by Hans De Roos
62 In Dracula’s Transylvanian episode, Harker is unarmed; later he fights with the kukri knife.
63 Icelandic: “við erum bráðum komnir heim,” lit.: “we will soon be back home.” The Icelandic text repeatedly uses “að koma heim” in the sense of “to arrive.”
64 See footnote 61.
65 In Dracula, the following events are still part of Harker’s Journal Entry of 5 May (continued).
66 Icelandic “heljarmaður” literally means “a man from Hell”: a brute, a strongman, a muscleman.
67 Lit.: “full three ells high.” Since the 13th century, the Icelandic ell (“alin”) had been identical with the “lögalin” (“law-ell,” approx. 49.2 cm). By the beginning of the 16th century, the Hamburg ell (57.8 cm) was adopted, until it was replaced by the Danish ell (62.5 cm) in 1776, so that Harker was at least 187.5 cm (6 ft 1 in) tall. In this novel, I have converted all ells to feet.
68 This character is unique to the Icelandic version, but in Stoker’s preparatory notes, there is also mention of a deaf and mute female servant of the Count.
69 Galloons are woven trims, mostly used to decorate uniforms. The German equivalent is “Tresse,” related to the English word “tress” (“braid,” “lock of hair”).
70 In Dracula: “Welcome to my house! Enter freely and of your own will!” and later: “Welcome to my house. Come freely. Go safely; and leave something of the happiness you bring!” The Icelandic version condenses these formulas. Stoker introduces the idea that a potential victim must enter the vampire’s territory voluntarily.
71 Icelandic: “hvíldar og hressingar,” another alliteration.
72 In Dracula, Harker addresses his client simply as “Count.” In Makt Myrkranna, Hawkins and Harker use “Sir Count” (“Herra greifi”)—a phrase found in many 19th century novels (Scott, Dickens). What is quoted here as a complete letter is, in Dracula, only a passage from it. I have inserted “for not personally tending to you” to avoid the impression of impoliteness.
73 This phrase combines Dracula’s description of the peppered paprika hendl, which Harker enjoyed at the Hotel Royale in Klausenburg, with the qualities of the “excellent roast chicken” served in Castle Dracula.
74 Tokay (Tokaj) is the center of a famous wine region in northern Hungary, between the rivers Bodrog and Hernád. Louis XV of France praised the Tokay wine as “The Wine of Kings; the King of Wines.”
75 Lit.: “was like paradise-food in my mouth.”
76 Canines: incisor teeth. For Stoker, these teeth seemed to be a special sign of animalistic power: “Tennyson had at times that lifting of the upper lip which shows the canine tooth, and which is so marked an indication of militant instinct. Of all the men I have met the one who had this indication most marked was Sir Richard Burton.” “As [Burton] spoke the upper lip rose and his canine tooth showed its full length like the gleam of a dagger.” See Stoker, 1907, pp. 130 and 229.
77 Icelandic: “um alla heima og geima,” lit.: “about all worlds and spaces,” about things that are within reach and things which are out of reach.
78 Icelandic: “Þvílíkir tónar!”—an alliteration.
79 The Count calls himself “an old hunter,” just like the driver of the calèche. In Dracula, Harker soon suspects that they are the same person.
80 In Dracula, Harker’s Journal of 7 May starts here.
81 In Dracula, this paragraph points to the absence of mirrors, as vampires do not cast a reflection in the mirror: “There are certainly odd deficiencies in the house, considering the extraordinary evidences of wealth which are round me. The table service is of gold […] but still in none of the rooms is there a mirror. There is not even a toilet glass on my table, and I had to get the little shaving glass from my bag before I could either shave or brush my hair.”
82 The shortened form “D-a” might point to a hastily jotted, almost illegible signature.
83 Icelandic: “gullgerðarlist,” lit.: “the art of goldmaking.” The secret art of alchemy dealt with turning worthless materials such as lead into gold.
84 In Dracula, there is no reference to sunsets in Scotland, but while preparing his novel, Stoker and his family used to spend holidays in Cruden Bay, near Aberdeenshire; Stoker’s The Mystery of the Sea (1902) was set here.
85 In Dracula, there are no bats in or near the castle. Makt Myrkranna seems to anticipate the 1931 Universal Pictures movie Dracula (Tod Browning, dir.), in which a large bat hovers outside the open window of the castle.
