Lord Ruthven

Lord Ruthven ( ) is a fictional character. First appearing in print in 1819, in John William Polidori's "The Vampyre", he was one of the first vampire in English literature. The name Ruthven was taken from Lady Caroline Lamb's Glenarvon (1816), where it was used as an unflattering parody of Lord Byron, while the character was based on Augustus Darvell from Byron's "Fragment of a Novel" (1819). "The Vampyre" was written privately, and published without Polidori's consent, with revisions to the story made by Polidori for an unpublished second edition showing that he planned to change the name from Ruthven to Strongmore. The initial popularity of "The Vampyre" led to the character appearing in many translations and adaptations, including plays and operas, and Ruthven has continued to appear in modern works. The Lord Ruthven Award (1989–present) by the Lord Ruthven Assembly is named after the character.

There is a genuine title of Lord Ruthven of Freeland in the Peerage of Scotland, which is now a subsidiary title of the Earl of Carlisle in the United Kingdom. At the time "The Vampyre" was written, the title was held by James Ruthven, 7th Lord Ruthven of Freeland, though the fictional character is not related to the historical title holders.

The name Ruthven was used for the title character in the 1816 Gothic novel Glenarvon by Lady Caroline Lamb. This character was based on the genuine Lord Byron and was not a vampire. Lady Caroline was a former lover of Lord Byron's and the novel did not offer a flattering portrait.

The character of Lord Ruthven in John William Polidori's "The Vampyre" was based on Augustus Darvell in Byron's "Fragment of a Novel".