posted
I'm sitting here watching Dracula, the good version with Bela Lugosi made in 1931 and enjoying it immmensly. I own it on VHS and I really like it, especially with the new Philip Glass score. Anyways, this has been bugging me, it looks like there's a very large Star of David hanging around his neck. First off, am I seeing right? It's kind of a grainy picure and it's not entirley true. Is Dracula Jewish? If so I have to admit that kind of bugs me. A lot. I don't know, any comments?
posted
I've never seen the Bela Lugosi version of Dracula, but I will say that I'm somewhat accustomed to seeing images of vampires wearing medallions that are roughly similar to a Maltese cross, usually in gold and scarlet, and worn close to the neck, almost like a brooch. And IMDB's movie stills don't show what's around his neck well ehough to tell, but I can tell it's on a chain and not what I described.
Posts: 4515 | Registered: Jul 2004
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posted
Hmmm. So it is. Well, it's higher res, anyway. The point is, I'm fairly sure dracula is not jewish as the lore generally says that, while he isn't quite as repulsed by the Star of David as he is by the crucifix, it still acts as a sort of OFF! Vampire (tm). Check Wikipedia.
Posts: 894 | Registered: Apr 2000
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posted
Just to note, in fugu's first link on this thread, Lon Chaney has this blurb
quote:Horror film great Lon Chaney Jr. is one of the only actors to have starred as the Wolf Man, Frankenstein's monster, Dracula, and the Mummy, all while under contract to Universal in the 1940s.
See, now, I find that surprising, because I had assumed that there were scores of people under contract to Universal in the 40s who would have all starred as all of those various monsters. Go figure!
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posted
That does look identical to a Star of David, but considering he's supposed to be the whatever of Vlad the Impaler, he definitely isn't Jewish.
Posts: 3446 | Registered: Jul 2002
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posted
I have an extremely vague memory of reading something about "Solomon's Seal" ages ago. I looked it up in the dictionary, and it was defined as a six-pointed star formed of two triangles...or something along those lines. I think it was used as an amulet to ward off illness, the flu? Not sure, but I'm too lazy to look it up again. I don't know how that would be associated with Dracula, but there ya go. That's the best I can do. Posts: 81 | Registered: Sep 2004
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posted
Well, I suppose it's safe to say I won't run to temple for sanctuary from vampires, and I'll be sure to keep a good stock of crosses and garlic instead of star of davids and unleavened bread.
Posts: 4753 | Registered: May 2002
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posted
I agree that it's much more likely to be some sort of medal, as has been said, or some emblem of nobility (he is COUNT Dracula remember).
quote: Example of six-pointed order emblem, from Ethiopia.
The examples are good, but the distinction between military medals and the Star of David is complicated by the fact that the Ethiopian emperor, up until the last one died in the second half of the 20th century, had as one of his titles "The Lion of Judah". So there's a Jewish connection to Ethiopia's six-pointed star medal after all.
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