86 In all conversations, the honorific form “þér” (“ye”) is used. Today, this form is as good as extinct in Iceland—as in Britain. To avoid an archaic rendering, I have used the modern “you” (which originally also was honorific).
87 The original text uses “feber,” in quotation marks—the word is used in Danish, Swedish and Norwegian, not in Icelandic. The 2011 text uses “hitasótt.”
88 In Dracula, Harker meets with three vampire girls, the blonde, blue-eyed one being the most provocative; Makt Mykranna singles her out from the group and assigns her a major role in this Transylvanian episode.
89 This could refer either to Joséphine de Beauharnais (1763-1814), the wife of Napoleon I, or to her eldest granddaughter, Joséphine of Leuchtenberg (1807-1876), Queen consort of Sweden and Norway. The dresses of their time would show more skin than those of Victorian England.
90 Icelandic: “skygðum” (1900 and 1901) or “skyggðum” (2011). In modern dictionaries, the verb “að skyggja” is translated as “to darken” or “to overshadow,” but both the 1874 and the 1922 dictionaries still give the meaning “to polish.” Accordingly, the 1874 dictionary lists “skyggðr” as “bright, polished, transparent, so as to throw a light.” Similarly, the 1922 dictionary lists “skygður” as “polished, bright” and “óskygður” as “not polished.”
91 Icelandic: “það kemur sér […] betur,” the comparative form of “það kemur sér vel” (“that comes in handy”), is used to indicate a preferable situation. Unfortunately, the text does not explain why or for whom Harker’s good looks are advantageous. Maybe a double entendre is meant: “að koma sér vel” means “to make oneself popular,” especially with the other sex.
92 The plural “our” might be a pluralis majestatis, also mentioned in Dracula with regard to the Count: “Whenever he spoke of his house he always said ‘we,’ and spoke almost in the plural, like a king speaking.” The girl starts her sentence with “I,” however. Moreover, the pluralis majestatis is hardly ever used in traditional Icelandic. The “our” could either refer to the girl and the Count, both inhabiting the same castle, or to possible “vampire sisters,” or it could suggest an unmentioned partner.
93 Icelandic: “austurlensku augum,” lit.: “Eastern eyes.” This might point to the Count’s descendance from the Huns or to the genetic influence of the Tatars—as mentioned later in the novel—or simply to his Transylvanian homeland.
94 A first indication of the Count’s aspiration for power. In Dracula, Harker’s host is portrayed as a former military leader, but doesn’t show public ambitions; in the Whitby and London episodes he remains hidden, unless confronted by surprise.
95 Now the Icelandic uses “það kæmi sér best,” the superla tive form of “það kemur sér vel” (“that comes in handy”)—see footnote 93.
96 Harker’s intuition is surprisingly exact, given the fact that he seems unfamiliar with the habits of vampires and does not suspect that the Count is one of them.
97 A brilliant example of sociopathic speech, putting Harker in a double bind. “I was just searching for it when this woman came into the library.”
98 Icelandic: “fögur eins og gyðja, en geðveik” − an alliterative wordplay.
99 Icelandic: “mannsefninu sínu,” mostly used in a retrospective sense to describe the man whom a woman will marry someday: her husband-to-be. In Makt Myrkranna, it is unclear whether the term refers to a particular fiancé, who may have left the unlucky girl, or to a potential
new partner − or to a man she might mistake for her former lover.
100 Grimm, 1854, pp. 914-918 retells a dozen of such legends, the white maidens representing princesses or ancient heathen goddesses. See also the English translation in Grimm, 1883, pp. 962-968.
101 Dracula mentions a similar myth, but in a completely different context: The Whitby chapter alludes to the ghost of St. Hild, sometimes appearing in the ruined abbey. Later, the sleepwalking Lucy Westenra is seen at the graveyard as “a half-reclining figure, snowy white”; in London, she turns into the white-clad “Bloofer Lady,” wandering about Hampstead Heath and victimizing small children. Davies, 1997, p. 132 points to The Woman in White (1859) by Wilkie Collins as an influence.
102 Icelandic: “menningar birtu þessarar aldar.” Icelandic inflection allows two translations: “civilizations of light of this age” or “light of civilization of this age.” The second possibility sounded more plausible to me.
