Dracula's Enemy: Van Helsing - A Modern Magician

There are few characters more idealised and whom speak wtih a thicker acent when he first appears than Abraham Van Helsing. What is so interesting about this incredible mentor is that he is elderly, and hardly a warrior, he also never really holds a conversation with Dracula like what he does in the movie from 1931.

Scorning modernity, in particular that of England which has driven men such as those he meets there to cling to reason and science as their new God, in place of the old religion of the Continent. So that he is utterly different, from those of England and encourages those he comes across to take up faith and to turn to older techniques and ideas to fight back against the forces of darkness as represented by Dracula.

Undenidably fierce, he is contrary to what people say about him to-day, he seems to value saving Lucy over all else, being rather taken with her. Acting almost like a father, he goes above and beyond what most men might to save her, so that when she passes he weeps brokenly as might a father.

Gentle, paternal and a little soft-hearted he depends on the likes of Quincy, Mina, Jonathan, and Seward to toughen his resolve at various point and to kind of take point. They represent youth sure, and even male virility in some cases, somehow when the deconstructionists/postmodernists got their hands on the kindly old Van Helsing they became convinced that he cared more for hunting Dracula than human life. Inverting what Stoker wrote, purposely that they might destroy him as an icon.

All know though that the wise old Van Helsing is a fierce figure one who loves his ‘fellowship’ as one might one’s own children. The destruction of Lucy’s Vampire is an act he does reluctantly, but knowing that it will set her free and allow her to achieve freedom from the slavery she was cast into Dracula.

When the time comes to deal with Dracula himself, Helsing is to be the one to travel with Mina, and it is he who hypnotised her in order to keep track of the vampire.

Relying on Mina’s sincere devotion to Jonathan and innate intellect, he was to guide her east, along the journey Harker previously undertook himself. It happened that in the case of the novel the one who sets free the brides of Dracula is Van Helsing.

It is interesting that it is always Helsing who does battle against the female Vampires, and likely this has to do with it being him who embodies the older male virtues, such as fatherhood, the old world and the Magician archetype in his fullness.

The father in this case is tasked with setting free the young women, from the cosmopolitanism and ruinous addiction to materialism that they have fallen into. If one recalls as well, the bite represents rape so that in this case these women have been violated, and therefore what Helsing does is set them free thanks to the ancient wisdoms as passed down by Christ and his Apostles.

In a way he is converting them back, he is setting them free from Dracula’s toxic influence. If Dracula represents the wickedness of the old world, Helsing represents the good of the old world and is more priest in some ways than warrior.

What is more is that his method of waging war, is to redeem the followers of Dracula, to bring them back into the light. Certainly Renfield is redeemed thanks to Mina rather than him, but this doesn’t change the fact that Helsing was still keen to deprive Dracula of his only real male and living supporter.

In most depictions this priestly aspect of the character is hardly highlighted, with the lion’s share of the actual combat/battle being left to the younger men. The interesting thing about Van Helsing, is that he represents a fatherly figure with Jonathan let us say being the son, and you can all see what I’m getting at.

But there is more to this wise old men, in a lot of ways he combines science and religious fervour together, using the latter to recognise evil for what it is, and using the former to bolster what skills he has to combat the forces of evil.

He also relies continuously upon Seward, who serves not only as his assistant and as a kind of apprentice. It is Seward who often proves doubtful at the start but then serves as a younger magician archetype, to contrast with the older one.

One could compare in a way, the relationship between them to Anakin and Luke with Obi-Wan Kenobi from Star Wars. Obi-Wan being notable in the novel versions of the movies for combining science and old fashioned faith.

It is also funny how like Ben Kenobi when he first appears, Helsing does not appear as a tall, towering, virile figure like the likes of Peter Cushing but rather a stooped figure. Showing that no matter how old you get, no matter what point in life you are at, it is never too late to do something heroic.

And remember that it is never too late to start opening one’s heart. Van Helsing when we first meet him is a lonely figure, possibly without family, without any real close loved ones so that his ending is one of the best in the story.

His story closes out with him having apparently retired, moved to England and become a grandfather to Quincy Harker, Jonathan & Mina’s son. This is important and the reason it is, is because it shows that even after the battle is over the heroes grew to care enough for one another that, they remain determined to care for one another even after the battle against Dracula.