World Dracula Day: Vintage Swag

World Dracula Day: Vintage Swag, blog post by Aspasia S. Bissas, aspasiasbissas.com. Dracula, Bram Stoker, Bela Lugosi, vampire, vampires, Dracula products, Dracula memorabilia, Dracula merch
Photo by Dinu J Nair on Unsplash

It’s that time of year again when we pay homage to the monster that brought vampires to the masses, the Count himself: Dracula.

As you can imagine, Dracula has sparked imaginations countless time since Bram Stoker’s novel was first published in 1897. The number of onscreen adaptations alone could keep you occupied for a lifetime. But today we’re focusing on a few of the products that have made it to market over the years– apologies if you have the sudden urge to start scouring flea markets and online ads…

Dracula Cha-Cha, 1960

The cover art alone makes this album by Bob McFadden worth seeking out…

World Dracula Day: Vintage Swag, blog post by Aspasia S. Bissas, aspasiasbissas.com. Dracula, Bram Stoker, Bela Lugosi, vampire, vampires, Dracula products, Dracula memorabilia, Dracula merch, Dracula Cha-Cha
More info here

The Dracula Cookbook, 1978

Featuring “authentic Transylvanian recipes” by Marina Polvay. Not gonna lie– I want a copy.

(Someone posted a few shots of the book on instagram, including a recipe for Veal Roast. Take a look here.)

World Dracula Day: Vintage Swag, blog post by Aspasia S. Bissas, aspasiasbissas.com. Dracula, Bram Stoker, Bela Lugosi, vampire, vampires, Dracula products, Dracula memorabilia, Dracula merch, The Dracula Cookbook by Marina Polvay
More info here.

The Dracula Cookbook of Blood, 1993

If you’re looking for something more along the lines of what Dracula himself would eat, Ardin C. Price’s recipes all feature blood. I wouldn’t say no to this one, either (although I don’t think I’d make any of the recipes.)

(There are also shots of this book on instagram, including a recipe for Totoga– Roasted Pig Organs. Take a look here.)

World Dracula Day: Vintage Swag, blog post by Aspasia S. Bissas, aspasiasbissas.com. Dracula, Bram Stoker, Bela Lugosi, vampire, vampires, Dracula products, Dracula memorabilia, Dracula merch, The Dracula Cookbook of Blood
More info here.

Genuine Soil from Dracula’s Castle, 1979

One gram of soil in a coffin amulet, and it comes with a certificate of authenticity. Just in case Dracula needs to crash at your place and doesn’t have any native soil on him.

World Dracula Day: Vintage Swag, blog post by Aspasia S. Bissas, aspasiasbissas.com. Dracula, Bram Stoker, Bela Lugosi, vampire, vampires, Dracula products, Dracula memorabilia, Dracula merch, genuine soil from Dracula's castle

Dracula Statuette, 1930s to 1940s

Commissioned by Bela Lugosi himself to give to friends, it’s rumoured that only 25 were made, and of those only a few are left. Happy hunting!

World Dracula Day: Vintage Swag, blog post by Aspasia S. Bissas, aspasiasbissas.com. Dracula, Bram Stoker, Bela Lugosi, vampire, vampires, Dracula products, Dracula memorabilia, Dracula merch, Bela Lugosi commissioned statuette
More info here.

Dracula: A Toy Theatre, 1979

Based on Edward Gorey’s original designs for the set of the 1977 theatre adaptation of Dracula. An updated version of the toy theatre is still in print.

World Dracula Day: Vintage Swag, blog post by Aspasia S. Bissas, aspasiasbissas.com. Dracula, Bram Stoker, Bela Lugosi, vampire, vampires, Dracula products, Dracula memorabilia, Dracula merch, Edward Gorey Dracula theatre
More info here.

I Vant to Bite Your Finger: The Dracula Game, 1979

I actually got to play this once when I was a kid, and I’ve got to say it’s pretty fun to get a vampire bite– even if it is only red marker dots on your finger. There are other Dracula games out there, but there might not be any better ones.

World Dracula Day: Vintage Swag, blog post by Aspasia S. Bissas, aspasiasbissas.com. Dracula, Bram Stoker, Bela Lugosi, vampire, vampires, Dracula products, Dracula memorabilia, Dracula merch, I Vant to Bite Your Finger, Dracula board game
More info here.

Dracula Model Kit, 1962

Made by the Aurora company, these were meant to be assembled and painted. Some people like model planes, some like model monsters.