103 A few lines earlier, Harker already reported that the Count thoroughly examined the documents.
104 Like in Stoker’s original typescript for Dracula; see footnote 42.
105 Icelandic: “að dreifast,” lit.: “to be scattered.” The connection with being buried is evident from the corresponding text in Dracula: “I rejoice also that there is a chapel of old times. We Transylvanian nobles love not to think that our bones may lie amongst the common dead.”
106 Icelandic: “hafa lifað dagslífi.” This could mean that the common people − unlike the vampires, who live forever − are like the mayfly, only living for a few hours and dying in the evening. Alternatively, the Count could mean that they have only lived during the day (because they sleep at night, when the vampires are awake).
107 Icelandic: “ofninn,” lit.: “oven” or “furnace.” Previously, Harker had mentioned a fireplace.
108 Icelandic: “haugeldar,” a fire seen on a burial mound. In Norse pagan rituals, a “haug” was a mound erected to honor a buried person. Stoker took his information about flames and treasures from Emily Gerard’s article on Translyvanian superstitions: “In the night preceding Easter Sunday witches and demons are abroad, and hidden treasures are said to betray their site by a glowing flame.” See Gerard, 1885. Such Transylvanian folk beliefs had much in common with their Norse counterparts: “It was a consequence of their ideas of a future state [=life, existence—HdR], to bury with the dead in the grave, not only useful implements […], but also gold and ornaments with which they could shine in the halls of Hel, or else splendid armor with which the spirit […] could make an honorable entrance into Valhalla. These treasures, which, when very rich, were thought to betray themselves by nocturnal fires which burned above the mounds (haugeldar), often allured bold men to break open and rob the graves. But these mound-breakers had to go prepared for a hard struggle with the inhabitant of the mound (haugbúi) or the ghost of the buried man.” Quoted from Keyser, 1854, p. 307f.
109 Icelandic: “fylgja,” again referring to Old Norse mythology: a spirit or ghost attached to a specific person, defining or influencing his character and destiny.
110 In Dracula, Jonathan Harker explains: “I started, for it amazed me that I had not seen him, since the reflection of the glass covered the whole room behind me.”
111 Davies, 1997, p. 133 explains that this scene was inspired by The Compensation House (1866) by Wilkie Collins.
112 Previously, Harker mentioned the fire burning in the hearth in his room, now he speaks of an oven or furnace—matching the presence of a coal basket. See also footnote 107, about the fireplace in the dining room.
113 Icelandic: “ættfylgju”—again meaning a ghost influencing the character of a tribe, a clan or a family.
114 The Icelandic “frænka” can mean cousin, aunt or niece. Because the girl is much younger than the Count, I opted for “niece” here. Later we will learn more about their family relationship. Harker’s use of apostrophes suggests that he is unsure about the precise nature of their kinship—or even doubts it completely.
115 Icelandic: “Hvítu handleggirnir hvíldu …” Another example of alliterative style.
116 It remains unclear why Harker puts any trust in the Count’s words now.
117 Icelandic: “ljúfsárrar tilkenningar.” “ljúfsár” = “ljúfur” (“sweet” or “lovely”) + “sár” (“bitter” or “painful”), a combination mostly used to describe nostalgic longing. Dracula uses a similar wording: “There was something about [the vampire women] that made me uneasy, some longing and at the same time some deadly fear.”
118 In Dracula, there is a similar notion: “The other was fair, as fair as can be, with great wavy masses of golden hair and eyes like pale sapphires. I seemed somehow to know her face, and to know it in connection with some dreamy fear, but I could not recollect at the moment how or where.” It is speculated that this blonde girl reminds Harker of the Countess Dolingen-von Gratz appearing in Dracula’s Guest (1914), a story often seen as the deleted first chapter of Dracula or a study for the novel.
119 Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen published his research on X-Rays in December 1895 and Marconi discovered the principle of wireless transmission a few months later. Therefore, it is not surprising that by the end of the 19th century, psychic researchers were starting to speculate about “thought rays” influencing the brain.
120 This is intriguing: The girl acts as though she were Harker’s accomplice, warning him to be careful … For what?
121 In Dracula, Harker’s Journal of 7 May mentions that he looks at a map of England in the Count’s atlas and discovers little rings marking Exeter, Whitby and the East of London. The Count has planned his arrival in Whitby well in advance, although Harker never mentioned that Mina and Lucy would go on holiday there.
