta (ancient Persia) and the Vedas (ancient India) came from the same Indo-Iranian and an even older Indo-European source. According to a commentary on the Avesta in Sacred-texts.com, Asura meant 'the Lord' and Daeva meant 'the Shining One'. So in the begining, both Asura and Daeva were supernatural beings of light. Apparently, the two religions evolved along separate paths - in the religion of the Avesta, the Daevas were demonised. Among the Hindus, the Devas were the gods and the Asuras became the demons. (Ahura Mazda is also spelt as Asura Mazda and means 'the Lord of High Knowledge'.

But the Rig Veda holds both Devas and Asuras as august beings of light. (The Rig Veda is a collection of ancient vedic Sanscript hymns. It is the oldest of four sacred text of Hinduism known collectively as the Vedas and is thought to be composed between 1700 - 1100 BC). 

In the Rig Veda , the Devas were gods of nature (elemental beings) while the Asuras were gods of social/moral values. Among the original Devas were Indra - god of thunder and lightning, Soma - the sacred potion and the plant, Agni - god of fire, Ushas - the dawns etc. Among the Asuras were Mithra - god of the oath/covenant/contract, Varuna - god of law, Aryaman - god of marriage etc In fact, the original Asuras were also known as the Adityas; seven celestial dieties who were the sons of Adithi. Headed by Varuna and Mitra, they were described as 'bright and pure as streams of water..." Among the Hindus, the Adityas would later be regarded as Devas as well. Varuna, attended by the Nagas, became god of the sky and ruler of the celestial ocean (the Milky Way). In ancient times, there was no air and light pollution and the Milky Way in the clear night sky would have been an awesome spectacle!


The Devas and the Asuras churn the milky ocean for Amrita,
the divine nectar. The living rope around Mount Meru is Vasuki,
 the king of the nagas.
The turtle is Kurma, an incarnation of Vishnu.

In one of the ancient myths, the Devas and Asuras agreed to work together to obtain Amrita, the divine nectar of immortality from the ocean. Using Mount Mandhara/Mount Meru as a churner, the king of the nagas, Vasuki agreed to be the living rope they would use to churn the ocean. The Devas, who pulled the tail end of Vasuki had an easier time compared to the Asuras who pulled the head end. The long-suffering Vasuki  belched out fire and smoke, which singed the Asuras (Vasuki belching fire and smoke indicates that nagas are in fact dragons). The mountain itself was supported on the back of a gaint turtle, Kurma, who was an incarnation of Vishnu himself. The milky ocean threw up fourteen divine treasures, including Lakshmi- goddess of wealth and fortune (she became the consort of Vishnu), Chandra - the moon, Parijata - the flowering tree and last of all, Amrita the nectar of immortality. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it), the Devas ultimately obtained Amrita while the Asuras were denied this prize.




The Devas pull the tail end (left)
while the Asuras pull
the head end (right) of Vasuki.

In later Hindu texts, the rivalry between the Devas and the Asuras broke into all-out war. They battled for dominion over the three worlds: Svarga, Bhumi and Patala or Heaven, Earth and the Netherworld. Patala is not actually 'hell', in fact it is the watery domain of the nagas (who were also Asuras). In this epic war, the Devas created Devi (who in turn created Kali as mentioned in a previous post - 'The Pontianak, the Vampire...) in order to defeat the mighty Asuras. So who won this War of the Worlds?

Initially, it was the Gods of Civilisation, the Asuras. For over a millenium, the Avesta was the supreme religion in the world. The preisthood of the Avesta, known as the Magi (the Three Wise Men from the East of the Nativity), were known and respected throughout the ancient world while Hinduism evolved in relative isolation. However, an examination of popular culture and numerous entries on Wikipedia would indicate that the Gods of Nature, the Devas are the winners of this cosmic struggle at the present moment. Anand Neelakantan takes a more sympathetic look at the Asura in his book, Asura: Tale of the Vanquished. This is a retelling of the Ramayana, from the point of view of the Asura antoganist, Ravana. For those unfamiliar with the original Hindu epic, the Ramayana is the story of Rama, prince of Ayodhya, who is exiled into the wilderness with his beautiful wife Sita and his faithful brother, Lakhsmana. While Rama is out hunting with his brother one day, Sita is abducted by Ravana, the ruler of Lanka (Sri Lanka). Rama and Lakhsmana set out to rescue Sita, with the help of Hanuman, the monkey god. Neelakantan tells the story from the point to view of the people of Lanka.

