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Ghosts, Vampires, and Werewolves: Eerie Tales from Transylvania
Includes sixteen tales from Transylvanian folklore, arranged in three Ghosts, Vampires, and Werewolves; Haunted Treasures; and Eerie Fairy Tales.
104 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 1994
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
March 15, 2025
According to the back of this book, this was the first anthology of Transylvanian stories written in English for North American audiences, and it is a very good anthology!
I had a good time reading this! I think all 3 sections were very strong, but I was partial to the "haunted treasures" section; I really liked the spirits of the mines, and clearly that is a staple in Transylvanian folklore. Plenty of ghosts were in this anthology, but there was really only one vampire and two werewolves; I was a bit let down by this, especially because "The Jealous Vampire" was one of the strongest tales in this anthology!
The tales are very well written, and when non-english terms are used to describe something, they are explained either within the text or in the back of the book. There was a concerted effort to represent many different aspects of Transylvanian folklore, and both of the authors grew up in Transylvania, so they personally heard these stories as children.
The illustrations are gorgeous; I would buy several as prints if I could!
I think the only way it falls short is the lack of explanation in some areas. The tales are brief, but this is common in folk tales. There is an introduction about Transylvanian culture and an afterward explaining specific cultural context and the origins of the stories, but they are often extremely brief. I remember being very confused by the explanation of bitangs even after reading the additional information in the back. Granted, this book is aimed at older children, and they are unlikely to read long, scholarly explanations, but I do think the book would benefit from better explanations!
Overall, I loved it. It's a rather quick read at only 100 pages, and it's a wonderful introduction to Transylvanian folk tales. If nothing else, it gave me a ton of ideas for stories!
I had a good time reading this! I think all 3 sections were very strong, but I was partial to the "haunted treasures" section; I really liked the spirits of the mines, and clearly that is a staple in Transylvanian folklore. Plenty of ghosts were in this anthology, but there was really only one vampire and two werewolves; I was a bit let down by this, especially because "The Jealous Vampire" was one of the strongest tales in this anthology!
The tales are very well written, and when non-english terms are used to describe something, they are explained either within the text or in the back of the book. There was a concerted effort to represent many different aspects of Transylvanian folklore, and both of the authors grew up in Transylvania, so they personally heard these stories as children.
The illustrations are gorgeous; I would buy several as prints if I could!
I think the only way it falls short is the lack of explanation in some areas. The tales are brief, but this is common in folk tales. There is an introduction about Transylvanian culture and an afterward explaining specific cultural context and the origins of the stories, but they are often extremely brief. I remember being very confused by the explanation of bitangs even after reading the additional information in the back. Granted, this book is aimed at older children, and they are unlikely to read long, scholarly explanations, but I do think the book would benefit from better explanations!
Overall, I loved it. It's a rather quick read at only 100 pages, and it's a wonderful introduction to Transylvanian folk tales. If nothing else, it gave me a ton of ideas for stories!
April 16, 2011
Age: 13-18
Three parts: (1) Ghosts, Vampires, and Werewolves, (2) Haunted Treasures, and (3)Eerie Fairy Tales
"The Forest" would be good for storytelling due to it's shorter length and well formed plot.
Transylvanian authors and illustrators add honesty to these eerie tales and the supplementary history and culture behind the tales gives them depth and meaning.
Three parts: (1) Ghosts, Vampires, and Werewolves, (2) Haunted Treasures, and (3)Eerie Fairy Tales
"The Forest" would be good for storytelling due to it's shorter length and well formed plot.
Transylvanian authors and illustrators add honesty to these eerie tales and the supplementary history and culture behind the tales gives them depth and meaning.
August 11, 2025
Deliciously eerie collection of cautionary tales. Every story is fascinating, and each illustration adds just the right touch of macabre.
The one drawback, which is really just personal aesthetic, is the font used for the stories.
The one drawback, which is really just personal aesthetic, is the font used for the stories.
September 16, 2023
I should start by saying I'm a bit of a vampire snob. I've gotten better over the years (finally watched the Twilight movies...), but my bar is set rather high when it comes to vampires, and Slavic folklore in general. I've read Rice and Stoke, of course, but also Fritz Leiber, who I believe wrote the greatest vampire fiction of the 20th century. Also, I've read Dudley Wright and Montague Summers. That's how obsessed I was. Maybe still am. So it is with no small bit of excitement that I can wholeheartedly recommend this book. It's the real deal, collected by a native-born Romanian and a native-born Hungarian (perfect representatives for Transilvania, as it changed hands between these two countries/cultures over the years). I dare say you will not be disappointed.
