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| From the land of Dracula |
The region of Transylvania in eastern Europe was home to the infamous Vlad Dracul, a prince so sadistic that legend transformed him into a vampire. The region was the source of a rich vampire lore, as well as some other curiosities, such as killing and burying black tomcats in fields on Christmas Eve as a way of keeping evil spirits from harming the crops.
In various other parts of Europe there were similar practices of burying cats—usually black ones, and usually toms—to ensure bumper crops.
