by Hans De Roos
187 In 1900, Iceland’s currency was the new Danish crown, introduced in 1875. The value of 2,480 new Danish crowns was equivalent to that of one kg of fine gold. A million crowns would thus be worth the price of 403 kg fine gold, today (March 2016) approximately 14 million Euros (16 million USD). Accordingly, “many millions of crowns” would mean several tons of gold.
188 Icelandic: “fáguðum gimsteinum.” Today, “fágaður” mostly describes someone sophisticated in manners or something in impeccable order. Here it is still used in the original sense of “polished,” meaning that the stones were cut and reflected the light.
189 Icelandic: “sem svöruðu til herbergja þeirra annars vegar í höllinni,” in which the expression “svara til” means “to match” or “to correspond to,” from the From Old Norse “svara” = “to answer.” Compare Anglo-Saxon “and-swarian,” Old English “andswaru,” Middle English “answere” and the later English “an-swer.” In this case, Harker must mean that the Count’s private rooms are the—thusfar unaccessible—counterpart of the already known rooms: his own bedroom, the dining room and the library. Either Harker must have an excellent orientation to know that the Count’s private rooms are on the same floor level as the dining room, or the furnishing in all rooms must look similar.
190 Harker arrives at the dining room coming from the private rooms of the Count, which are on his left side when he leans out of the dining room window; the gate tower is on his right side. See the essay at the end of this book, and our online floor plans.
191 In Dracula, Harker makes this tour in reverse: First he crawls along the outside walls into the Count’s room and finds the gold; from there, he descends a narrow stairway and ends up in the dilapidated chapel with the Count’s coffin. See also footnote 180. There is no door connecting the Count’s room with the dining room—Harker has to climb back along the castle’s walls.
192 This matches the Count’s remark that “old Natra” never uses the corridor, but always takes “another path.” In Stoker’s preparatory notes for Dracula, a secret room in the Count’s residence is mentioned, but this idea did not show up in the 1897 publication. Like the presence of the deaf and dumb housekeeper woman, this suggests that Makt Mykranna may be based on early ideas for Dracula.
193 Icelandic: “Ætti ég ekki – – –” The subjunctive form of “að eiga” mostly precedes an infinitive, describing something one should do (“eiga að gera”). As the question is left unfinished, the possibilities are myriad.
194 Icelandic: “mundi herma rétt frá.” The phrase “að herma rétt” means “to report correctly.” The verb “mundi” (“he would”) indicates a probability or uncertainty: Harker doubts if the Count has told him the whole story. Curiously, this exact expression was used only a single time in the history of the Icelandic press, in Fjallkonan of 12 August 1889: A certain Mr. Lárus Blondal from Kornsá had complained that the newspaper had reported inaccurately about the meeting of a trade association in the north of Iceland. As Fjallkonan’s editor, Valdimar replied that the article was based on a letter from a local gentleman, of which the newspaper had assumed “that he would report correctly about the meeting.”
195 In Dracula, Harker is simply defiant: “The Count’s warning came into my mind, but I took a pleasure in disobeying it.” See Chapter 3, Harker’s Journal entry of Later: the Morning of 16 May.
196 The presidential address to the Hastings Health Congress of 30 April 1889 dealt with contagious mental diseases such as the dancing mania of the 14th century, mental epidemics on the Shetland Islands (1817) or a suicide wave in Napoleonic times. See Longman’s Magazine of June 1889, pp. 145-163. Until today, the causes of the medieval dancing mania could not be identified with certainty; for all three phenomenons mentioned, imitative behavior would be a more probable explanation than infectious germs.
197 By the end of the 19th century, the modern germ theory of disease superseded the old miasma theory, which had maintained that “bad air” was the cause of epidemic illnesses − a view fittingly worded by the reactionary Count. Researchers such as Louis Pasteur and Robert Koch studied the life-cycles of micro-organisms causing cholera, diphtheria, dysentery, smallpox, scarlet fever, tuberculosis (consumption), typhus, typhoid fever, malaria, syphilis and the plague; many of these diseases feature a dormant state, during which the symptoms disappear, although the germs survive and wreak havoc in a secondary or tertiary stage.
