Brides of Dracula
The Brides of Dracula are a group that features in Dracula.
Contents |
History
The Brides of Dracula were a trio of female vampires that accompanied and served Dracula.
Late one night, Jonathan explored the castle. He sits at a table writing in his journal and, as he begins to fall asleep, sees three women standing in the moonlight who cast no shadows. The women proceed to seduce him and, as one of them begins to kiss his neck, he feels her sharp teeth barely scrape against his flesh. Dracula then grabs her neck and hurls her away, chastising the brides for trying to feed on Harker when he was not done with him. He promises to give Harker to them after his business deal is concluded and gives them a 'wiggling bag' to appease them. Harker soon fears for his life, at one point thinking he sees the brides dancing in the sky outside his bedroom, which strengthens his resolve to escape. Dracula makes good on his word and leaves Harker to the sisters when he heads for England. Though Harker manages to escape the castle shortly after, he is badly traumatized by the encounter and is diagnosed with brain fever. Though they lose their victim, the brides continue to haunt the castle and terrorize the nearby village. The sisters are seen again near the end of the novel as the protagonists pursue Count Dracula to Transylvania. The sisters suddenly appear at a camp consisting of Abraham Van Helsing and Jonathan's wife Mina. Sensing that Mina is cursed with vampirism, they beckon her to join them, referring to her as their 'sister' and promising not to harm her. However, Van Helsing had previously crushed a sacred wafer and scattered it in a circle around the campsite. Due to this protective barrier, both Mina and the sisters are unable to cross its border. Although the vampires keep away from the camp, they remain in the darkness until sunrise, upon which they flee back to the castle. At the coming of daylight, Van Helsing finds that their horses are dead, possibly having been drained of blood by the brides. After Van Helsing binds Mina in another ring of sacramental bread, he subsequently goes to Dracula's castle alone to destroy the vampires and sterilize Dracula's tomb, keeping him from ever being able to enter it again. After locating the vampires' graves, he finds them asleep 'open-eyed'. He attempts to kill the first but almost fails as he sees her beauty. Caught in an enchantment, he becomes entranced and lost in a state of uncertainty. Becoming overwhelmed with emotions, he feels compelled to protect her instead and even contemplates love for her. He suddenly hears a 'Soul Wail' from Mina which breaks the enchantment, allowing him to finish his work. First using a blacksmith hammer, he strikes a stake into her, then proceeds to operate on her, detaching the head from the body and filling the mouth with garlic. He repeats this process with the other two, taking him an entire day to complete.
Overview
In appearance, the Brides were three beautiful seductive women who used their appearance to charm men who they then proceeded to feed upon. Their master Dracula was known to provide them victims to devour. Two of the sisters were described as having dark hair and eyes whilst the other was said to be fair with blonde hair and blue eyes.
As members of the living dead, they were repulsed by sunlight, garlic and religious objects.
Similar to their master, they resided in his castle in Transylvania that served as their home.
Notes
- The Brides of Dracula were created by Bram Stoker where they featured in the Dracula universe.
In other media
Television
Films
- In Van Helsing, the Brides of Dracula appeared as antagonists in the setting of the 2004 live-action film. These versions possessed names where they were called Verona (portrayed by actress Silvia Colloca), Aleera (portrayed by actress Elena Anaya) and Marishka (portrayed by actress Josie Maran).
Video games
Appearances
- Dracula:
External Links
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