The Dutch

The Dutch refers to the people and culture of the Netherlands and countries like Holland, Denmark and Amsterdam. It may also refer to the language spoken by Amish people and Mennonites on shows such as Amish Mafia. In the context of this database however, the Dutch is an informal name referring to a group of vampires featured in the North American supernatural drama series Being Human, which is a remake of the 2008 BBC series of the same name. The Dutch first appeared in the season one episode "Dog Eat Dog".

Being Human
The Dutch are a group of elder vampires of Amish heritage who live in Pennsylvania and serve as the ruling council for many vampire societies across the East Coast. Their influence extends as far as Boston, Massachusetts. Led by a 1,010-year-old vampire named Heggeman, the Dutch operate in secret and go to ground once every fifty years. When they awaken, they survey their various territories to assess that vampire society is evolving to their standards.

In 2011, the members of the Dutch awakened after a standard fifty-year interregnum and came to Boston to inspect the work of the city's vampire elder, James Bishop. Bishop offered them all of the amenities one could expect from a vampire host, including a stable of female blood donors. Bishop announced his idea to reveal their existence to humanity, but his ambitious vision for the future was too progressive for the old-world thinking of the Dutch and he knew that they would only disrupt his plans for the city. Moreover, they wanted Bishop to cull his numbers, to bring the vampire population of Boston back to a more manageable number. Bishop poisoned the Dutch elders with Juniper, after which, he killed several of their number, including Stolzfus. Heggeman however, managed to get away.

After Bishop was beheaded by his progeny, Aidan Waite, the vacated leadership role was filled by an interrum authority figure known as Mother. As her title suggested, Mother was a vampire elder who wielded even greater authority than that of the Dutch. Heggeman allied himself with Mother and she sent him out to kill Aidan's werewolf ally, Josh Levinson. Upon attempting to shoot him however, Josh's lover Nora Sargeant, also a werewolf, pounced on Heggeman and killed him.

The disappearance of Heggeman did not go unnoticed by Mother. Another member of the Dutch, Atlee, led the investigation into his disappearance and nearly ended up a victim of Nora's werewolf form as well. Aidan Waite killed a purebreed werewolf named Connor McLean and presented it to Atlee, telling him that this was the werewolf that killed Heggeman. Atlee brought Connor's wolf body back to the surviving members of the Dutch.

Over the course of the following year, a strain of influenza swept through the country infecting many humans. Although a simple vaccination restored their health, it left behind a blood contaminate that was fatal to vampires. Any vampire who fed off an "unclean" human would suffer severe symptoms for two to three days and finally death. The virus whittled down the vampire ranks until only small pocket communities still existed. Atlee, Mother and several other high-ranking vampires all fell victims to this disease.

A man named Liam McLean, father of Connor and Brynn McLean, found a nest of surviving members of the Dutch and inquired about his son. They showed him Connor's decapitated wolf head nailed to a wall behind them. Liam flew into a rage and slaughtered the remaining members of the Dutch.

Notes & Trivia

 * There were five original members of the Dutch as first seen in "Dog Eat Dog". Only Heggeman and Stolzfus were named. All but Heggeman were beheaded by Bishop in "Going Dutch".


 * According to Bishop, the Dutch smelled of barn owls.