The Orchid Society of Great Britain

A Different Look at Dracula Names
Dracula pholeodytes Dracula vespertilio Dracula nycterina
Greek mythology and the vampire
connotations have been continued in the
naming of other draculas with D. alcithoe
named after a woman in Greek mythology
who was transformed into a bat (so in
future, don’t call anyone ‘a silly old bat’, call
them Alcithoë, it is just as insulting, but
more erudite); D. gigas named after a
mythological giant; D. gorgona named after
the gorgons, the three `orrible sisters with
snakes for hair (they couldn’t do anything
with them after a shampoo). Also D.
polyphemus – another name for the Cyclops
who imprisoned Odysseus in a cave and D.
psyche - a winged fairy (what other sorts are
there?).
On the vampire theme we have D. chiroptera
which is the mammalian order of bats; then Dracula lemurella
OSGBJ 2010 (59), No. 4 • 251