Abraham Van Helsing

Van Helsing
Dracula character
Edward Van Sloan as Van Helsing in Dracula (1931)
Created byBram Stoker
In-universe information
Alias
  • Van Helsing
  • Doctor Van Helsing
  • Professor Van Helsing
Occupation
  • Professor, Doctor, Lawyer, Philosopher, Scientist, Metaphysician, and Vampire hunter
ReligionRoman Catholic
NationalityDutch
BirthplaceAmsterdam, Netherlands

Professor Abraham Van Helsing (Dutch: [ˈaːbraːɦɑɱ vɑn ˈhɛlsɪŋ]) is a fictional character from the 1897 gothic horror novel Dracula written by Bram Stoker. Van Helsing is a Dutch polymath doctor with a wide range of interests and accomplishments, partly attested by the string of letters that follows his name: "MD, D.Ph., D.Litt., etc.", indicating a wealth of experience, education and expertise. He is a doctor, professor, lawyer, philosopher, scientist, and metaphysician. The character is best known through many adaptations of the story as a vampire slayer, monster hunter and the arch-nemesis of Count Dracula, and the prototypical and the archetypal parapsychologist in subsequent works of paranormal fiction. Some later works tell new stories about Van Helsing, while others, such as Dracula (2020) and I Woke Up a Vampire (2023) have characters that are his descendants.