Brides of Dracula

For the 1960 Hammer film, see The Brides of Dracula.

Brides of Dracula
Dracula character
First appearance	Dracula
Created by	Bram Stoker
In-universe information
Alias	The Sisters, Weird Sisters
Species	Vampire
Gender	Female
Spouse	Possibly Dracula (unclear)
Nationality	Romanian

The Brides of Dracula are characters in Bram Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula. They are three seductive female vampire "sisters" who reside with Count Dracula in his castle in Transylvania, where they entrance male humans with their beauty and charm, and then proceed to feed upon them. Dracula provides them with victims to devour, mainly infants and children.

Like Dracula, they are the living dead, repulsed by religious objects. In chapter three of the novel, two are described as dark haired and the other as blonde.

Characters

In the novel the three vampire women are not individually named. Collectively, they are known as the "sisters", and are at one point described as the "weird sisters".

Although the three vampire women in Dracula are popularly referred to as the "Brides of Dracula", they are never referred to as such in the novel, instead referred to as the 'sisters'; whether they are married to Dracula or not is never mentioned, nor are they described as having any other relation to him. Though it is mentioned by the sisters that Dracula does not love, nor has he ever loved them, the count himself claims he once loved them in the past. The two dark-haired women, however, are described by Jonathan Harker to have "high aquiline noses, like the Count's". It has been suggested from this that it may have been Stoker's intent that these two are Dracula's daughters, extending the sexuality metaphor of vampirism to incest. Though nothing is really made clear. Despite their words, the sisters have oddly never attempted to leave the castle and follow Dracula's orders without question. Likewise Dracula, while angered at them disobeying trying to feed on Jonathan, shows he does care somewhat for them by giving them something to eat in the form of the contents of the "wiggling bag" and honors his promise to give them Harker when he leaves, though it is not revealed why he leaves them behind in Transylvania rather than taking them to London with him.

As vampires, the sisters are powerful in their own right; their beauty and playful charm belie lethal, predatory interiors. Their beauty and flirtatious manner appears to be their greatest power when it comes to bewitching their victims into a trance-like state. Harker and Van Helsing are both attracted to, and yet repulsed by them. They can seemingly appear out of nowhere and are inhumanly strong as shown when they kill Van Helsing's horses. They apparently do not live in fear of Dracula, as they talk back to him without hesitation and the blond vampire can be seen defying him when she demands to feed upon Harker. The blonde vampire is described by one of the brunettes as, "The First" and she is depicted as the leader of the three and Dracula's favorite, seeming to suggest that she could possibly be his wife or consort, and the mother of the two dark-haired females if they are indeed his daughters.

Novel

Sometime near the beginning of the novel, Dracula warns Harker never to enter any room in the castle other than his own bedroom, but does not tell him why, clearly aware that the sisters will kill him. Harker encounters them when he wanders the castle during Dracula's absence and enters a luxurious salon where the sisters are kept. As it's nightfall when he does this, the sisters are awake and roaming the castle. More than delighted that fresh prey has entered their domain, they proceed to seduce him. Harker tries to resist their seduction and is saved by Dracula, who drives them back, chastising them for trying to feed on Harker when he wasn't done with him, though he promises to give Harker to them after his business deal is concluded and gives then a "wiggling bag" (highly presumed by Harker to be a human child) to appease them. Dracula makes good on his word and leaves Harker to the sisters when he heads for England, but Harker manages to escape the castle before they can drain him, though he is badly traumatized by the encounter.

The sisters are seen again near the end of the novel as the protagonists approach Castle Dracula in pursuit of the vampire. The sisters suddenly appear at a camp consisting of Van Helsing and Mina Harker. Sensing that Mina is bitten and nearly a vampire, they beckon her to join them, referring to her as their "sister" and promising not to harm her. However, thanks to the holy symbols placed around her, Mina keeps her sense of self and is repulsed by them, though she does feel the urge to heed their calls. Van Helsing manages to keep them at bay, but the sisters persist in trying to take Mina. In the middle of this, they manage to kill and feed on their horses. The sisters are forced to flee when the sun rises. Van Helsing subsequently goes to Dracula's castle and, after locating their tombs, attempts to kill them but almost fails due to being entranced by their beauty. He manages to overcome their spell and destroys them by staking and decapitating them. Dracula's reaction to their deaths is not known.