World Dracula Day: Vintage Swag, blog post by Aspasia S. Bissas, aspasiasbissas.com. Dracula, Bram Stoker, Bela Lugosi, vampire, vampires, Dracula products, Dracula memorabilia, Dracula merch, Dracula model kit, Aurora model kit
Partially painted
World Dracula Day: Vintage Swag, blog post by Aspasia S. Bissas, aspasiasbissas.com. Dracula, Bram Stoker, Bela Lugosi, vampire, vampires, Dracula products, Dracula memorabilia, Dracula merch, Dracula model kit, Aurora model kit
A completed version. More info here.

Dracula Dolls, 1980s to 1990s

These are probably the easiest items to find; it would be fun to collect as many variations as possible.

World Dracula Day: Vintage Swag, blog post by Aspasia S. Bissas, aspasiasbissas.com. Dracula, Bram Stoker, Bela Lugosi, vampire, vampires, Dracula products, Dracula memorabilia, Dracula merch, Dracula doll
Travellers doll, 1985. More info here.
World Dracula Day: Vintage Swag, blog post by Aspasia S. Bissas, aspasiasbissas.com. Dracula, Bram Stoker, Bela Lugosi, vampire, vampires, Dracula products, Dracula memorabilia, Dracula merch, Dracula doll
1980s. More info here.
World Dracula Day: Vintage Swag, blog post by Aspasia S. Bissas, aspasiasbissas.com. Dracula, Bram Stoker, Bela Lugosi, vampire, vampires, Dracula products, Dracula memorabilia, Dracula merch, Dracula doll
Moving doll, 1990s. More info here.
World Dracula Day: Vintage Swag, blog post by Aspasia S. Bissas, aspasiasbissas.com. Dracula, Bram Stoker, Bela Lugosi, vampire, vampires, Dracula products, Dracula memorabilia, Dracula merch, Dracula doll
Animated doll, 1990s. More info here.

Do you have any of these? Which would you want to get if you could? Share in the comments…

Cheers,

Aspasía S. Bissas

The Count isn’t the only fanged fiend out there– download my books now and meet some new monsters…

Aspasia S. Bissas books: Love Lies Bleeding, Blood Magic, Tooth & Claw, book, books, free book, free books, freebies, freebie, free ebook, free ebooks, vampire, vampires, dark fantasy, dark romance, historical fiction, gothic fiction, gothic fantasy, urban fantasy, paranormal, supernatural, horror, dark reads, indie author, indie fiction, strong female protagonist, aspasiasbissas.com

Love Lies Bleeding: Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books
FREE Blood Magic: Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books
FREE Tooth & Claw: Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books

If you prefer paperback, use this link to order Love Lies Bleeding from Bookshop – a portion of each sale goes directly to independent bookstores, as well as to myself. Thank you for supporting indie! ♥

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Happy Weekend

Happy Weekend, blog post by Aspasia S. Bissas, aspasiasbissas.com. Victoria Day, Victoria Day long weekend, summer, Canada, Canadian, bbq
Photo by Szelei Robert on Pexels.com

Happy Victoria Day Weekend to my fellow Canadians! This weekend is the official first day of summer around here, and we celebrate with traditional activities, including: the first barbecue of the season, getting started on the garden, and your drunk neighbour setting off fireworks too close to your house.

For me, one of the best things to do on a long weekend is to get into a good novel. Join me and get your read on with one of my books:

Aspasia S. Bissas books: Love Lies Bleeding, Blood Magic, Tooth & Claw, book, books, free book, free books, freebies, freebie, free ebook, free ebooks, vampire, vampires, dark fantasy, dark romance, historical fiction, gothic fiction, gothic fantasy, urban fantasy, paranormal, supernatural, horror, dark reads, indie author, indie fiction, strong female protagonist, aspasiasbissas.com

Love Lies Bleeding: Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books
FREE Blood Magic: Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books
FREE Tooth & Claw: Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books

If you prefer paperback, use this link to order Love Lies Bleeding from Bookshop – a portion of each sale goes directly to independent bookstores, as well as to myself. Thank you for supporting indie! ♥

Have a safe and fun weekend, no matter what your plans are… 🍁

Aspasía S. Bissas

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5 Vampires You May Not Have Heard Of

5 Vampires You May Not Have Heard Of, blog post by Aspasia S. Bissas, aspasiasbissas.com. Vampire, vampires, mythology, folklore, dark fantasy, peuchen, lamia, lamastu, lamashtu, riri yaka, penanggalan, demons, monsters
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

(This is a repost– scroll down for links to more vampires posts.)