RAVANA, performed by the Petronas Philharmonic Theatre

However as my interest is in plants, the question arises, what is Soma - the sacred potion and the plant? Soma was a ritual drink of great importance in Vedic culture and was frequently mentioned in the Rig Veda. Soma was not only offered to the Devas in ritual sacrifice but also consumed by the priests themselves. It is known as Haoma among the Persians and was also used in rituals in the Avestan/ Zoroastrian tradition. The plant was described as having long stalks and as being yellow in colour. The juice of the plant was extracted by pounding the stalks with stone mortar and pistil and straining the juice with a cloth.
Unfortunately the exact identity of the plant, Soma is derived from, is lost in the mist of time! How can this happen to this most  important sacrificial offering in Vedic rituals? In fact, Hindu priests offer prayers apologising to the gods for their inability to offer Soma in their rituals now. In South India, Somalatha, a substitute derived from the plant Sarcostemma acidum, is offered as a substitute during Somayajna.


Some experts think that Soma could have been made from hallucigenic mushrooms/ or even cannabis/marijuana type of plants. However, the physical description of the Soma plant does not match mushrooms or cannabis. Hallucinogens are also unlikely as a priest needs to concentrate during ritauls - a mistake in the recitation of vedic hymns to invoke the gods would result in failure. Recent opinion seem to favour a species of Ephedra, most probably Ephedra sinica, mainly because the Zoroastrians still use this plant. Ephedra sinica, known as Ma Huang in Chinese, has been used in traditional Chinses medicine for centuries. Ma Huang is a decongestion i.e. it improves breathing and elevates symptoms of asthma and bronchitis (very useful for Hindu priests since smoke inhalation is an occupational hazard); it also improves concentration, increases blood pressure and reduces hunger and fatigue. Exactly what a priest needs during long exhausting rituals which involves the recitation of hundreds of hymns!



Saya and Diva

Saya and Hadji - the two protagonists of Blood+

Blood+ probably ranks as one of the best stories ever written in the vampire genre. Produced by Production I.G and ANIPLEX, and directed by Junichi Fujisaku, the anime series is based on a  movie called Blood - The Last Vampire which was released in 2000. The TV series is actually much more interesting than the movie and more thought provoking. And of course there are the amazing theme songs - who could forget the hauntingly beautiful  Season's Call by Hyde? (Hyde is the lead singer/songwriter for Japanese rock group, L'Arc en Ciel. His real name is Hideto Takarai). If you have never heard it before, click below.

The expanded version of the song by l'Arc en Ciel:

Blood+ is the story of Saya Otonashi, a girl with a dark secret, who slowly discovers that she has superhuman abilities. Saya's discovery that she is actually a vampire, whose blood is lethal to monsters called chiropterans, comes as a devastating shock to her. Saya has bonded with her adoptive human family (who gave her the name of Otonashi) and friends and has always regarded herself as nothing more or less than an ordinary young girl growing up on the sunny island of Okinawa. Saya eventually comes to accept her true nature and armed with a specially adapted samurai sword (katana), she uses her power to ruthlessly destroy chiropterans. She is assisted in her mission by Hadji - a cello playing vampire who is both her faithful guardian, friend and servant. Initially, Saya has no memory of Hadji even though he claims to know her in past incarnations. However, Hadji never strayed far from Saya and secretly carried her weapon with him; carefully hidden in his cello case. One of the most fascinating part of the series is Saya's discovery of her own past.

Kai, Riku and Saya enjoy their carefree childhood in Okinawa

Hadji reveals Saya's katana and his own dagger.

In a series of flashbacks, it appears that Saya was actually one of twin sisters. An extremely wealthy archeologist/naturalist called Joel Goldschmidt discovers the mummified remains of a giant bat-like creature which he calls a chiropteran (after the Order Chiroptera, which includes all bats) in Iceland in 1833. He brings the mummy back to his mansion in Bordeaux, France. After dissecting the mummy, he finds that the creature was carrying two cocoons inside its body. His assistant and perhaps younger half-brother (?) Amshel attempts to cut open the cocoons but accidently cuts himself instead. The drops of blood which fell on the two cocoons brought them to life, causing noticeble heart-beats beneath the cocoons. Joel and Amshel were astonished to discover that each cacoon contained a perfect baby girl - one with fiery red-brown eyes and one with icy blue eyes.

