Monday, October 5, 2015

2015 October Frights Blog Hop-Day 5


Join 45+ paranormal and horror authors for ten days of screaming good fun. Books and prizes to be won!

From Bram Stoker’s Dracula to the recent Twilight saga, vampires have been entertaining the masses for decades and their recent comeback has seen a surge of interest in the mythical bloodsuckers. But while modern vampire fanatics might have Transylvania or Fort Washington at the top of their itineraries, the original home of the vampires is a much sunnier climate.
Step up Kringa, home to Europe’s oldest vampire, Jure Grando. The vampire legend was the work of Slovene writer Janez Vajkard Valvasor, who published his account of Kringa’s resident vampire back in 1689 – the first mention of such creatures in historic literature. The small town, landlocked in Istria, was notorious throughout the 19th century as the birthplace of the vampire, until Bram Stoker’s iconic novel pushed the focus onto Romania and left the Adriatic vampires confined to legend.
The infamous Jure Grando died in 1656 but, if local legend is to be believed, was reborn as a vampire and spent the next 16 years rising from his grave at midnight and terrorizing locals. Unable to take any more torment, a group of 9 villagers got together to tackle the vampire – digging up his grave and driving a stake through his heart.
With little to offer tourists aside from its legend, Kringa has become a quirky, off-the-beaten-track destination for vampire enthusiasts, who make the pilgrimage to the town that kick-started the world’s fascination with all things vampire. An easy side trip from the popular coastal resort of Pula, once in Kringa, fans head for the small Vampire Museum, where they can learn the story of the bloodthirsty tyrant. Don’t miss a visit to Kringa’s Vampir café-bar too, where you can sit in red velvet chairs beneath strings of garlic and sip a ‘Vampire Soul’ cocktail, or attend the monthly horror literature readings.
Istria, Croatia – land of the ancient vampires. Photo courtesy of Dinko Srkoc via Flickr.

2015 October Frights Blog Hop
October 1-10th 


1. Clarissa Johal, Author of Paranormal & Gothic Horror
2. Duncan Ralston, Author of Gristle & Bone
3. Blaze McRob
4. Kerry Alan Denney aka The Reality Bender
5. Thomas S. Flowers, Author of Reinheit
6. A. F. Stewart
7. Kindra Sowder
8. Cinsearae S.
9. Randy Speeg
10. Miracle Austin
11. Brandy Jeffus Corona
12. MYTHICAL BOOKS (INT)
13. Clay and Susan Griffith
14. ***
15. Precious Monsters
16. Nickronomicon
17. ***
18. The Cerebral Writer
19. Barbara Custer
20. Katie M John
21. Lexa Cain
22. Mary Rajotte
23. Belinda Frisch (Mystery, Thriller, Horror Author)
24. S.C Hayden
25. Ash Krafton
26. E.J. Stevens @ From the Shadows
27. J.H. Moncrieff - Things That Go Bump In The Night
28. C. Lee Spencer - Love/Kroft
29. Nicola C. Matthews: Paranormal Fantasy Author
30. Elizabeth Kelly
31. KM Randall
32. Anne Michaud
33. Steve Vernon
34. Debbie Christiana
35. Angela Yuriko Smith
36. Cathrina Constantine
37. Kerry Adrienne
38. Scott Scherr (Don't Feed The Dark)
39. Crymsyn Hart
40. Zrinka Jelic
41. B.K. Brain
42. greydogtales
43. Chris Verstraete - GirlZombieAuthors
44. Juli D. Revezzo~Paranormal author
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4 comments:

  1. A. F. StewartOctober 5, 2015 at 7:34 PM

    Great post, I hadn't heard about that vampire legend before. And a stunning photo, by the way.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ash Krafton | @ashkraftonOctober 6, 2015 at 4:28 AM

    That story was a new one for me. I'm glad you shared it! Great hopping with you...

    ReplyDelete
  3. Debbie ChristianaOctober 6, 2015 at 8:23 AM

    Zrinka, I need to go there. Love old European folklore, especially about vampires :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousOctober 7, 2015 at 2:04 PM

    I'd heard bits and pieces about Croatian vampire lore, but no specifics before now--thanks!

    Trix, vitajex(at)aol(Dot)com

    ReplyDelete

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