The European settlers and African slaves brought the vampire mythology of their homelands to the New World. In some cases these myths became intertwined as settlers from many backgrounds melded into a single nation. While Native American mythology has some very fascinating monsters, some of them being flesh-eaters, others being shape-changers, none are true bloodsuckers. Yet, there is a true "American vampire," one born of this young nation, one found only here in America. This vampire is much more than a meld of the beliefs of the Native Americans and those of our forefathers.

Just over a week ago, I arrived back from my second visit to Romania, this time to attend the first World Dracula Congress. As this Congress was such a major event and has received so much media attention world-wide, I thought I would provide a synopsis and an evaluation.