The red rose represents Saya, the blue rose, Diva

The two brothers decided to make the girls the subject of a monstrous experiment, possibly to test the Nature vs Nurture theory - this was after all the age of Darwinism. I can only suppose that they felt no remorse because they did not regard the two baby girls as truly human (which was partly true as both baby girls needed blood rather than milk to survive). So while the red-eyed twin was named Saya and raised as

The grim gates to the Zoo

Joel Goldschmidt's daughter in his mansion, the unnamed blue-eyed twin was locked up on top of a desolate overgrown tower in a place called the Zoo (reminescent of Rapunzal?). While Saya was lavished with attention and given the best education, including music lessons, that money can buy; the unnamed twin remained locked in the cold tower with no one to care for her even as an infant. Amshel was tasked with providing the unnamed twin with the basic needs required to ensure her survival. Both girls grew up but never seemed to age after reaching adolescence. In 1863, Saya discovered her twin sister in the tower after hearing her singing. She named her Diva because of her beautiful voice and visited her                                                                                                secretly in the tower.

A young Hadji brings flowers for Saya

In 1870, Amshel purchased a 12-year-old boy named Hadji from his parents for a loaf of bread! He was to be Saya's friend and companion. Hadji was allowed to live in Joel's mansion, and one assumes was given the same education as Saya had, in yet another social experiment. Saya eventually accepts him as a true friend (when he gives her some rare blue roses he picked himself from a nearby cliff) and even teaches him to play the cello, although he soon surpasses her. Saya's fascination with the blue rose is perhaps an unconscious longing for her blue-eyed twin. It was a flower that would remain close to her heart, even when she was later to be associated with the red rose, while Diva with the blue.

Saya and Hadji when they were truly young and still living with Joel Goldsmith

While Hadji grew up into a cultured young man, Saya remained a 16-year-old girl, never aging a day. In a fateful day in 1883, Hadji falls from a cliff, while attempting to pick the rare blue rose Saya wanted to give Joel for his 72nd birthday. His injuries are fatal and while he lays dying Saya makes a desperate attempt to save him by feeding him some of her blood. Thus she unwittingly turns him into her chevalier - her first knight. It is implied that she believes that blood is necessary for life as she herself needs to drink blood to live, but it is also possible that she has a long-buried genetic memory that her blood would heal him.
Saya also made another fatal decision on that day - she freed Diva from her cage to allow her to sing for her beloved father, Joel, on his birthday. But Diva exacted her revenge by killing or mortally injuring everyone present - including Joel. She also turned Amshel into her chevalier on the same day. Joel was turned into a chiropteran and Saya was forced to kill him with her own blood to prevent him from turning into a monster. Saya was heartbroken and vowed to kill Diva and all the chiropterans she created.

Hadji tries to protect Saya from the horror. There is a mistake in the picture -
Hadji's right hand should still be undamaged and human at this time in the past.

At least one person survived the massacre - a grandson of Joel Goldschimdt who sets up an organisation called Red Shield with the express purpose of helping Saya to hunt down Diva and her minions. It is entirely possible that Amshel was the architect behind all the events in the life of Saya and Diva, and perhaps Joel was not even aware of the fact the Diva was locked up in the tower. As time passed, Diva created four more chevaliers, including Solomon Goldsmith who was another member of the Goldsmith family.

An analysis of Blood+ indicates that while the two queens, Saya and Diva and their chevaliers could be classified as vampires i.e. vetalas, however the chiropterans created by Diva's chevaliers could not be regarded as such since they become mindless flesh-eating monsters unable to resume their human forms.

One lesson one can take from Blood+ is that while Nature is important, when it comes to sentient beings Nurture is even more so!

Balkan Chronicles: League of Vampires

It's October and Halloween is coming! What better way to celebrate than to sink our teeth into some true vampire legends?

 Further exploration of the vampire theme has revealed several historical personages who might have been true vampires. Not surprisingly, most are of royal/noble blood - but this could be due to the fact that history is all about those who are in power.

The word vampire itself is now acknowledged to be of Slavic origin (Eastern Europe and especially the Balkans). In a land steeped in vampire lore, there was widespread belief that people who died in sin were able to rise from the grave from sunset to sunrise to suck the blood of the living! The word vampire made its way into the English language in the early 18th Century from the Serbian/ Croatian word vampir, thanks to the case of Arnold Paole/Arnaut Pavle, a documented case of supposed vampirism in a village which is part of Serbia now.

