Hellsing References
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Abraham Van Helsing
A character in Bram Stoker's 1897 novel, Dracula, Helsing is an accomplished doctor with a specialty in "obscure diseases." Dr. Seward, another character in the novel, summons Helsing to discover the nature of Lucy Westenra's affliction, which turns out to be vampirism. It is assumed that Integra Hellsing, and her father Arthur Hellsing, are descendants of this same line, though it is unknown how, as, in the novel, his son and wife are dead, possibly by some demonic force. Whatever the relationship may be, this apparently caused the formation of the present-day Hellsing organization, a well-kept secret within the British government.
H.P. Lovecraft
Creator of the popular Cthulu mythos, Lovecraft's literature, which highly references the occult and demonic forces, can be seen throughout the Hellsing mythos, from characters like Richard Upton Pickman, and more prominently the visual artistry of the series, such as demonic dogs and multiple-eyed creatures with tentacles, all forms the lead Alucard can take.
Dead Zone
Episode 6 of the Hellsing TV series is titled Dead Zone, after the name of an arc in the manga where the Valentine Brothers wage an attack at the heart of the Hellsing organization. This title is a reference to the Stephen King novel, "Dead Zone," in which the lead character, Johnny Smith, is able to psychically discern past events of rooms and people by simple touch. King is known and highly regarded for his many works regarding the supernatural.
Thomas Cromwell
In episode 6, "Dead Zone," as Alucard releases his Control Art Restriction to level 2 to fight the freak vampire Luke Valentine, he states that "Cromwell approval is in effect." While there are several famous figures with the last name of Cromwell, the most prominent of them is Thomas Cromwell, who, during the Dissolution of Monasteries(where Henry VIII delcared himself Supreme Head of the Church of England, as suggested strongly by Cromwell), gained great state powers of the churches in England, such as denouncing monks and nuns by calling them "sorcerers" and declaring them as an economic wasteland within the economy. Cromwell was executed after the suggestion that Henry VIII marry Anne of Cleves, which ended in an annulment. Apparently, Cromwell was purposely given an inexperienced executioner, who took all of three tries to finally cleave off Cromwell's head, a head which was then boiled, put on a spike, and pointed away from London.
Mason Fox
In episode 7, "Duel," Seras and remaining Hellsing commander Mason Fox are holding off a group of vampires at Queen's Gate (or Queensway). Mason Fox is a possible reference to the character Brian J. Mason from the anime series Bubblegum Crisis and Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040. Mason was played by Jouji Nakata, the actor for Alucard in both the Hellsing TV series and OAV, in the Japanese dub of Bubblegum Crisis 2040. Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040 was also written by Chiaki J. Konaka, the writer for the Hellsing TV series.
Peter Pan
In episode 7, "Duel," numerous references are made to the James Matthew Barrie story, "Peter Pan," as a way of indicating characters by their code name, Peter Pan is Alucard, Wendy is Integra, Tiger Lily is Seras, Captain Hook is Anderson, and the "lost boys and filthy fairies" are the Hellsing organization.
Judas Priest
In episode 7, "Duel," when Alucard encounter Anderson on the train at Queen's Gate (or Queensway), Alucard refers to Anderson as "Judas Priest." Judas Priest is an Enlgish heavy metal band which, since its inception in 1968, has been a major influence on the industry and genre as a whole, due to their risque lyrics involving messages of sin and death, to their unique approach to guitar stylings. When considering Hellsin's demonic source material and modern rock soundtrack, it comes as no surprise that the show chose to reference them.
"The Dark Continent"
At one point in the series the demon Incognito is indicated to have origins in "the dark continent." The Dark Continent is an older, rarely in-use phrase that indicates Africa, during a time of which little was known about this land mass, causing a great deal of romanticism around the idea of what this world may hold.
Boobhanshee
In episode 9, "Red Rose Vertigo," it is discovered that Laura, apparently Integra's sister, is actually what the series dubs a "boobhanshee." This can be seen as a clever colloquialism of the baobhan sith, a vampire breed from Scottish mythology which is said to wear a green dress, and that Hellsing nearly eradicated at some point. Laura is also the name of the female victim of a vampire attack in the 1872 novel, "Carmilla," while explored lesbian relationships among vampires and was one of the inspriations for Bram Stoker's "Dracula." Much in the way Carmilla Millarca violated and controlled Laura in the novel, so too does the Boohbanshee to Integra Hellsing in episode 9.
General George S. Patton
In episode 10, "Master of Monster," Walter indicates a tradition by soldiers in the army of Patton. George S. Patton is a highly decorated and respected General of the United States Army, who organized famous operations around the globe during World War II, such as North Africa and Sicily, even earning verbal recognition from the German military and Russia's Joesph Stalin.
Richard Upton Pickman
In episode 12, "Total Destruction," a fellow Hellsing soldier named Pickman fights alongside Alucard against Incognito's demon hordes. This is likely a reference to H.P. Lovecraft's "Cthulu" character Richard Upton Pickman, who is a Boston painter that turns into a ghoul.
"Site of Scaffold"
Early in episode 12, "Total Destruction," the character of Pickman, a Hellsing soldier and reference to an H.P. Lovecraft short story, takes out one of Incognito's demons, which falls, dead, on a plaque that reads "Site of Scaffold." This is the site where Anne Boleyn, one of Henry VIII's six marriages, was executed on the Tower Green in London.
British locales
Hellsing, taking place in England, references numerous real world sites, including, but not limited to, the town of Cheddar, the cities of London, Birmingham and Coventry, and the distrcit of Notting Hill.
Set
In the final episode of Hellsing, "Hellfire," Incognito summons up the god Set from Hell, and fuses with him to wage war on Alucard and the Earth itself. Set is represented as a giant, energy serpent, however, in the Egyptian mythology from which Set originates, he is a mysterious creature usually dubbed as the Set animal. In Egyptian culture, Set(also known as Seth, Seteh, Sutekh and Setesh) is the god of the desert, and largely a hero god to the Lower Egypt area. However, when the foreign Hyksos conquered Lower Egypt and made Set their god, and the Egyptians finally reclaimed the territory, the Egyptians now saw Set as an embodiment of all the foreign oppression they had endured, and viewed him as an evil god, who was accused of murdering their creator god Osiris.
Hellsing "Psalm of Darkness"
During the production of the series, the original title of the Hellsing TV series was Hellsing: Psalm of Darkness, with a trailer released to this effect that showcased various scenes from the manga animated by Gonzo. Psalms is collection of religious chants or songs in "The Holy Bible," and it is this designation that might have eased certain fan opinions of the Hellsing series, which deviates largely from the manga part way into episode 7, by further disassociating it with the source material.