Chances are when you think of vampires you’ll think of Dracula, Blade, Angel, or any of the fanged creatures-of-the-night that populate modern culture, including Mara from Love Lies Bleeding. The vampires we’re familiar with are (generally) human looking, powerful, often charismatic and attractive, with a thirst for blood and a dislike of stakes. But that wasn’t always the case. History and folklore are full of vampires that are nothing like what we’ve come to expect. Here are five examples…

Lamaštu (or Lamashtu)

5 Vampires You May Not Have Heard Of, blog post by Aspasia S. Bissas, aspasiasbissas.com. Vampire, vampires, mythology, folklore, dark fantasy, peuchen, lamia, lamastu, lamashtu, riri yaka, penanggalan, demons, monsters

Depicted as having a lion’s head, donkey’s teeth, bare breasts, a hairy body, bloodstained hands with long fingers and nails, and taloned bird’s feet, Lamaštu was an evil Goddess of ancient Mesopotamia who preyed on newborns and fetuses in order to suck their blood (among other things). Miscarriages and sudden deaths of infants were blamed on her. Pregnant women could ward her off with amulets, an incantation, or offerings of centipedes and brooches. The offerings were meant to distract Lamaštu, which was a common way of thwarting vampires.

Riri Yaka

5 Vampires You May Not Have Heard Of, blog post by Aspasia S. Bissas, aspasiasbissas.com. Vampire, vampires, mythology, folklore, dark fantasy, peuchen, lamia, lamastu, lamashtu, riri yaka, penanggalan, demons, monsters
Via https://www.rrncommunity.org/items/9836

In the Sinhalese culture of Sri Lanka, the Riri Yaka, or “Blood Demon” has an eternal thirst for blood. He’s usually portrayed as being a blood-smeared, ape-faced, four-armed man with a mouthful of decomposing human flesh. He haunts graveyards, crematoriums, and the dying. He can also possess people and cause illness, usually of the blood. People possessed by Riri Yaka are pale, listless, and anemic; a ritual ceremony must be performed to cure them.

Penanggalan

5 Vampires You May Not Have Heard Of, blog post by Aspasia S. Bissas, aspasiasbissas.com. Vampire, vampires, mythology, folklore, dark fantasy, peuchen, lamia, lamastu, lamashtu, riri yaka, penanggalan, demons, monsters
Illustration by Munshi Abdullah from ‘The Indo-Chinese Gleaner, Volume 2’ (1819)

Seemingly a normal woman during daylight hours, once the sun goes down the Penanggalan detaches her fanged head and organs from her body in order to fly around the Malaysian countryside in search of the blood of newborns and women who have just given birth. Those who survive being fed on inevitably contract a wasting illness, another common theme in vampire myths. Penanggalan will often disguise themselves as midwives, but can be recognized by their characteristic vinegar smell (they keep a vat of vinegar in their home in which to soak their entrails) and odd behaviour. The best way to get rid of a Penanggalan is to surround doors and windows with thorny branches and thistles, so that they will become entangled and trapped. If found, their hollow bodies can also be stuffed with broken glass or destroyed, which will kill off the head.

Lamia

5 Vampires You May Not Have Heard Of, blog post by Aspasia S. Bissas, aspasiasbissas.com. Vampire, vampires, mythology, folklore, dark fantasy, peuchen, lamia, lamastu, lamashtu, riri yaka, penanggalan, demons, monsters

Daughter (or possibly granddaughter) of the Greek God Poseidon, Lamia was Queen of Libya and Zeus’s lover before being transformed by his wife, Hera, into a creature that was part woman, part sea monster, and wholly deadly. Described as either stunningly beautiful or hideously ugly, Lamia generally had a woman’s face and serpent-like features. In retaliation for Hera killing her children, Lamia began murdering other people’s children by sucking their blood. Over time she was also said to seduce and devour men. Lamia had the power of prophecy, as well as shape-shifting abilities and magical powers. Eventually the single woman became pluralized into a race of vampiric monsters, the Lamiae. The origins of Lamia may lie in Mesopotamia’s Lamaštu. A modern Greek folk saying explains the sudden death of infants and young children as “[the child was] strangled by Lamia.”

Peuchen

5 Vampires You May Not Have Heard Of, blog post by Aspasia S. Bissas, aspasiasbissas.com. Vampire, vampires, mythology, folklore, dark fantasy, peuchen, lamia, lamastu, lamashtu, riri yaka, penanggalan, demons, monsters
Photo by Donald Tong on Pexels.com

The Mapuche and Chilote of southern Chile have a legend of a shapeshifter that petrifies victims (both human and animal) with its stare in order to then drain their blood. The peuchen can take any form, although it prefers that of a giant, bat-winged flying snake. Only a machi (medicine woman) can defeat it. There may be a connection between the myth of the peuchen and that of the chupacabra.

