Post by claddaghlass on Sept 16, 2010 15:03:00 GMT -5
Warning: The subject of Elizabeth Báthory is a gruesome one. This missive contains stories to what the countess has allegedly done.
I am writing all this down from memory from an essay I had to pen many years ago. Please forgive any mistakes I have made.
Elizabeth Báthory, also known as Erzsébet, The Blood Countess, Countess Dracula, among other names that escape my memory at the moment.
In some cases she's also linked to the common childhood game "Bloody Mary."
She was born in Hungary on August 7, 1560 and died in 1610. What happened exactly is still debated to this day. She is rumored to have killed or had killed roughly 600 women and children. She is rumored to have bathed and drank their blood to retain her youthful appearance.
It is believed the killings began in 1590 and ended in 1610.
The legends start with a servant girl brushing the countess' hair. The servant pulled the countess' hair by accident and was slapped so hard her nose bled.
The countess believed that the areas where the servant's blood came in contact with her skin made it whiter and more youthful in appearance.
She soon had the poor servant killed and allegedly bathed in her blood.
There are also rumors of her biting and attacking servants until they bled.
One story goes that Elizabeth Báthory had an iron maiden like device with holes in the bottom. A girl would be forced in there, the contraption would be heated up and someone would jab at her body with a hot poker causing the girl to be injured by the spikes. Either the blood would be collected in a bucket or Elizabeth Báthory would be directly underneath the contraption to receive the blood.
Another is she would torture girls by having them stripped naked in the freezing snow and have water poured over them to make them freeze to death that much faster.
Again, this isn't known for absolute certain. It could have happened or it could be propaganda. We just don't know.
The burial process for the deceased is largely debated. Some say Elizabeth Báthory made sure the deceased girls had Christian funerals while others say the bodies were thrown outside and left for the wild animals to feast upon.
The legend goes a group of men stormed the castle to find a gruesome sight. One girl lay naked and dead, drained of all blood. Another was barely alive and bore puncture marks all over her body. The third was still alive but had been terribly tortured.
When the investigation and trials started Elizabeth Báthory was originally supposed to have been hidden away and put in a secret location. However, the story leaked out about that and how she allegedly had noble women and girls tortured. After that she was kept under strict supervision.
Instead she was put under house arrest. People and even a king called for Elizabeth Báthory's death. It was decided that such an act would not be a good one so she was kept under house arrest.
The men who had helped Elizabeth Báthory with the horrible acts were both put to death.
She was walled up in part of her house and was rumored to have screamed and banged on the windows. A small opening was left in a door to allow for air and food to be passed through. She lived this way for roughly four years. The exact date of death is unknown but it is rumored to be around August of 1610.
Elizabeth Báthory has never faded from popular legend and belief.
Multiple books, movies, and plays have been written about her.
Clothing bears her image and even toys and displays have been made using her alleged likeness. The most common of which features a shapely blonde woman sitting in a tub filled with blood. Next to her is a light fixture with three female heads impaled upon it.
Some women have been photographed nude sitting in a modern tub of fake blood.
She has been demonized and idolized by many.
Elizabeth Báthory had hoped to keep her name and legend alive for centuries. Insane and truly twisted or a scheming temptress she has indeed made her wish come true.
I am writing all this down from memory from an essay I had to pen many years ago. Please forgive any mistakes I have made.
Elizabeth Báthory, also known as Erzsébet, The Blood Countess, Countess Dracula, among other names that escape my memory at the moment.
In some cases she's also linked to the common childhood game "Bloody Mary."
She was born in Hungary on August 7, 1560 and died in 1610. What happened exactly is still debated to this day. She is rumored to have killed or had killed roughly 600 women and children. She is rumored to have bathed and drank their blood to retain her youthful appearance.
It is believed the killings began in 1590 and ended in 1610.
The legends start with a servant girl brushing the countess' hair. The servant pulled the countess' hair by accident and was slapped so hard her nose bled.
The countess believed that the areas where the servant's blood came in contact with her skin made it whiter and more youthful in appearance.
She soon had the poor servant killed and allegedly bathed in her blood.
There are also rumors of her biting and attacking servants until they bled.
One story goes that Elizabeth Báthory had an iron maiden like device with holes in the bottom. A girl would be forced in there, the contraption would be heated up and someone would jab at her body with a hot poker causing the girl to be injured by the spikes. Either the blood would be collected in a bucket or Elizabeth Báthory would be directly underneath the contraption to receive the blood.
Another is she would torture girls by having them stripped naked in the freezing snow and have water poured over them to make them freeze to death that much faster.
Again, this isn't known for absolute certain. It could have happened or it could be propaganda. We just don't know.
The burial process for the deceased is largely debated. Some say Elizabeth Báthory made sure the deceased girls had Christian funerals while others say the bodies were thrown outside and left for the wild animals to feast upon.
The legend goes a group of men stormed the castle to find a gruesome sight. One girl lay naked and dead, drained of all blood. Another was barely alive and bore puncture marks all over her body. The third was still alive but had been terribly tortured.
When the investigation and trials started Elizabeth Báthory was originally supposed to have been hidden away and put in a secret location. However, the story leaked out about that and how she allegedly had noble women and girls tortured. After that she was kept under strict supervision.
Instead she was put under house arrest. People and even a king called for Elizabeth Báthory's death. It was decided that such an act would not be a good one so she was kept under house arrest.
The men who had helped Elizabeth Báthory with the horrible acts were both put to death.
She was walled up in part of her house and was rumored to have screamed and banged on the windows. A small opening was left in a door to allow for air and food to be passed through. She lived this way for roughly four years. The exact date of death is unknown but it is rumored to be around August of 1610.
Elizabeth Báthory has never faded from popular legend and belief.
Multiple books, movies, and plays have been written about her.
Clothing bears her image and even toys and displays have been made using her alleged likeness. The most common of which features a shapely blonde woman sitting in a tub filled with blood. Next to her is a light fixture with three female heads impaled upon it.
Some women have been photographed nude sitting in a modern tub of fake blood.
She has been demonized and idolized by many.
Elizabeth Báthory had hoped to keep her name and legend alive for centuries. Insane and truly twisted or a scheming temptress she has indeed made her wish come true.