We also see the Serbian connection in the SiFi TV series Sanctuary. The character of Nikola Tesla, played with sardonic flair by Jonathon Young, is a scientific genius with a taste for the finer things in life who is also a centuries-old vampire. In the series, Tesla has a love-hate relationship with the beautiful Helen Magnus, who is also a gifted sceintist (played by a raven-haired Amanda Tapping!). Magnus herself is part vampire - this gives her near immortality, without the need to drink blood and she is quite comfortable to walk in the sunlight too. Magnus and Tesla met in Oxford during the Victorian era, together with a motley crew of interesting characters. Incidently, Nikola Tesla was a real historical personage and he was a scientific genius too. The real Tesla was of Serbian origin but born in Croatia; he is now credited with the invention of alternating current/AC. He was of course, not really a vampire!

1. The Black Queen of Medvedgrad

The name Medvedgrad means 'Bear City'

Medvedgrad is a 13th Century medieval castle town that rises above Zagreb on the slopes of the Medvednica mountains (Bear mountains). I visited Medvedgrad with a friend in early Spring this year and admit to being somewhat underwhelmed. The view from the castle tower is breathtaking enough but the castle-fort has been 'restored' in such a way that most of its dark Medieval ambience and spooky character has been lost.

 Anyway the folklore is more interesting - Medvedgrad is said to be haunted by the Black Queen, a beautiful woman in long black robes who walks the walls and the nearby woods surrounding the ruined castle. An enigmatic and mysterious figure; legend has it that after she was widowed, she only dressed in black, thus earning the name Crna Kraljica  (Black Queen). But the Black Queen also had a black heart and people hated and feared her. According to local folklore, she was not only a witch who practiced alchemy but also a vampire who sucked the blood of young people in Kneginec village. Her other black deeds include having her young lovers thrown out of the castle windows once she grew tired of them! But the Black Queen is most feared for her pet, a giant raven which terrorised the villages near Megvedgrad. She would set her monstrous raven on the poor villagers who angered her and the bird would claw at their faces and peck out their eyes until they fell dead!

 According to a website called Secret Zagreb Walks (www.secret-zagreb.com), children still play a game called Crna Kraljica - jen, dva, tri (Black Queen - one, two, three). Here a child stands in a circle with her back turned to her friends and quickly recites the above line; while her back is turned her friends try to approach near her and enter the circle. They have to freeze when she turns around because if she sees anyone moving, he/she is out of the game. The child who enters the cicle and touches her without being seen will take her place as the Black Queen!

But is there a real person behind the legend? Most think the Crna Kraljica of Medvedgrad is Barbara Celjska (Barbara of Cilli/Barbara von Cilli/Barbara of Celje). She was the daughter of Herman II, Count of Celje (Celje is located in present-day Slovenia). Barbara married King Sigismund of Luxemburg (he was also king of Croatia and Hungary and later became Holy Roman Emperor)) in 1405 or  1408, when she would have been only 13 or 16 at the later date. All the sources seemed to agree that she was a woman of exceptional beauty, very energetic and ambitious, with a penchant for intrigue. She also founded the Order of the Dragon with King Sigismund; an Order which was established with the express purpose of defending Europe from the Ottoman Empire.

Barbara of Celje was also reputed to have an interest in alchemy and the occult and was even rumoured to drink human blood during communion (perhaps with the Inner Court of the Order of the Dragon?). But Barbara of Celje spent most of her life in Hungary, Slovenia, and the small Croatian town of Krapina (close to the Slovenian border) and could not have spent too much time in Medvedgrad. Was the Black Queen an entirely different person, perhaps?

Some say that Barbara of Celje is the inspiration for Carmilla, the female vampire in the book by Irish author Joseph Sheridan le Fanu. But I don't see any similarity between the charismatic and ambitious Barbara of Cilli as compared to the sappy but blood-thirsty Carmilla.

The story of her brother, Frederic II is more chilling. Legend has it that he murdered his wife, Elizabeth of Francopan in 1422 in order to marry Veronika of Desenice, the daughter of a minor noble from the village of Desenic in Croatia. The couple made their escape to a small village but Count Herman II and his men soon tracked them down. He had Frederic imprisoned in a castle tower (rumored to be either Veliki Tabor or Ojstrica Castle) with no doors or windows, except for a small opening to pass him food and water! Veronika was put on trial for witchcraft as Count Herman believed that she had cast a spell on his son, but she was found not guilty. But the Count had her put to death by drowning (trial by drowning?) and her body was entombed in one of the castle walls of Veliki Tabor. When Frederic II was released after four years, he was said to be broken in both mind and body., and more or less faded out of the picture. His son, Ulric II (by Elizabeth of Francopan), succeeded Count Herman II as Count of Celje. Ulric II turned out to be the last male descendent of the House of Celje, so perhaps the family was cursed by Veronika after all!