198 Icelandic: “Ég […] nennti ekki að hræra legg né lið.” The alliterative expression uses two near-synonyms (“leg” and “limb”) to amplify the statement; they serve as a pars pro toto for the whole body.
199 Icelandic: “að verða […] heitt um hjartaræturnar,” lit.: “to become warm around the roots of the heart,” this time in a positive sense. See also footnote 159.
200 Again, this may be a hint that this line was created in Reykjavík, where the summer nights never are truly dark. But also in London (51°31’ North), the nights would be somewhat lighter than in the Borgo Pas (47°16’ North), additionally, the Victorian metropolis would show the first signs of light smog.
201 As described in the previous paragraphs, Harker is lying, not sitting—otherwise the girl, kneeling next to the bench, would not be able to reach his throat.
202 In Dracula there is no such dialogue: Harker faints after seeing the Count hand a bag containing a wailing child to the three vampire women.
203 The Icelandic text seems to be elliptic here; I inserted the words “were he to reproach me” to arrive at a logical statement. See next footnote.
204 The last two sentences in Icelandic: “Hitt væri skiljanlegra, að ég hefði brotið móti boði hans með því að vera þar uppi. Ég gæti þá fremur skilið í því, að allt, sem mér þykir hafa borið fyrir mig sé draumur − − −” The expression “Hinn/Það væri skiljanlegra, að …” is often used to describe the arguments or wishes of another party, in a conceding sense, “skiljanlegra” meaning “more understandable,” “more than understandable” or “perfectly understandable.” I assume that Harker describes here how he would have reacted if the Counted had spoken frankly with him and had reproached him for being upstairs, instead of pretending that he had found Harker in his own bed. In this case, Harker might have been willing to consider the possibility that his last encounter with the blonde girl had merely been a dream. Because he notices, however, that the Count is lying about this one point, he concludes that his host must also be lying about the other points.
205 In Dracula, it seems as if the Count’s highest goal is to remain inconspicuous and merge with the crowd. After the present Transylvanian episode, however, Makt Myrkranna deviates from this concept and assigns the Count a more public role, entertaining international diplomatic guests at his Carfax house. Intriguingly, they all communicate in French, not English!
206 Icelandic: “ljúft eða leitt,” another alliterative standard expression.
207 With the threat of “Oriental tyranny,” Herodotus referred to the clash between the Greek democratic city-states and King Xerxes of Persia in the Battles of Marathon (490 BC) and Thermopylae (480 BC). In the 1850s, Karl Marx used the term “Oriental despotism” to describe the “Asiatic mode of production,” characterized by state control over land ownership and irrigation systems. Friedrich Engels set forth this thought in his Anti-Dühring (1878). Valdimar, familiar with socialist theories, may have introduced this vocabulary, which is not used in Dracula.
208 The following episode was published in Fjallkonan of 13 October 1900, but omitted from the 1901 book publication and its second and third edition.
209 An Icelandic alliterative pun: “við erum engir englar, Englendingar.”
210 Previously, the Count had told Harker that to rule over people is the only thing that counts in life. In his view, power and sex must be closely connected.
211 This may refer to Joseph, the virtuous husband of the Virgin Mary, or to Joseph, the son of Jacob and Rachel. Genesis 37-50 desc
ribes how his brothers mocked at Joseph, calling him a “great dreamer,” In Egypt, Joseph resisted Potiphar’s wife, who tried to seduce him; he became a prisoner, but later rose to power. When his brothers came to Egypt to buy food, they fell on their knees before him, their faces to the ground, and called themselves his servants.
212 Icelandic: “kærleikar kvenna kringsnúa jörðinni,” probably an alliterative creation of Valdimar’s own making, with “kvenna” being the genitive plural of “kona.” An alternative translation would be “Loving women is what makes the world go round.” In Alice in Wonderland (1865) by Lewis Carroll, we find: “Oh, ’tis love, ’tis love that makes the world go round,” spoken by the Duchess in Chapter 9. Sometimes, the phrase is attributed to the dramatist W. S. Gilbert. Bram Stoker personally knew both authors.
213 Starting with 18 May, the Icelandic text changes the date format to “the 18th” etc. and later to “the 10th of June” etc. For clarity’s sake I have standardized the date format.