August 1, 2018
Folktales from an area that we only associate with Dracula. The stories are tales collected or heard by the authors while growing up in Romania. Some tales have very graphic depictions but the ghosts are not very frightening. A good story collection with some unusual tales -- mine spirits, haunted treasures but if you are someone who reads a great deal of folk materials you will find some familiar themes told in different style with regional beliefs that are interesting.
January 22, 2018
One of the most powerful collections of folklore I have ever read. Every bit essential as the Brothers Grimm, Italo Calvino, and Jan Harold Brunvard. A formative influence and an absolute treasure of a volume.
May 11, 2019
Very enjoyable. I thought the stories' content and vocabulary too much for my younger kids, but my husband and I liked them. I'd say 9yo+ if they have an interest in morbid spooky stuff. We had read one of the stories before in a different book of Eastern European folktales.
December 16, 2019
3.5
I’ve never read a collection of folktales from this region before and I liked that the authors had grown up there and had a small description at the end of how they’d heard each story.
Some of the tales can be fairly vicious.
I’ve never read a collection of folktales from this region before and I liked that the authors had grown up there and had a small description at the end of how they’d heard each story.
Some of the tales can be fairly vicious.
July 8, 2025
If you are looking for authentic Romanian fairy tales and ghost stories, you will get no better of a compilation in the English language. There is even an appendix at the end with short explanations of themes and origins for every one of the stories.
November 3, 2019
Only read the story "The Bitang" for research purposes. The overall summary of the texts did seem interesting though.
December 5, 2014
Ghosts, Vampires, and Werewolves: Eerie Tales from Transylvania
Spariosu, Mihai I. and Benedek, Dezsö; illustrations by Kubinyi, Laszlo.
New York: Orchard Books, 1994
ISBN 0-531-06860-9
Contents:
Acknowledgements, Introduction
Part One: Ghosts, Vampires, and Werewolves (The White Cross, The Forest, The Bitang, The Jealous Vampire, Special Delivery)
Part Two: Haunted Treasures (The Three Partners, The Gypsy Fiddlers, The Female Snake, The Six-Fingered Hand, The Red Rose, The Ancient Fortress)
Part Three: Eerie Fairy Tales (The Dark Stranger, The Red Emperor’s Son, The Wheel of Fire, The Wicked Queen, The Stone Statue)
About the Stories, Further Reading
North Americans imagine Transylvania as the eerie home of vampires and werewolves. Who hasn’t heard of Count Dracula? Bram Stoker’s infamous character was based on the 15th century Wallachian prince, a.k.a. Vlad the Impaler, who it seems was not a vampire, after all. But the tradition of storytelling runs deep, and Spariosu and Benedek do well to keep that alive. What better reward for a day of hard work with the family than a hot meal and a good story to round out the evening? We can’t change the fact that my parents’ generation and mine turn to the TV for our entertainment, but we can honor those who’ve gone before by reviving their tales.
This book helped me to have the Best Halloween Ever, all alone on a dark and stormy night. (Yes, it really was!) I absolutely despise horror movies. They leave nothing to the imagination, and wallow in gore. Who needs that? I much prefer the visuals drawn up in my own mind, brought to life by great writing. These words summoned up long forgotten people and places from my childhood. The Pennsylvania Dutch have some great stories, too, and are well worth recalling.
…Which is probably why my favorite part of this book is the “About” section…Mihai’s great-aunt was a mined her own gold?! This is just one hint that both men have an endless treasure chest of great stories tucked away. I hope they can be persuaded to record their own memoires!
My copy was bought for a small price on amazon, and although the dust jacket is a tad faded and worn, the hardbound edition is in excellent condition. It has a sturdy binding and stitching. The type is large and the paper is thick—it would be very happy in a library. (I don’t understand why children’s books have larger font when their eyes are so much better than my well-read ones…unless if this is designed for grandparents reading aloud? Oh, that’s awesome!)
Mihai I. Spariosu was born and grew up in Romaia. Since emigrating to the United States, he has taught at several universities. He is now a professor of comparative literature at the University of Georgia. He has written or edited several books, including a collection of stories for children published in Romania. He lives near Athens, Georgia.
Dezsö Benedek currently directs a University of Georgia program in Tokyo (or he did in 1994). His academic work in cultural anthropology and comparative literature has taken him all over the world since he left Romania. His most extensive project involved several years studying the Yami, who preserve a “Stone Age” lifestyle on the small island off Taiwan.
Laszlo Kubinyi’s family’s roots in a province of Hungary bordering on the Transylvanian Mountains were a source of inspiration for this book. Prior to this one, he illustrated Come Go with Me. He lives in Teaneck, New Jersey.
