The Two Monks
There are several versions of this
anecdote. In some the two monks were from a Catholic monastery in Wallachia or
wandering Catholic monks from a foreign land. In either case Dracula would view
Catholic monks as representatives of a foreign power. In other versions of the
story the monks were from a Romanian Orthodox establishment (the native church
of Wallachia). Dracula's motivation also varies considerably among the different
versions of the story.
All versions of the story agree that two
monks visited Dracula in his palace at Tirgoviste. Curious to see the reaction
of the churchmen, Dracula showed them the rows of impaled corpses in the
courtyard. When asked their opinions of his actions by the prince, one of the
monks responded, 'You are appointed by God to punish evil- doers.' The other
monk had the moral courage to condemn the cruel prince. In the version of the
story most common in the German pamphlets, Dracula rewarded the sycophantic monk
and impaled the honest monk. In the version found in the Russian pamphlets and
in the Romanian verbal tradition Dracula rewarded the honest monk for his
integrity and courage and impaled the sycophant for his dishonesty.
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