WEBVTT - The Monstrefact: Abhartach, the Irish Vampire

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Stuff to Blow Your Mind, a production of

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<v Speaker 1>I Heart Radio. Hi, my name is Robert Lamb And

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<v Speaker 1>this is the Monster Fact, a short form series from

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<v Speaker 1>Stuff to Blow Your Mind focusing on mythical creatures, ideas

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<v Speaker 1>and monsters. In time, Count Dracula was Irish, or at

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<v Speaker 1>least that's the case made by various historians and folklore's

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<v Speaker 1>now Certainly to be sure, the novel Dracula places the

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<v Speaker 1>character's origins firmly in Transylvania and famously draws on the

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<v Speaker 1>legacy of historical fifteenth century Wallachian ruler Vlad the Impaler.

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<v Speaker 1>But on the other hand, Dracula's author, Bram Stoker, was

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<v Speaker 1>himself an Irishman. As pointed out by Celtic historian Bob

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<v Speaker 1>Curran in was Dracula and Irishman, published in the Journal

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<v Speaker 1>History Ireland in two thousand. Stoker never visited Eastern Europe,

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<v Speaker 1>but he certainly would have been exposed to various Irish

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<v Speaker 1>legends of evil, blood drinking kings and chieftains, including tales

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<v Speaker 1>of Irish vampire king Our Tuck. As is often the

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<v Speaker 1>case with such tales, the details of Our TuS evil

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<v Speaker 1>varies from telling to telling, it may be more accurate

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<v Speaker 1>to think of him as a tribal chieftain rather than

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<v Speaker 1>a king. He would have reigned in the fifth or

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<v Speaker 1>sixth century CE in the district of Glenuland in northern Ireland.

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<v Speaker 1>He is often described as a dwarf, or as possessing

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<v Speaker 1>a physical deformity that sets him apart from other men.

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<v Speaker 1>He was also a powerful and evil wizard, so when

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<v Speaker 1>life finally managed to kill him, undeath was the natural

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<v Speaker 1>next step. Some accounts say that our Tech fell to

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<v Speaker 1>his death while jealously creeping about the ledges of his

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<v Speaker 1>castle's towers, trying to spy on his own wife. In

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<v Speaker 1>other accounts, his people were so terrified hide of the

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<v Speaker 1>chieftain's evil that they convinced or hired a rival chieftain, Kathan,

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<v Speaker 1>to assassinate him. Either way, Once dead, his people buried

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<v Speaker 1>Our Tuck upright in his grave, as was befitting a

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<v Speaker 1>man of his rank. But you know what happened next.

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<v Speaker 1>Our Tuck returned from the grave, and with a thirst

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<v Speaker 1>for blood, he demanded his people bleed for him, filling

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<v Speaker 1>a great drinking bowl. Horrified by his return, Our Tucks

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<v Speaker 1>people had him murdered or re murdered, depending on the

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<v Speaker 1>telling by a hero, rival or assassin. They buried him,

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<v Speaker 1>and once more he returned for blood. This cycle repeated itself,

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<v Speaker 1>and finally the would be slayer consulted with a local

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<v Speaker 1>druid or priest and learned the secret of what must

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<v Speaker 1>be done to keep our tuck dead. First skewer the

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<v Speaker 1>undead creature's heart with a would sword, then bury them

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<v Speaker 1>upside down in the grave, head toward hell, and cap

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<v Speaker 1>the grave with thorns, ash twigs, and a great stone.

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<v Speaker 1>And so it was done. But if the stone were

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<v Speaker 1>ever removed, we are told this blood drinking dwarf more

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<v Speaker 1>than a millennium dead, would once more rise to quench

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<v Speaker 1>his evil thirst. As Karen explains in his article, there

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<v Speaker 1>are other tales of Irish vampires, and several standout tales

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<v Speaker 1>involve blood drinking nobles. Uniquely Irish spins on the global

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<v Speaker 1>vampire myth often entail the mixture of blood and oats,

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<v Speaker 1>a reference to famine ara recipes, as well as traditional

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<v Speaker 1>Celtic venerations of the dead. These various tales would have

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<v Speaker 1>likely been known to brohm Stoker, infusing his iconic vampire

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<v Speaker 1>Lord with Irish traditions of the undead. Even the name

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<v Speaker 1>Dracula calls to mind the Irish word dracola, which means

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<v Speaker 1>bad or tainted blood. Tune in for additional episodes of

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<v Speaker 1>The Monster Fact or The Artifact each week. As always,

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<v Speaker 1>you can email us at contact at stuff to Blow

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<v Speaker 1>your Mind dot com. Stuff to Blow Your Mind is

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