Spariosu, Mihai I. and Benedek, Dezsö; illustrations by Kubinyi, Laszlo.
New York: Orchard Books, 1994
ISBN 0-531-06860-9
Contents:
Acknowledgements, Introduction
Part One: Ghosts, Vampires, and Werewolves (The White Cross, The Forest, The Bitang, The Jealous Vampire, Special Delivery)
Part Two: Haunted Treasures (The Three Partners, The Gypsy Fiddlers, The Female Snake, The Six-Fingered Hand, The Red Rose, The Ancient Fortress)
Part Three: Eerie Fairy Tales (The Dark Stranger, The Red Emperor’s Son, The Wheel of Fire, The Wicked Queen, The Stone Statue)
About the Stories, Further Reading
North Americans imagine Transylvania as the eerie home of vampires and werewolves. Who hasn’t heard of Count Dracula? Bram Stoker’s infamous character was based on the 15th century Wallachian prince, a.k.a. Vlad the Impaler, who it seems was not a vampire, after all. But the tradition of storytelling runs deep, and Spariosu and Benedek do well to keep that alive. What better reward for a day of hard work with the family than a hot meal and a good story to round out the evening? We can’t change the fact that my parents’ generation and mine turn to the TV for our entertainment, but we can honor those who’ve gone before by reviving their tales.
This book helped me to have the Best Halloween Ever, all alone on a dark and stormy night. (Yes, it really was!) I absolutely despise horror movies. They leave nothing to the imagination, and wallow in gore. Who needs that? I much prefer the visuals drawn up in my own mind, brought to life by great writing. These words summoned up long forgotten people and places from my childhood. The Pennsylvania Dutch have some great stories, too, and are well worth recalling.
…Which is probably why my favorite part of this book is the “About” section…Mihai’s great-aunt was a mined her own gold?! This is just one hint that both men have an endless treasure chest of great stories tucked away. I hope they can be persuaded to record their own memoires!
My copy was bought for a small price on amazon, and although the dust jacket is a tad faded and worn, the hardbound edition is in excellent condition. It has a sturdy binding and stitching. The type is large and the paper is thick—it would be very happy in a library. (I don’t understand why children’s books have larger font when their eyes are so much better than my well-read ones…unless if this is designed for grandparents reading aloud? Oh, that’s awesome!)
Mihai I. Spariosu was born and grew up in Romaia. Since emigrating to the United States, he has taught at several universities. He is now a professor of comparative literature at the University of Georgia. He has written or edited several books, including a collection of stories for children published in Romania. He lives near Athens, Georgia.
Dezsö Benedek currently directs a University of Georgia program in Tokyo (or he did in 1994). His academic work in cultural anthropology and comparative literature has taken him all over the world since he left Romania. His most extensive project involved several years studying the Yami, who preserve a “Stone Age” lifestyle on the small island off Taiwan.
Laszlo Kubinyi’s family’s roots in a province of Hungary bordering on the Transylvanian Mountains were a source of inspiration for this book. Prior to this one, he illustrated Come Go with Me. He lives in Teaneck, New Jersey.
September 29, 2014
This collection of folktales contains 16 stories in 3 chapters: Ghosts, Vampires & Werewolves (The white cross, The forest, The bitang, The jealous vampire, Special delivery); Haunted Treasures (The three partners, The gypsy fiddlers, The female snake, The six-fingered hand, The red rose, The ancient fortress); and Eerie Fairy Tales (The dark stranger, The red emperor’s son, The wheel of fire, The wicked queen, The stone statue).
The lesson in most of them is "Listen to the old man or old woman who warns you of something." He or she will be proved right, often in a nasty way. None of these were familiar to me.
There are notes at the back about the stories, detailing where the authors first heard or read it and some cultural details, such as the translation and use of certain words.
The lesson in most of them is "Listen to the old man or old woman who warns you of something." He or she will be proved right, often in a nasty way. None of these were familiar to me.
There are notes at the back about the stories, detailing where the authors first heard or read it and some cultural details, such as the translation and use of certain words.
January 23, 2008
This corpus of tales was collected by a former professor of mine and his colleague at the University of Georgia. Reminiscent of Brother's Grimm fairytales with an even spookier twist to most of them, these stories are fascinating and are perfect for anyone wanting to learn more about stereotypical Transylvanian eerieness.
March 20, 2013
A fun and interesting book of short stories, with interesting regional folk lore & superstitons. Fun to read but the stories are very short. None the less lots of good folk superstions.
August 6, 2014
This was a lovely insight into Transylvanian folklore and the history of all sorts of creepy characters that delight and destroy.
March 8, 2011
A great introduction to the authentic Tranylvania.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews