Recently I came across a few references that suggested that Dublin-born Bram Stoker, the author of Dracula, was actually a member of the Golden Dawn. This is potentially true, since he lived at the right time, and may have known Yeats (although I don't believe this was ever specified). His interest in vampires and the supernatural is also a potential reason for why he might have been attracted to the Order.
So, does anyone know if this is true or not? Can anyone find some sources and provide them here? I'm very much interested in seeing if yet another Irish writer was a member of the Order.
So, does anyone know if this is true or not? Can anyone find some sources and provide them here? I'm very much interested in seeing if yet another Irish writer was a member of the Order.
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16 comments:
It's been reported, erroneously, in some book (most recently in Our Gods Wear Spandex) that Stoker was a member of the Golden Dawn, but most well-researched accounts say he was not. He was friends with and hung out with members of the Order (Pamela Colman Smith, for example), but was not himself a member.
Thanks for that info, Psyche! :)
LVX,
Dean.
Reading the Temple membership rolls (as published in R.A. Gilberts 'The Golden Dawn Companion', you won't find any references to Bram Stoker at all.
S.R.
Ave Fr. S.R.
Unfortunately I don't have Gilbert's book yet, but I'm trying to hunt down all of the various out of print texts dealing with the G.'.D.'., so fingers crossed that I'll have it soon.
Thanks for reinforcing the info that Psyche gave me. I'm just hoping my readers will check these comments before running off claiming that Stoker was a member! ;)
LVX,
Dean.
Bram Stoker was a very close friend of Brodie-Innes and also of the Carnegie-Dicksons. I have a letter from Mrs Carnegie Dickson saying that during an 'astral Order' meeting where various deceased Order Chiefs were 'resent', Stoker was also there. She comments that she did not know whether he had been an Order member but assumed he had been.
Regarding the lists in Bob Gilbert's book. Very useful as it is it is not a complete list as he acknowledges. In terms of both dates and particular temples, details are lacking. Moreover, with regard to the SM, another set of card indices has been found (but still unpublished) which contain many more names.
Fraternally
Tony
Ave Tony,
Thank you very much for this information. It is very unusual that Stoker was present during one of the astral meetings, suggesting a very close connection. Thanks also for the clarification on the members lists. Hopefully the new SM indices will be published sometime, as I'm intrigued to see what other people turn up among the G.'.D.'. ranks.
LVX,
Dean.
I can only follow up on the R. A. Gilbert list and comments on associations, but very intrigued by the anonymous comment that was nonetheless signed Tony about the new card listings.
Let me also add that Pamela Colman Smith only joined the Golden Dawn in 1903, probably more through the influence of Yeats than Stoker.
Thanks for the comments. Any chance you'd like to share who you are?
LVX,
Dean.
I have been clicking "Anonymous", but won't this time.
Also, to get back to Tony's comment, should it be assumed that Stoker was "'present'" along with and in the same way as were the "various deceased Order Chiefs" mentioned; was Stoker's presence resultant from the astral Order meeting? Was he still alive at the time? If we could get some clarification on that it would be helpful!
I have seen it suggested that he may have attended some meetings with Broddie Innes without ever having become a member. I have also long felt that the heroine of Stoker's Dracula is likely based on Mina Mathers. A novel by James Reese, The Dracula Dossier, has Stoker a most active participant in the Order. It doesn't seem to be a very helpful piece, however.
My understanding of Tony's comment is Stoker was dead and that Carnegie-Dickson assumed that he was an Order chief, given they were working astrally with deceased Order chiefs and he showed up. Unfortunately, this and other vague inferences are not substantial enough to say that he was indeed a member.
LVX,
Dean.
The Wikipedia entry for the H. O. G. D. indeed lists Stoker as a member of the Order, giving the following two sources, neither one of which have I seen. They are both relatively recent. ^ Ravenscroft, Trevor (1982). The occult power behind the spear which pierced the side of Christ. Red Wheel. pp. p165. ISBN 0877285470.
^ Picknett, Lynn (2004). The Templar Revelation: Secret Guardians of the True Identity of Christ. Simon and Schuster. pp. p201. ISBN 0743273257.
Yes, I've seen those citations, but haven't read the books in question. If you or anyone else read those books, I would greatly appreciate a quotation from the relevant pages to see how reliable they are as sources.
LVX,
Dean.
The Templar Relevation simply asserts Stoker was a member of the Golden Dawn.
Thanks for the info. It's a pity that's not substantial enough to go on alone.
LVX,
Dean.
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