Elizabeth Báthory: The Story
It’s a little hyperbolic to suggest there are two different versions of Elizabeth Bathory’s past, but there is the exaggerated and largely speculative story, and then the actual facts surrounding her life. The story is that Elizabeth Bathory was born into the home of politically efficient rulers, in a household the was fairly enthusiastic when it came to violence. It’s said that when Elizabeth was just a little girl, she would watch with glee while her father or mother tortured or punished soldiers, servants, or peasants. From other reports, it was said that when she was a small child, Elizabeth suffered from seizures and intense rage. When Elizabeth was only eleven years old, she was engaged to a man who would grow to be a powerful military figure, “Ferenc Nadasdy”. However, some sources claim that three years after she was engaged she had an affair with a peasant.
When Elizabeth was only fourteen years old, she had her first child, according to some stories, a bastard daughter with the peasant. She was sequestered away by relatives in another household until the child was born. Afterwards, when she was fifteen, she was immediately wed to her fiance. After ten years of being married, the couple finally had a daughter, they named her Anna; and throughout the next nine years, they had two more daughters. One of Elizabeth Bathory’s accomplices, Jo Ilona, was also the wetnurse for all three of her daughters. It is said that Elizabeth first became truly acquainted with torturing others when she began disciplining the large staff of the castle. Later on, while Elizabeth’s husband was out serving in the Hungarian military, Bathory’s manservant, Thorko, is believed to have introduced her to the occult. Also, according to some sources, Bathory ran away with a man for a short time, but then returned home; her husband supposedly had forgiven her, and welcomed her home.
The most popular version of how Elizabeth Bathory came to be such a cruel figure in history, was her initiation into true bloodlust. According to popular lore, one day, while a servant was brushing Elizabeth’s hair, the girl snagged a knot. Elizabeth slapped the girl hard enough to break the skin, and blood spilled onto her hand. When Elizabeth wiped the blood away, it seemed to her that the skin beneath was fresher and more youthful. Thereafter, Elizabeth began bathing in the blood of young women, and some claim, also drinking it. Also, according to legend, exists a book with exactly 650 names in it, all of the women Elizabeth Bathory killed; however, the book was never found.