Film Adaptions

Commonly all three brides appear in film adaptations of the novel, though some film adaptations depict them as a blonde, a brunette and a redhead. They are typically depicted as enchantingly beautiful young women, coquettish and seductive in manner, often appearing like succubi in the night, dressed in flowing silk nightgowns and behaving in a wild and sexually aggressive manner.

In Francis Ford Coppola's 1992 film Bram Stoker's Dracula, the brides were played by Monica Bellucci, Michaela Bercu and Florina Kendrick. Bellucci, Bercu and Kendrick's dialogue was entirely in Romanian, and Kendrick reportedly helped her co-stars to speak her native tongue correctly. In this adaptation the vampire portrayed by Kendrick is clearly modelled on Medusa the Gorgon, and has living snakes coiled through her hair; another appears to be based upon an Arabian princess due to her attire. It is the brunette vampire (portrayed by Kendrick) that is the leader, rather than the blonde (portrayed by Bercu).

The three brides are present but silent in the 1973 television adaptation Bram Stoker's Dracula (starring Jack Palance).

Although missing from the silent film Nosferatu, the Brides made silent appearances in the 1931 film Dracula and the Spanish language version of Drácula. (The latter film, shot simultaneously on the same sets at night with a separate cast and crew, depicts the brides as more obviously sexual than in the more chaste English-language version.)

They had lines in the 1977 BBC production entitled Count Dracula.

In the 2004 film Van Helsing, the brides are named Verona, Marishka and Aleera. Their hair colors are reversed, with Verona being dark-haired and the leader of the trio, and Marishka and Aleera being light-haired.

TV series

NBC are developing a TV series of the Brides of Dracula characters titled "Brides" with Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa writing and Greg Berlant produced. The series is a sexy reimagining of Dracula as a family drama with a trio of strong, diverse female leads, a show about empowered women and the things they do to maintain wealth, prestige, legacy — and their non-traditional family.

Characters based on the Original Brides

Some films inspired by the novel show fewer than three, such as the 1995 spoof Dracula: Dead and Loving It, in which two appear, and Dracula (1958) and Drakula İstanbul'da, where a single bride appears.

While the Brides usually remain nameless, they are called Marishka, Aleera, and Verona in the 2004 film Van Helsing, respectively portrayed by Silvia Colloca, Elena Anaya, and Josie Maran. Their roles are greatly expanded into those of secondary antagonists - seeking a way for their offspring to live (as vampire children are born dead). They are also given the ability to transform into harpy-like creatures and fly. Verona is the oldest of the Brides, and Dracula's consort, whereas Marishka and Aleera are his concubines. Despite being the youngest of the brides, Aleera is the most deadly and bloodthirsty of the trio.

In the 2012 film Dracula 3D, Dracula attacks a young woman named Tania (portrayed by Miriam Giovanelli) after she meets her lover, making her a vampire. Dracula passes her off as his niece to Harker, whom she tries to seduce. Tania eventually is dispatched by Van Helsing.

The concept was also present in the 1987 horror comedy The Monster Squad, where Dracula has abducted three young women and turns them into his vampire brides.

In Dracula 2000, the Brides are composed of Dracula victims he bites upon his awakening in 2000 and journeying to New Orleans, as he seeks to capture Mary Heller, the daughter of Abraham van Helsing.

The Brides also appear in the Buffy The Vampire Slayer in the season 5 premier "Buffy vs. Dracula". They are referred to as "The Three Sisters.". They are credited as "Vampire Girls".

They appear in Dracula, the musical.

In the Czech Musical Dracula, the brides are called "nymphs". They are the victims of Dracula, slightly resentful but still devoted to him. They are jealous, mischievous and enjoy troubles and gossiping. They serve as a comical relief but at the same time they represent Dracula's dark, vampiric side.

They also appear in the French Canadian musical Dracula - Entre l'amour et la mort.

They also appear in the 2002 Italian TV mini-series Dracula (known as Dracula's Curse in foreign markets). As in the 1992 version, they speak in their native tongue and play up their supernatural nature by being able to fly and phase through objects.

In Hotel Transylvania, Dracula's wife Martha (voiced by Jackie Sandler) is a homage to the Brides of Dracula.

In Fangland, author John Marks re-imagines the Brides of Dracula as Greek brothers.

In the alternate history novel Anno Dracula, Dracula becomes dominant in Britain and eventually weds Queen Victoria, becoming Prince consort and Lord Protector. Despite being married to Victoria he keeps his retinue of brides. It is mentioned that one of the brides is Barbara of Celje.

