Elizabeth Báthory in popular culture
Encyclopedia
The influence of Elizabeth Báthory
in popular culture has been notable from the 18th century to the present day. Since her death, various myths and legends surrounding her story have preserved her as a prominent figure in folklore, literature, music, film, games and toys.
s. 18th and 19th century writers liberally added or omitted elements of the narrative. The most common motif of these works was that of the countess bathing in her victims' blood
in order to retain beauty or youth. Frequently, the cruel countess would discover the secret of blood bathing when she slapped a female servant in rage, splashing parts of her own skin with blood. Upon removal of the blood, that portion of skin would seem younger and more beautiful than before.
This legend appeared in print for the first time in 1729, in the Jesuit scholar László Turóczi’s Tragica Historia, the first written account of the Báthory case.
When quoting him in his 1742 history book, Matthias Bel was sceptical about this particular detail, he nevertheless helped the legend to spread. Subsequent writers of history and fiction alike often identified vanity
as the sole motivation for Báthory's crimes.
Modern historians Radu Florescu and Raymond T. McNally have concluded that the theory Báthory murdered on account of her vanity sprung up from contemporary prejudice
s about gender roles. Women were not believed to be capable of violence for its own sake. At the beginning of the 19th century, the vanity motif was first questioned, and sadist
ic pleasure was considered a far more plausible motive for Báthory's crimes. In 1817, the witness accounts (which had surfaced in 1765) were published for the first time, demonstrating that the bloodbaths or blood seeker for vanity aspect of Báthory's crimes were legend rather than fact.
The legend nonetheless persisted in the popular imagination. Some versions of the story were told with the purpose of denouncing female vanity, while other versions aimed to entertain or thrill their audience. Some versions of the story incorporated even more elaborate torture chamber
fantasies than recorded history could provide, such as the use of an iron maiden
, which were not based on the evidence from Báthory's trial. Leopold von Sacher-Masoch
, whose name inspired the term masochism, was inspired by the Báthory legend to write his 1874 novella Ewige Jugend ("eternal youth")
Bathory also appears as the main antagonist in the novel Dracula the Un-dead
, a sequel to Bram Stoker's classic novel. In the book, she is cousin to Dracula and was the motive behind his decision to move to London in the original novel as she was murdering women under the guise of Jack the Ripper
and he swore to stop her.
The historical novel The Countess by Rebecca Johns
tells a first-person fictionalized account of Báthory's life from her prison cell at Csejthe Castle. In the book, she tells her son, Pál, the story of her life, explaining her behavior toward her servants as punishment for their disloyalty.
story. Thus a 1970 movie based on Báthory and the bloodbath or blood seeker for vanity myth was titled Countess Dracula
.
Some Báthory biographers, McNally in particular, have tried to establish the bloodbath myth and the historical Elizabeth Báthory as a source of influence for Bram Stoker
's 1897 novel Dracula
, pointing to similarities in settings and motifs and the fact that Stoker might have read about her. This theory is strongly disputed by author Elizabeth Miller.
Meanwhile Báthory has become an influence for modern vampire literature and vampire films
.
:
6 Faces of Madness
series, a collection of action figures, including Rasputin and Vlad the Impaler. Báthory is depicted bathing in blood while the heads of some of her victims are impaled in a candelabrum. Bathory was also made as a doll in the Living Dead Dolls
series.
Songs about Elizabeth Báthory include:
Bands named after Elizabeth Báthory include:
Elizabeth Báthory
Countess Elizabeth Báthory de Ecsed was a countess from the renowned Báthory family of Hungarian nobility. Although in modern times she has been labelled the most prolific serial killer in history, the number of murders has been debated...
in popular culture has been notable from the 18th century to the present day. Since her death, various myths and legends surrounding her story have preserved her as a prominent figure in folklore, literature, music, film, games and toys.
In folklore and literature
The case of Elizabeth Báthory inspired numerous stories and fairy taleFairy tale
A fairy tale is a type of short story that typically features such folkloric characters, such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, dwarves, giants or gnomes, and usually magic or enchantments. However, only a small number of the stories refer to fairies...
s. 18th and 19th century writers liberally added or omitted elements of the narrative. The most common motif of these works was that of the countess bathing in her victims' blood
Blood
Blood is a specialized bodily fluid in animals that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells....
in order to retain beauty or youth. Frequently, the cruel countess would discover the secret of blood bathing when she slapped a female servant in rage, splashing parts of her own skin with blood. Upon removal of the blood, that portion of skin would seem younger and more beautiful than before.
This legend appeared in print for the first time in 1729, in the Jesuit scholar László Turóczi’s Tragica Historia, the first written account of the Báthory case.
When quoting him in his 1742 history book, Matthias Bel was sceptical about this particular detail, he nevertheless helped the legend to spread. Subsequent writers of history and fiction alike often identified vanity
Vanity
In conventional parlance, vanity is the excessive belief in one's own abilities or attractiveness to others. Prior to the 14th century it did not have such narcissistic undertones, and merely meant futility. The related term vainglory is now often seen as an archaic synonym for vanity, but...
as the sole motivation for Báthory's crimes.
