| Elizabeth Bathory | |
|---|---|
 | |
|
Real Name |
Elizabeth Bathory |
|
Born |
August 7, 1560 |
|
Died |
August 21, 1614 |
Origin[]
Elizabeth Bathory in Forbidden Worlds #11.
Countess Elizabeth Báthory de Ecsed was a Hungarian noblewoman and alleged serial killer from the Báthory family, who owned land in the Kingdom of Hungary (now Slovakia). Báthory and four of her servants were accused of torturing and killing hundreds of girls and women from 1590 to 1610. Her servants were put on trial and convicted whereas Báthory was imprisoned within the Castle of Csejte (Čachtice), where she died under mysterious circumstances.
Stories about Báthory quickly became part of national folklore. Legends describing her vampiric tendencies, such as the tale that she bathed in the blood of virgins to retain her youth, were generally recorded years after her death and are considered unreliable.
Public Domain Literary Appearances[]
- Tragica Historia (1729)
- The Devil's Wagon (1925)
Public Domain Theatrical Appearances[]
- Erzsébet Báthory: An Historic Tragedy in Five Acts (1865)
Public Domain Comic Appearances[]
- Forbidden Worlds #11
Notes[]
- Some insist she inspired Bram Stoker's Dracula (1897), although Stoker's notes on the novel provide no evidence to support this.
- Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, whose name inspired the term masochism, was inspired by the Báthory legend to write his 1874 novella Ewige Jugend.