2. Count Vlad Dracula

I'm sure by now that everyone knows that the book Dracula, by Irish author Bram Stoker, published in 1897 was based on the historical personage known as Count Vlad III, prince of Wallachia (present-day Transylvania in Rumania). However, Bram Stoker did not create the vampire genre; this has been credited to John Polidori, whose novella, The Vampyre, was published in 1819. In his book, Polidori created the archetypical vampire persona in the form of Lord Ruthven - handsome, alluring, charismatic and predatory.

However, Bram Stoker's Dracula defined the genre and made it wildly popular. Dracula is much more powerful than either Lord Ruthven or Carmilla, two predators who depended more on their wiles and charms rather than raw power to subdue their victims. They were also in many ways, subjected to the constraints of the society they lived in. Dracula broke these boundaries and was the personification of evil.

Castle Peonari was the actual 'home' of Count Vlad Dracula.

Vlad III was born in 1431, and is therefore about 40 years younger than Barbara of Celje. What is interesting however, is that his father, Count Vlad II, was admitted into the Inner Court of the Order of the Dragon by King Sigismund and Barbara of Cilli to swear allegiance to defend Europe against the Ottoman Empire. Count Vlad II decided to take the name Dracul, which means 'dragon' for the great honour bestowed on his family. In any case, Count Vlad II did not keep his oath to the Order of the Dragon - when his land was seized by a Hungarian warlord, he turned to the Ottomans for help. He even allowed his two younger sons, Vlad III and Radu 'the Fair' to become hostages in exchange for Ottoman help in securing the throne of Wallachia from the Hungarians. The handsome Radu soon became a favourite of Mehmet II. He converted to Islam, was allowed into the Imperial court and honoured with the title of Bey. As young captives, Radu and Vlad III learnt to fight, ride a horse and speak Turkish. Both also acquired an insider's knowledge of the Ottoman Court. But Vlad III hated his brother and the Ottomans and probably felt betrayed by his father; although being held hostage may have saved him from his father's enemies.

When his father and older brother were asssinated by the Boyar (high nobility), probably John Hunyadi (legend has it that he was the illegitimate son of King Sigismund), Vlad III became prince of Wallachia. He proved to be even more ruthless than his father and attacked the Boyar who were constantly trying to seize power. Once his position was secured, Vlad III turned against the Ottomans although they helped to put him on the throne. His enemies started calling him 'Vlad Tepis' or 'Vlad the Impaler'. Vlad Tepis had no compunction about killing and literaly drank the blood of his enemies.  He also called himself Count Vlad Dracula. However, among the common people of Transylvania the word 'dracul' also referred to the devil; in any case dragons were generally perceived to be evil.

Vlad III was so successful that Mehmet II sent Radu Bey to attack him with a huge army of professional soldiers. Radu eventually laid seige to Castle Peonari - it is said that Vlad's wife threw herself from the castle tower into the river below rather than fall captive to the Turks. It was Radu's turn to became  prince of Wallachia.



Hunyadi Castle is located in Transylvania.
Matthias Corvinus was born here.

Vlad III fled to seek assistance from Matthias Corvinus, King of Hungary and Croatia (also known as Matthias Hunyadi, the younger son of John Hunyadi). Unfortunately, he was imprisoned by King Matthias, probably in Hunyadi Castle. The name 'Corvinus' is familiar because in the Underworld series of films, the progeniter of both the vampire and lycan races is a 5th Century Hungarian nobleman called Alexander Corvinus. In fact, in the series, the virus which created the two races is known as the Corvinus strain.

Vlad III was eventually released when King Matthias realised that Radu Bey intended to conquer Hungary as well. Vlad III regained the throne of  Wallachia after Radu was assasinated but he ruled only for a few months before he was assasinated himself by his enemies. His head was taken to the Ottoman Court as a prize.

4. Sava Savanovic
Sava Savanovic, who lived in the early 1700s,  is said to be the most notorious vampire from Serbian folklore. According to legend, Sava Savanovic lived in a watermill on the Rogacica River, located in the remote forests of western Serbia. This monster would attack and drink the blood of  unsuspecting peasants who came to grind their grains at his watermill. Local people believe that he still inhabited the watermill until recent times.

The watermill was bought by the Jogodic family who were too fearful to use it as a mill. However, it was not a loss, because the awtermill proved to be a major tourist attraction. Unfortunately, they did not repair the mill either for fear of provoking the sleeping vampire. When the disused watermill collapsed in September 2012, there was widespread fear among the people of the nearby village of Zorazje that the vampire Sava Savanovic is looking for a new home!