The film about the famous Van Helsing, a fighter against vampires, must have been watched by everyone. And more than once. And not at all because of Hugh Jackman, who plays the main role in this film. We watched because of the dynamic interesting plot.
Have you ever wondered if Van Helsing was a real person? Or maybe this hero has a very real prototype?
Abraham Van Helsing is a professor, anthropologist, doctor of occult sciences. This person is fictional. He is the hero of the world famous literary work of Bram Stoker. Yes, we are talking about "Dracula". The first copy of the book was published in 1897 and since then has become a reference book for lovers and admirers of fanged comrades.
In his book, Stoker wrote off Count Dracula from … Dracula. More precisely, from the ruler of Wallachia, Vlad III Tepes, who was also called Basaraba or Dracul. Why shouldn't Van Helsing have a very real prototype?
There is a version that there was a prototype. The only candidate is the Hungarian historian Arminius Vamberi. The historian was personally acquainted with Stoker. Moreover, a number of writers claim that Stoker and Vambery had a strong friendship.
During the creation of the book, Brem Stoker used the works of a friend and created a literary image of Count Dracula. Moreover, there is a point of view that the writer wrote most of the book in Budapest. J. Gordon Melton, who wrote The Vampire Encyclopedia, took this point of view.
In 2015, Polish journalist Adam Wenglowski published the book A Very Polish History of Everything. In it, the author tried to find a trace of "Polish" in myths, events, legends of neighboring peoples. He also tried to associate several historical figures with Poland.
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Venglovsky suggested that Van Helsing's prototype was not Vambury, but a completely different person. Jerzy Angie Helving is a Lutheran pastor.
Helving was born in the Polish city of Wenhoborka in 1666. His mother was the daughter of a clergyman. After his father-in-law passed away, the father also became a priest. In the family, everyone spoke only German.
Jerzy was a fan of natural sciences. After receiving a master's degree, he decided to go on a scientific journey through Europe, wishing to acquire a broader knowledge of the humanities and natural sciences.
When Helving's father died in 1705, the latter accepted his post. becoming the rector of a Protestant parish. Later he gave the job to his son.
After becoming a pastor, Helving became interested in archeology and folklore. He wrote several articles about Polish ghouls (vampires) and werewolves, citing that all the stories about them are human prejudices.
Helving was not a vampire hunter. Moreover, he did not even believe in them. But Venglovsky suggested that it was the pastor who became the prototype of the vampire hunter Van Helsing.
Arminus Vambery was unambiguously familiar with the writings of Helving. Moreover, he introduced Bram Stoker to them. And the latter could easily change one letter in the surname and get his own literary hero.