In the first sequel, The Bloody Red Baron, the Brides of Dracula are mentioned as including Mata Hari, Lady Marikova (from the novel The House of Dracula by Ronald Chetwynd-Hayes), Lola-Lola (from the film The Blue Angel), Sadie Thompson, Lemora, and the Baron Meinster (from the film The Brides of Dracula).

In the beginning of the second sequel, Dracula Cha Cha Cha, a list of Dracula's official brides is given. They are: Elisabeta of Transylvania (from Bram Stoker's Dracula), 1448–1462; Ilona Szilagy (Vlad III's real-life second wife), 1466–1476; Marguerite Chopin of Courtempierre (from Vampyr), 1709–1711; Queen Victoria, 1886–1888; and Sari Gábor, 1948–1949. The plot surrounds Dracula's engagement to Princess Asa Vajda (from Black Sunday).

Chelsea Quinn Yarbro has written a trilogy called Sisters of the Night, with each book featuring the story of one of brides: Kelene: The Angry Angel (1998), Fenice: The Soul of an Angel (1999) and Zhameni: The Angel of Death (unpublished).

In The Diaries of the Family Dracul by Jeanne Kalogridis, the Brides are imagined as Zsuzsanna Tsepesh, a descendant of Vlad Dracul (believed in the novels to be his niece); Dunya, a Transylvanian servant of Vlad's mortal descendants, and Elisabeth Bathory, the notorious Hungarian noblewoman who murdered hundreds of her servants and bathed in their blood.

In The Dracula Tapes they are mentioned by Dracula who states that he has tired of them and does not even remember why he turned them in the first place. It is implied that unlike Dracula (who did not want to scare or harm anyone), the women let the power go to their heads once they became vampires. Dracula had more or less planned to abandon them in the castle. But while Dracula was trying to make friends with Harker, their visit as depicted in the novel only make the situation and misunderstanding worse. In this adaptation they are named Melisse, the tall dark haired bride. Wanda, the second dark haired one and described as full breasted as well as mentioned to be Melisse's younger sister. And Anna, the blonde haired bride who is noted to be the senior of the three and the one whose the most rebellious against Dracula.

A number of brides are seen in the Marvel Comics series The Tomb of Dracula, ranging from victims long since turned from ancient times to recent ones of modern day. Likewise in the companion series Dracula Lives, a two-part story in particular called The Pit of Death in which the protagonist is thrown into the titular pit where many of Dracula's brides are kept, among them his blind wife.

The Brides are seen in the DC Comics mini series, Victorian Undead II: Sherlock Holmes vs Dracula.

In the mini-series Grimm Fairy Tales present Helsing, three of the brides track down the protagonist and try to kill her. She kills two of them before the third retreats. Near the end of the story, when the heroes track Dracula to his mansion during a party, we see he has amassed a large group of women as his brides though orders them to let the protagonist pass so she may confront him.

In Dracula: Ruler of the Night, which re-tells the story, the brides are eventually summoned to London once Dracula has landed in the city and has the brides infiltrate the Westerna household as maids after Helsing is summoned to cure Lucy to spy on their actions. It from them that Dracula is able to enter the household and continue feeding on Lucy. When Lucy's mother is sent a telegraph about her deteriorating condition. Dracula sends the brides to intercept her carriage and kidnap her. The mother, along with Lucy, later are turned into two new vampire brides. They are later joined by Tabitha, an chubby English woman Dracula seduces while sharing a carriage ride with her. She also turns out to be a foster mother who feeds on the youngsters under her charge and turn them into vampires as well, making in this story six brides—three from the olden times and three from the modern day era.

In Count Yorga, Vampire, which a modern re-telling of Dracula, Yorga likewise has his own set of brides. First starting out with two: a red-haired bride and a blonde (who is later revealed to be Donna's deceased mother), then later adding the protagonists brunette friend, Erica to the ranks. The sequel, The Return of Count Yorga increases the number of brides to a least a dozen, with the protagonist sister, Ellen and a friend, Mitzi, joining them.

In the webcomic, Dracula Everlasting, Dracula decides to start creating brides again to give him an edge against the protagonists. He starts with three, two hookers, as well as the mother of the protagonist who was a witch when human, in the hopes of using her power against her daughter. After he loses her, he creates six more brides in preparation for the final battle.