214 These words effectively install Wilma as a saintly or virginal figure, the counterpart of the lascivious blonde girl. Although Dracula today is often read as an encoded description of sexual excess, Stoker himself insisted: “… the book is necessarily full of horrors and terrors but I trust that these are calculated to cleanse the mind by pity & terror. At any rate there is nothing base in the book …” See Stoker’s letter to William Gladstone, 24 May 1897. A decade later, the novelist pleaded for censorship in fiction, arguing that “the only emotions which in the long run harm are those arising from sex impulses.” The views of Valdimar may have been different. In an article about the United States, he took a critical stance at American Puritanism: “The respect for women takes such a subtle form [in the US], that it is possible to sue a man for hanging his underwear in a place, where a housewife can throw an eye on it. […] Doctors say that the high infant mortality rate [in the US] is due, among others, to the fact that mothers are hindered to breast-feed their babies.” See Fjallkonan of 10 June 1890. p. 70.
215 Icelandic: “sterkar á svellinu,” lit.: “stronger on the ice,” an alliterative phrase denoting superior power.
216 This thought seems to come out of nowhere. But as noted in the Introduction, the previous chapter, omitted from the book editions, interrupts Harker’s legal studies in the Count’s library; here he is picking them up again.
217 At the time that Dracula and Makt Myrkranna were written, legal and medical circles fervently discussed whether or not criminal behavior could be triggered by hypnotical suggestion. Although many physicians maintained that an intact moral instinct could not be overruled by abusive suggestion, some culprits claimed that they had acted under hypnotic influence, e.g. Gabrielle Bompard in the Gouffé murder case, which the Paris court dealt with in 1890. This debate had a direct relevance for Dracula and Makt Myrkranna, as the portrayed vampires wield hypnotic powers, forcing their victims to act in an immoral way. Stoker was most likely familiar with these medico-legal discussions, e.g. in The Nineteenth Century. The play Trilby, based on George du Maurier’s 1895 novel and dealing with the abuse of hypnosis, was a huge stage success at the time. See my article in De Parelduiker of October 2012. Ironically, the physician who most strongly opposed the idea that hypnotic influence could provoke criminal impulses, Gilles de la Tourette, was shot in the head in 1893 by Rose Kamper, a woman who claimed that he had ruined her sanity by hypnotising her against her will.
218 Previously, Harker had described himself as a man of the “true creed” (“rétttrúuðum”), which I translated as “English Churchman” (see footnote 49). This time, the Icelandic uses “sannlúterskur” (“truly Lutheran”). Like the Icelandic Lutheran State Church, the Church of England follows Lutheran principles. Neither church recognizes the authority of the Pope nor practices a Maria cult, and both churches prefer the simple (empty) cross symbol over the crucifix showing Christ’s tortured body.
219 While Fjallkonan and the 1901 edition state “finni til hryllings,” the second and third editions read “finni til tryllings”—a transcription error.
220 Madness (feigned or real) was an essential topic both in Shakespearean and Victorian drama and plays an important role in Dracula as well: Both Harker and Holmwood doubt their own sanity, and Seward suspects that Van Helsing is mad, while the latter describes his own wife as “no wits, all gone.” Surprisingly, Dr. Seward’s mad patient Renfield acts as a learned philosopher in his dialogue with Van Helsing.
221 The following scenes—a bit more than a “few” words—have no equivalent in Dracula.
222 Icelandic: “… þótt mér tækist ekki að finna hann.” The second and third book edition replace “tækist” with “takist,” which makes little sense, grammatically.
223 Icelandic: “í krók og kring,” another alliterative expression.
224 Icelandic: “járnbrautar ljósberanum,” lit.: “railway lightbearer.” In 1900, Iceland had no railroad system and in my team of native speakers, no one had ever seen this word in Icelandic; even the Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies in Reykjavik could not find any reference. In Europe and the US, however, the second half of the 19th century was the heyday of railway development and railroad lanterns played a vital role in signalling. Another option would be that Stoker wrote a text containing the word “train lamp,” meaning a lamp fuelled with whale train—just like Van Helsing in Dracula uses a candle made of whale sperm. The Icelandic “járnbrautar ljósberanum” would then be a translation error; the correct term would have been “grútar-lampi.” In both cases, however, the lantern should have a wick, not a candle.
