The First Real Vampire?: The Story of Elizabeth Bathory

Who was Elizabeth Bathory?
Elizabeth Bathory is considered to be one of the most famous female serial killers of all time. She lived in a large castle in Cachtice, Slovakia in the late 16th century and spent years torturing her victims (usually young girls) in her castle (6). Because of Bathory's love for victims' blood, she is often labeled as a countess to Dracula in pop culture and has become an icon in modern horror.

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Elizabeth Bathory's sadistic ways are believed to have stemmed from her troubled childhood. In an article titled "The Symbolic Construction of the Monstrous", Laszlo Kürti notes that as a child Bathory suffered from epilepsy. She would often fall into hysterical fits that could not be controlled. Bathory's unusually fits were not the only strange aspect of her life; she also came from a family of disturbed people. An article from the History Channel's website states that Bathory's aunt and uncle both were dedicated Satanist and taught Bathory many of their beliefs (2).  Not only did Bathory come from a family of Satanist, she also came from a family of nobles, which would play a significant role in her killings. Richard Pallardy's article on Britannica notes that her family was in control of Transylvania, and her uncle was king of Poland (6). She also was eventually married to a Count named Ferencz Nadasdy. His death would eventually play a role in Elizabeth's killings.

Elizabeth's Crimes

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There is a lot of guesswork that goes into explaining exactly when Elizabeth's crimes started. In an article on Britannica, the author states that Elizabeth's gruesome tortures did not start until around 1604 after her husband died. Another article on the History Channel says that the killings were going on before that but became much worse after her husband's death. Either way, Elizabeth committed countless violent acts on her servants. The one she is most famous for is "the blood-bath". Legend has it, she was in the process of murdering one of her servants when some of the blood got on her skin. She realized it made her feel rejuvenated and soon began bathing in it, as well as drinking it in order to preserve her youth. Because of her obsession with blood, she later earned the title of "the first real vampire" (5). Elizabeth committed hundreds of other disturbing crimes that I will not detail here, but below is a link that explains more about her killings. (Warning: some of these stories are very violent, so if you are squeamish, I would not recommend watching.)

The Trial 
After years of brutally torturing victims, Bathory was finally trialed and proven guilty of killing over eighty girls and hundreds of other people, Kelly states in her article titled "Elizabeth Bathory - Countess Dracula". She was able to get away with these killings for so long because of her status in society. The Lord of Hungry is thought to have known about her crimes for years but never said anything because he was her cousin and did not want to tarnish the family name (5). Finally, her crimes became so horrific, he decided he had to act. When Elizabeth was finally trialed, she did not even receive the death penalty. Her high status and relations to the Lord of Hungry allowed her to live. She was imprisoned and eventually died four years after in the year 1614. 

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Influence on Pop Culture 
Today, historians realize there is little proof for the blood-bath crimes Bathory committed but she still lives on as a popular icon in horror. Although, the rumor about Elizabeth Bathory bathing in and drinking her victims' blood did not gain much attention until the late 19th century and early 20th century; the legend really takes root with the release of Bram Stoker's famous novel, Dracula. Kurti states in his article "The Symbolic Construction of the Monstrous", people began calling Bathory Dracula's "female alter ego"; this brought about rumors that Stoker based the Count after Elizabeth Bathory but Stoker never confirmed them.  Films were also made based of off Bathory, most of them coming out in the 1970s, with films like The Legend of Blood Castle (1973), Countess Dracula (1971), and Daughters of Dracula (1971). The fascination continues in film even into the 21st century with movies like Bathory released in 2008 and The Countess in 2009. The films tend to center in on Elizabeth as a vampire and her love for victims' blood.

Elizabeth Bathory continues to live on as one of the most famous female serial killers of all time. Despite the severity of her crimes, her story has proven to be timeless. Perhaps the Countess wanted to achieve the notoriety she still possesses today. No one will ever know for sure, but her gruesomeness will forever fascinate, as well as haunt popular culture. 

Works Cited

(1) "Bathory: Countess of Blood". Amazon.com, https://www.amazon.com/Bathory-Countess-Blood-Anna-Friel/dp/B007V57HTO

(2) “Bathory's Torturous Escapades Are Exposed.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 21 Aug. 2018, www.history.com/this-day-in-history/bathorys-torturous-escapades-are-exposed.

(3) "Countess Elizabeth Bathory". wikipedia.com, 7 May 2016, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Elizabeth_Bathory_Portrait.jpg

(4) Kelly, Amy. “Elizabeth Báthory - Countess Dracula.” History of Royal Women, 30 Sept. 2018, www.historyofroyalwomen.com/elizabeth-bathory/elizabeth-bathory-countess-dracula/.

(5) Kürti, László1. "The Symbolic Constriction of the Monstrous - The Elizabeth Bathory Story." Croatian Journal of Ethnology & Folklore Research / Narodna Umjetnost, 2009, Vol. 46 Issue 1, p133-159, Humanities Source.

(6) Pallardy, Richard. “Elizabeth Báthory.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 3 Aug. 2018, www.britannica.com/biography/Elizabeth-Bathory.

(7) "The Fabled Bathory Blood Bath". elzabethbathory.org, http://www.elizabethbathory.org/articles/the-myth.html

(8) TheInfographicsShow, director. Serial Killer Who Killed Over 500 People - The Blood Countess. YouTube, YouTube, 2 June 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUQAEtPmxBA&t=137s.