Transylvania and literature as a land of mystery and magic. For example, in Paulo Coelho's novel "The Witch of Portobello", the main character, Sherine Khalil, is described as a Transylvanian orphan with a Romani mother, in an effort to add to the character's exotic mystique. The so-called Transylvanian trilogy of historical novels by Miklos Banffy, "The Writing on the Wall", is an extended treatment of the 19th- and early 20th-century social and political history of the country. Among the first actors to portray Dracula in film was Bela Lugosi, who was born in Banat, in present-day Romania. Transylvania Transylvania is a
Early German colonists in Transylvania Early German colonists in Transylvania Medardus de Nympz is the Latinized name of Medard zu Nimesch, an early medieval German colonist in Transylvania. Born around 1215 in the Moselle Franconian area of Luccelemburc (Luxembourg), Medardus served during his early years as a "squire" (Edelknecht) in the Horseman Entourage of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II. In 1237 Medardus was appointed a Knight of the Holy Roman Empire in recognition of his valiant services at the Battle of Cortenuova. In 1243 Medardus followed the invitation of the Hungarian King Bela IV to settle in Transylvania (ad retinendam coronam), which had been