The vampire in Sheridan Le Fanu's 'Carmilla' is Carmilla. The novella follows Laura, a young woman living with her father in a secluded castle in Styria, who becomes fascinated—and increasingly endangered—by the mysterious Carmilla.
Carmilla arrives under an assumed identity after a carriage accident separates her from her mother. She forms an intense, unsettling bond with Laura while young women in the surrounding area suffer mysterious illnesses and deaths. The story gradually reveals that Carmilla is a vampire, connected to the noblewoman Mircalla Karnstein.
First published as a serial in 1871–1872 and collected in 1872, 'Carmilla' predates Bram Stoker's 'Dracula' by 25 years. Its portrayal of a seductive female vampire and its themes of secrecy, desire, and predation made it a foundational work of vampire literature.
A common mix-up is confusing Carmilla with Count Dracula, who belongs to Stoker's 1897 novel. Ruthven is the vampire in John Polidori's 'The Vampyre', while Varney is the title vampire of 'Varney the Vampire'.