225 The 2011 edition uses “12”—which made me wonder how Harker could identify the number of instruments so precisely. In Fjallkonan, however, we read “tólf” (“twelve”) so I assume that Valdimar picked what—in his eyes—was a round number, just like in Egil’s Saga, where everything comes in dozens: twelve men to make a company, twelve ounces of gold in the spangles, twelve witnesses to swear an oath, twelve people from each folk to act as judges, or like in Laxdæla Saga, where twelve women were seated behind a curtain. Up till Christianization, the Icelandic “hundrað” (“hundred”) meant 10 x 12 = 120 and only later, the “stórt hundrað” (“big hundred”) or “tólfrætt hundrað” was distinguished from the decimal hundred (“tírætt hundrað”) by the extra adjective, if needed. Iceland adopted the metric system only in 1900.
226 The Icelandic word “básúna” has the same roots as Dutch “bazuin” and German “posaune” (Latin: “bucina”). Today, trumpets, horns and trombones mostly have piston valves or a slide mechanism, but Makt Myrkranna probably refers to a natural trumpet here. The Icelandic sagas frequently mention the use of such trumpets in war.
227 The Icelandic word “rim” refers to the rim or rung of a ladder, but as the text speaks of a spiral passage carved into the stone, we must conclude that Harker is still walking on stairs, not on a ladder.
228 In the 19th century, it was commonplace to associate animalistic qualities with people of color; neither Bram Stoker (The Mystery of the Sea, The Lair of the White Worm) nor Valdimar Ásmundsson were exceptions.
229 In fact, the Israelites marching around Jericho blew ram’s horns or shofarots, not copper instruments. See Joshua 6:1-20.
230 Stoker’s Count only wore black; Bela Lugosi’s vampire cape was white. Makt Myrkranna’s red cape matches the bloody character of the ritual the Count is leading.
231 This may be another Biblical reference: “Yes, a human being’s days are like grass, he sprouts like a flower in the countryside—but when the wind sweeps over, it’s gone; and its place knows it no more.” See David, Psalm 103, Complete Jewish Bible, 1998.
232 Cf. Egil’s Saga, Chapter 25: “Men have arrived here outside, twelve men in total—if one could call them such—because they look more than giants in build and appearance than normal men” (my translation). A few moments later, Skallagrim’s men split up: Six enter the hall to greet the king, whi
le six stay outside to guard their weapons.
233 In Dracula, Van Helsing and his men perceive a similar transformation in Lucy: “The sweetness was turned to adamantine, heartless cruelty, and the purity to voluptuous wantonness. […] When [Lucy] advanced to [Arthur] with outstretched arms and a wanton smile he fell back and hid his face in his hands.” See Chapter 16, Dr. Seward’s Diary of 29 September.
234 After repeatedly describing these men as “ape-like,” the Icelandic text uses “mannhundur” here, (lit.: “man-hound”), maybe as they listen like dogs to their master. Generally, this word means “scoundrel,” “villain,” “bandit” or “rascal” and had already been used in the Icelandic sagas: Flateyjar-bók, Gísla-Saga, Karla-magnus-Saga and Stjöran-Saga. I did not find any connection to animalistic mythical creatures, such as the wolf-man (“vargr,” “úlfr” or “úlfhédinn,” lit.: “wolf-hide” or “wolf-skin,” and later: “varúlfur” = “werewolf”) or the bear-man (“berserker”), which are warrior types. See Gudmundsdóttir, 2007.
235 Harker now takes on the role of a Victorian Dante, after descending step by step to the lowest circles of Inferno.
236 The following scene matches Harker’s Journal entry of 19 May in Dracula. That Harker discovers and reads any newly arrived letters addressed to the Count is unique to Makt Myrkranna.
237 The Icelandic uses the imperative form to word a request; it does not know the word “please.” See also footnote 379.
238 In Dracula, the dates are 12 June, 19 June, and 29 June, followed by the exclamation: “I know now the span of my life. God help me!” The Icelandic date of 22 June may be based on a transcription error, because Harker’s Journal entry of 28 June makes it clear that he considers this day as his last day in safety. His entries of 20, 23 and 24 June do not mention that his time might be running out.
239 The entries of 29 and 31 May in Makt Myrkranna correspond to Harker’s Journal entry of 28 May in Dracula.