About this Event
The eve of Beltane, on April 30th, brings us this amazing treat -a rare reading of Bram Stoker's mostly unknown prelude to Dracula.
" Remember you are back by nightfall.
The sky looks bright but there is a shiver in the north wind that says there may be a sudden storm. But I am sure you will not be late. "
Here he smiled and added :
"...for you know what night it is..."
The narrator starts on an adventurous drive in Styria on Walpurgis Night. Johann - the coachman- is nervous about taking a side road near a deserted village due to superstitions about that night. Against the coachman's warnings, the narrator decides to walk down the side road alone. It is desolate and growing colder. As clouds move in, Johann races off in a panic when a stranger appears and a chilling howl echoes in the wood, leaving the narrator by himself on the mysterious road. Intrigued by Johann's fears and stories of the abandoned village, the narrator continues down the road as the landscape takes on a more ominous feel.
Then while the flood of moonlight still fell on the marble tomb, the storm gave further evidence of renewing, as though it were returning on its track. Impelled by some sort of fascination, I approached the sepulchre to see what it was and why such a thing stood alone in such a place. I walked around it and read, over the Doric door, in German :
COUNTESS DOLINGEN OF GRATZ
IN STYRIA
SOUGHT AND FOUND DEATH
1801
A Germanic festival celebrating the end of winter, Walpurgis Night, an abbreviation of Sanct Walpurgis Nacht, also known as Saint Walpurga's Eve and Walpurgisnacht, is the eve of the Christian feast day of Saint Walpurga, an 8th-century abbess and is celebrated on the night of 30 April. This feast commemorates the canonization of Saint Walpurga and the movement of her relics to Eichstätt, both of which occurred on 1 May 870. Saint Walpurga was hailed by the Christians of Germany for battling "pest, rabies, and whooping cough, as well as witchcraft".
As night falls and shadows deepen at the end of the gothic novel reading, Michael will take you on a candle-lit exploration of the castle.
Ssshhhivers under the full moon of Beltane....
This event is part of the Beltane festivities. Check in the Add-ons tab if you would like to attend more than one of the weekend events !
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
The Franklin Castle (Hannes Tiedemann House), 4308 Franklin Boulevard, Cleveland, United States
USD 58.00 to USD 95.00