Have you heard of these vampires? Which do you think is scariest? Tell me in the comments.

If you want more vampires right now, download my books!

Aspasia S. Bissas books: Love Lies Bleeding, Blood Magic, Tooth & Claw, book, books, free book, free books, freebies, freebie, free ebook, free ebooks, vampire, vampires, dark fantasy, dark romance, historical fiction, gothic fiction, gothic fantasy, urban fantasy, paranormal, supernatural, horror, dark reads, indie author, indie fiction, strong female protagonist, aspasiasbissas.com

Love Lies Bleeding: SmashwordsBarnes & NobleKoboApple Books, Amazon
FREE Blood Magic: SmashwordsBarnes & NobleKoboApple Books
FREE Tooth & Claw: SmashwordsBarnes & NobleKoboApple Books

If you prefer paperback, use this link to order Love Lies Bleeding from Bookshop – a portion of each sale goes directly to independent bookstores, as well as to myself. Thank you for supporting indie! ♥

Check out my other posts on this topic:

5 More Vampires You May Not Have Heard Of

Another 5 Vampires You May Not Have Heard Of

Yet Another 5 Vampires You May Not Have Heard Of

A Further 5 Vampires You May Not Have Heard Of

Cheers,

Aspasía S. Bissas

🧿

Further Reading

Lamaštu

Lamashtu

Seven Mythical Creatures that Supposedly Haunt Sri Lanka

Penanggalan

Penanggalan (Wikipedia)

Lamia

Lamia (Wikipedia)

Peuchen

Encyclopedia of Beasts and Monsters in Myth, Legend and Folklore

Why Don’t Vampires Have Reflections?

Why Don't Vampires Have Reflections?, blog post by Aspasia S. Bissas, aspasiasbissas.com. Vampire, vampires, mythology, folklore
Photo by Tasha Kamrowski on Pexels.com

Not all vampires, but a classic characteristic of many vampires is that they don’t have reflections. While other traits (aversion to the sun, hypnotic abilities…) might make sense, the lack of a reflection is a little more unusual. Why don’t they?

Angel, how do you shave?

There are two theories about this (that I’m aware of):

  1. Mirrors used to be backed with silver, a pure metal that an impure creature like a vampire can’t tolerate. In some mythologies vampires can’t touch silver, either, usually being burned by the metal if they come into contact with it. The aversion is so deep that even the vampire’s image can’t interact with silver.
  2. There is a belief that mirrors reflect the soul. As beings generally without souls, vampires have no reflection.
Why Don't Vampires Have Reflections?, blog post by Aspasia S. Bissas, aspasiasbissas.com. Vampire, vampires, mythology, folklore, what to do if you cast no reflection

Do you know of other reasons vampires don’t have reflections? What’s your favourite quirky vampire trait? Share in the comments…

Can’t get enough vampires? Download my books now…

Aspasia S. Bissas books: Love Lies Bleeding, Blood Magic, Tooth & Claw, book, books, free book, free books, freebies, freebie, free ebook, free ebooks, vampire, vampires, dark fantasy, dark romance, historical fiction, gothic fiction, gothic fantasy, urban fantasy, paranormal, supernatural, horror, dark reads, indie author, indie fiction, strong female protagonist, aspasiasbissas.com

Love Lies Bleeding: SmashwordsBarnes & NobleKoboApple Books, Amazon
FREE Blood Magic: SmashwordsBarnes & NobleKoboApple Books
FREE Tooth & Claw: SmashwordsBarnes & NobleKoboApple Books

If you prefer paperback, use this link to order Love Lies Bleeding from Bookshop – a portion of each sale goes directly to independent bookstores, as well as to myself. Thank you for supporting indie! ♥

Read more about mirrors and beliefs about them.

Cheers,

Aspasía S. Bissas

🧿

Quote of the Day

Quote of the Day, blog post by Aspasia S. Bissas, aspasiasbissas.com. Quote "The shadow is the greatest teacher for how to come to the light." via Ram Dass. Shadow, darkness, solstice, vampires.

Happy Winter, everyone (or summer if you’re down under)! I hope you’re all enjoying the season, and getting ready to welcome the new year…

This time of year is perfect for getting cozy with a good book- especially when that book is on sale (or free). Take advantage of the end-of-year sale and download my books now…

Get LOVE LIES BLEEDING 25% Off

Get Blood Magic FREE

Get Tooth & Claw FREE

Happy Reading!

Aspasía S. Bissas

(PS: The sale ends 1 January 2023)

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