122 While in modern movies, the infamous Whitechapel murders mostly take place in gas-lit alleys swirling with fog, the actual Ripper killings were committed on clear nights, in unlit streets. Typical for London by the turn of the 19th century was a mixture of smoke and fog; in July 1905, the word “smog” was coined at the Public Health Congress in London. Harker must mean this unhealthy combination of humid air, smoke and sulfur dioxide. Normal mist also occurs in the mountains, as described in the following chapters.
123 Icelandic: “og eldur brann nærri því úr augum hans,” an expression repeatedly used between 1820 and 1920, inspired by old Icelandic sagas. See Fornaldar Sögur Nordrlanda (eftir gomlum handritum), 1829, p. 111; Fjörar Riddersögur, 1852, p. 19; Sagan af Starkaði Stórvirkssyni, 1911, p. 138. Halldór Laxness also uses it in his first novel, Barn náttúrunnar, 1919, Chapter 24, p. 217.
124 Icelandic: “valska.” In Iceland, the rat was unknown before the 17th century; when it arrived there aboard of ships, it was called “valska” or “völsk mús,” lit.: “Welsh mouse.” The word “Welsh” refers to something foreign or strange (originally used by the Anglo-Saxons to denote the Celtic-speaking inhabitants of Wales).
125 In Fjallkonan, we find the word “dömu” (cf. English “dame”); in the 1950 and 2011 editions “konunni” (“woman”).
126 Although I could find no other mentioning of “dragon jewels” in Icelandic literature, dragons played an important role in Icelandic myths and were also depicted on jewelry. See Cutrer, 2012, p. 17.
127 The Icelandic text allows two interpretations: either the picture was seen at the latest art show or the woman in the picture is being offered at the latest slave trade show. In Britain, however, slavery was already counteracted by the Habeas Corpus clause in the Magna Carta (1215); it seems very improbable that Harker ever saw a slave market. A few pages later we will learn that he knows “savages” only from pictures. The topic of a nude female slave being presented by a slave trader was popular with 19th century painters such as Jean-Leon Gerome, Ernest Normand, John William Waterhouse and Géza Udvary.
128 Icelandic: “Eins og hún þarna uppi?” The use of “þarna” (“there”) suggests that the speaker refers to an object or person already
discussed. To introduce something or someone new, “hérna” (“here”) would be used. After discussing various other paintings, the Count now speaks of the large portrait of the beautiful woman again.
129 Lit: “the brother-daughter of my father”—the woman portrayed is the Count’s first cousin. Since the Count claims that she is the great-grandmother of the blonde girl, Count Dracula’s uncle must be the girl’s great-great-grandfather, while the Count’s father would be her great-great-granduncle; Count Dracula and the blonde girl would be first cousins, thrice removed. The story strongly suggests, however, that the blonde girl is actually the woman in the portrait, locked in eternal youth by her vampiric nature.
130 Harker is shocked because the Count advocates inbreeding, which he claims to be healthier than exogamy.
131 By repeating “hún þarna uppi” and by the use of the definite article (“towards the portrait”), the text indicates that the Count is still talking about his first cousin depicted in the large portrait he showed at the start.
132 These words are reminiscent of the lines Napoleon wrote to Joséphine de Beauharnais in February 1797: “You to whom Nature has given spirit, sweetness, and beauty, you who alone could rule in my heart, you who doubtlessly know all too well the absolute power you exercise over me!” See Bonaparte, 1935 (my translation). Cf. Blaufarb, 2008, p. 40. 132 Icelandic: “fallegu hendurnar hafa haldið …” another example of alliteration.
133 The historical Dracula dynasty ruled over Wallachia, but Stoker’s vampire Count lived in the northeast corner of Transylvania. The mountaintop on which I contend Stoker imagined his Castle Dracula to be located, Mount Izvorul C limanului, actually belonged to a district with a 63% share of Szeklers in the population, vs. 2% in the Bistritz region. See population map in Boner, 1865. In Dracula’s typescript, the Count speaks of throwing off the “Austrian yoke”—which would match the view of both Magyars and Szeklers. In the printed book, however, the Count refers to “the Hungarian yoke,” although the Szeklers were Hungarian allies. With this last-minute switch, Stoker may have tried to restore the Wallachian ancestry of his “Dracula race.”