| Wooden stake | |
|---|---|
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| Wooden stake | |
| Type: | Weapon |
| Availability: | Uncommon item |
A wooden stake is basically just an over-sized toothpick. It is a shaft of wood (stop snickering) approximately two feet in length and fits comfortably in the grip of your hand (again, stop snickering). One end is sharpened to a point, which makes it an ideal and easy to use stabbing weapon. To a creative individual, a wooden stake may have a variety of uses, but by and large, a wooden stake serves but a single purpose - killing vampires. It is the most commonly used and efficient weapon in any vampire-slayer's arsenal. No training required. Just pick it up, stick the pointy end into the heart of any vampire and... Voila! Be mindful though, you have to make sure it pierces the heart. A head shot won't do you much good against a vampire. Wooden stakes have been used to kill vampires since the earliest tales and folklore. In fiction, a wooden stake to the ticker may cause a vampire to turn to dust or explode, or it may only incapacitate them, rendering them immobile until a more permanent means of execution can be affected. In the latter situation, one must be careful not to remove the stake, or else the vampire will regain its vitality and come after ya. Wooden stakes may be carved from nearly types of wood. Mahogany and Teak are strong woods and make for very effective weapons. Pine is the easiest to carve, but it is a soft wood and may break or splinter if the offending vampire happens to be particularly hearty. In an emergency situation, busting a leg off a table or chair can make for a fairly effective impromptu wooden stake.
A wooden stake is seen in nearly every on-screen interpretation of the 1897 novel, Dracula. In Francis Ford Coppola's 1992 adaptation of the film, the characters of Abraham Van Helsing, Quincey Morris and Arthur Holmwood all took turns hammering wooden stakes into the heart of the recently made vampire, Lucy Westenra. [1]
In Hammer Film Productions' Horror of Dracula, Jonathan Harker pounded a wooden stake through the heart of a vampire woman. He made sure to whack the thing into her three times, insuring her demise.
A hippie named Michael Thompson armed himself with a stake in order to fight off the vampire Count Yorga. Yorga pushed the recently-turned mother of Michael's friend, Donna, into him, and Michael accidentally impaled her with his stake. Yorga fled into the next room, but turned around to face Michael. He charged at him, but Michael ran him through with the stake, reducing him to a pile of dust. [2]
Wooden bullets[]
A wooden bullet is a bullet made of wood. It serves a similar purpose as that of a wooden stake in that it is an effective means of shooting and destroying a vampire; provided that the bullet hits either the vampire's head or heart. This was a common form of anti-vampire defense used in the HBO television series True Blood. When Jason Stackhouse and several others raided the Vampire Authority Headquarters, Jason took out numerous vampires with wooden bullets. [3]
Notes & Trivia[]
- Wooden Stake and Wooden stakes both redirect to this page.
- Wooden bullet and Wooden bullets both redirect to the appropriate section header on this page.
- Slayer Kendra Young nicknamed her favorite stake "Mister Pointy".
- Although wooden stakes are not particularly common in the real world, they are very common items found in the realms of supernatural and horror fiction.
References[]
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