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| '''Elizabeth |
'''Elizabeth Báthory''' ''(Erzsébet Báthory)'' (], ] - ], ]) was a ] countess, a niece of King ] of Poland. She was a ], reputed to have been responsible for the torture and murder of over six hundred peasant women in her castle. When her crimes were discovered in 1610, she was tried and imprisoned in solitary confinement, where she died. Her collaborators were executed, although, ''I'' think maybe her husband was spared, being part of the nobility and all. | ||
| She is thought to have been the origin of numerous ] myths, the ] story, and the trope of the sexually sadistic vampiress in particular. | She is thought to have been the origin of numerous ] myths, the ] story, and the trope of the sexually sadistic vampiress in particular. | ||
| == |
==Motive== | ||
| * McNally, Raymond T.: ''Dracula was a woman: in search of the blood countess of Transylvania''. New York: McGraw Hill, 1983. | |||
| It is believed that Báthory's primary motive for killing was that she sought to improve her complexion by bathing in the blood of girls. | |||
| ==Báthory Lineage | |||
| The Báthory family line stems from the ] clan, which once held power in broad areas of east central Europe (in what is now ], ], ], and ]) The Hun Gutkeled emerged to assume a role of relative eminence by the early ] and assumed the name of one of their estates (Bátor meaning ''"valiant"''). Their power peaked during the mid-], and was virtually gone by ]. | |||
| ==Báthory's Psyche== | |||
| It is believed that the Báthory family was ] and this may have helped cause various ] disorders, which the family was known to have. | |||
| ==Early Life of Erzsébet Báthory== | |||
| At 15 she was forced into marriage to a soldier and became the lady of the ], his home, situated in the ] of, what is now, central ], which then was known only as ]. The castle was surrounded by a village of peasants and rolling agricultural lands, interspersed with outcroppings of the Carpathians. | |||
| Erzsébet began to gather those who claimed to be ]es, ]s, ]s, ]s, ]s, and those who would practice the most depraved deeds in league with ]. | |||
| While interrogating ]s, her husband employed a device of torture: articulated claw-like pincers, of ]; which, when fastened to a whip would tear and rip the flesh to such an obscene degree that he abandoned the apparatus in disgust and left it at the castle. | |||
| Aware of Elizabeth's preoccupations, her aunt had introduced her to ] (enacted upon others, of course), a taste Elizabeth quickly acquired. Equipped with her husband's silver claws, she generously indulged herself, whiling away many lonely hours at the expense of forlorn ]ic debtors. She preferred to whip her subjects on the front of their nude bodies rather than their backs, so that she could gleefully watch their faces contort in horror at their fate. | |||
| Her husband died in 1604 | |||
Revision as of 22:38, 2 January 2003
Elizabeth Báthory (Erzsébet Báthory) (August 7, 1560 - August 21, 1614) was a Transylvanian countess, a niece of King Stephen Báthory of Poland. She was a serial killer, reputed to have been responsible for the torture and murder of over six hundred peasant women in her castle. When her crimes were discovered in 1610, she was tried and imprisoned in solitary confinement, where she died. Her collaborators were executed, although, I think maybe her husband was spared, being part of the nobility and all.
She is thought to have been the origin of numerous vampire myths, the Dracula story, and the trope of the sexually sadistic vampiress in particular.
Motive
It is believed that Báthory's primary motive for killing was that she sought to improve her complexion by bathing in the blood of girls.
==Báthory Lineage
The Báthory family line stems from the Hun Gutkeled clan, which once held power in broad areas of east central Europe (in what is now Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, and Romania) The Hun Gutkeled emerged to assume a role of relative eminence by the early 13th Century and assumed the name of one of their estates (Bátor meaning "valiant"). Their power peaked during the mid-16th Century, and was virtually gone by 1658.
Báthory's Psyche
It is believed that the Báthory family was inbred and this may have helped cause various psychotic disorders, which the family was known to have.
Early Life of Erzsébet Báthory
At 15 she was forced into marriage to a soldier and became the lady of the Castle of Csejthe, his home, situated in the Carpathian mountains of, what is now, central Romania, which then was known only as Transylvania. The castle was surrounded by a village of peasants and rolling agricultural lands, interspersed with outcroppings of the Carpathians.
Erzsébet began to gather those who claimed to be witches, sorcerers, seers, wizards, alchemists, and those who would practice the most depraved deeds in league with Satan.
While interrogating Turks, her husband employed a device of torture: articulated claw-like pincers, of silver; which, when fastened to a whip would tear and rip the flesh to such an obscene degree that he abandoned the apparatus in disgust and left it at the castle.
Aware of Elizabeth's preoccupations, her aunt had introduced her to flagellation (enacted upon others, of course), a taste Elizabeth quickly acquired. Equipped with her husband's silver claws, she generously indulged herself, whiling away many lonely hours at the expense of forlorn Slavic debtors. She preferred to whip her subjects on the front of their nude bodies rather than their backs, so that she could gleefully watch their faces contort in horror at their fate.
Her husband died in 1604