Modern historians Radu Florescu and Raymond T. McNally have concluded that the theory Báthory murdered on account of her vanity sprung up from contemporary prejudice
Prejudice
Prejudice is making a judgment or assumption about someone or something before having enough knowledge to be able to do so with guaranteed accuracy, or "judging a book by its cover"...
s about gender roles. Women were not believed to be capable of violence for its own sake. At the beginning of the 19th century, the vanity motif was first questioned, and sadist
Sadism and masochism as medical terms
In psychiatry, the terms sadism and masochism describe a personality type characterized by the actor or actrix deriving pleasure and gratification from inflicting physical pain and humiliation ; and from suffering pain and humiliation upon the self ; such pleasure often is sexual, but not...
ic pleasure was considered a far more plausible motive for Báthory's crimes. In 1817, the witness accounts (which had surfaced in 1765) were published for the first time, demonstrating that the bloodbaths or blood seeker for vanity aspect of Báthory's crimes were legend rather than fact.
The legend nonetheless persisted in the popular imagination. Some versions of the story were told with the purpose of denouncing female vanity, while other versions aimed to entertain or thrill their audience. Some versions of the story incorporated even more elaborate torture chamber
Torture chamber
A torture chamber is a room where torture is inflicted.- Methods of coercion :According to Frederick Howard Wines in his book Punishment and Reformation: A Study Of The Penitentiary System there were three main types of coercion employed in the torture chamber: Coercion by the cord, by water and...
fantasies than recorded history could provide, such as the use of an iron maiden
Iron maiden (torture device)
An iron maiden is a torture device, consisting of an iron cabinet, with a hinged front, sufficiently tall to enclose a human being. It usually has a small closeable opening so that the torturer can interrogate the victim and torture or kill a person by piercing the body with sharp objects , while...
, which were not based on the evidence from Báthory's trial. Leopold von Sacher-Masoch
Leopold von Sacher-Masoch
Leopold Ritter von Sacher-Masoch was an Austrian writer and journalist, who gained renown for his romantic stories of Galician life. The term masochism is derived from his name....
, whose name inspired the term masochism, was inspired by the Báthory legend to write his 1874 novella Ewige Jugend ("eternal youth")
Bathory also appears as the main antagonist in the novel Dracula the Un-dead
Dracula the Un-dead
Dracula the Un-dead is a sequel to Bram Stoker's classic novel Dracula. The book was written by Bram Stoker's great grand-nephew Dacre Stoker and Ian Holt...
, a sequel to Bram Stoker's classic novel. In the book, she is cousin to Dracula and was the motive behind his decision to move to London in the original novel as she was murdering women under the guise of Jack the Ripper
Jack the Ripper
"Jack the Ripper" is the best-known name given to an unidentified serial killer who was active in the largely impoverished areas in and around the Whitechapel district of London in 1888. The name originated in a letter, written by someone claiming to be the murderer, that was disseminated in the...
and he swore to stop her.
The historical novel The Countess by Rebecca Johns
Rebecca Johns
Rebecca Johns is an author and educator. She is a graduate of the University of Missouri's School of Journalism and the Iowa Writers' Workshop. She is the author of Icebergs and, coming in October 2010, The Countess...
tells a first-person fictionalized account of Báthory's life from her prison cell at Csejthe Castle. In the book, she tells her son, Pál, the story of her life, explaining her behavior toward her servants as punishment for their disloyalty.
Elizabeth Báthory and the vampire myth
The emergence of the bloodbath or blood seeker for vanity myth coincided with the vampire scares that haunted Europe in the early 18th century, reaching even into educated and scientific circles but the strong connection between the bloodbath or blood seeker myth and vampiric myth was not made until the 1970s. The first connections were made to promote works of fiction by linking them to the already commercially successful DraculaDracula
Dracula is an 1897 novel by Irish author Bram Stoker.Famous for introducing the character of the vampire Count Dracula, the novel tells the story of Dracula's attempt to relocate from Transylvania to England, and the battle between Dracula and a small group of men and women led by Professor...
story. Thus a 1970 movie based on Báthory and the bloodbath or blood seeker for vanity myth was titled Countess Dracula
Countess Dracula
Countess Dracula is a 1971 Hammer horror film based on the legends surrounding the "Blood Countess" Elizabeth Báthory. It is in many ways atypical of Hammer's canon, attempting to broaden Hammer's output from Dracula and Frankenstein sequels....
.
Some Báthory biographers, McNally in particular, have tried to establish the bloodbath myth and the historical Elizabeth Báthory as a source of influence for Bram Stoker
Bram Stoker
Abraham "Bram" Stoker was an Irish novelist and short story writer, best known today for his 1897 Gothic novel Dracula...
's 1897 novel Dracula
Dracula
Dracula is an 1897 novel by Irish author Bram Stoker.Famous for introducing the character of the vampire Count Dracula, the novel tells the story of Dracula's attempt to relocate from Transylvania to England, and the battle between Dracula and a small group of men and women led by Professor...
, pointing to similarities in settings and motifs and the fact that Stoker might have read about her. This theory is strongly disputed by author Elizabeth Miller.
Meanwhile Báthory has become an influence for modern vampire literature and vampire films
Vampire films
Vampire films have been a staple since the silent days, so much so that the depiction of vampires in popular culture is strongly based upon their depiction in films throughout the years. The most popular cinematic adaptation of vampire fiction has been from Bram Stoker's Dracula, with over 170...
.
Poetry
- Báthori Erzsébet by Hungarian poet János GarayJános GarayJános Garay was a Hungarian poet and author, was born in Szekszárd, Tolna County. From 1823 to 1828 he studied at Pécs, and subsequently, in 1829, at the University of Pest. In 1834 he brought out an heroic poem, in hexameters, under the title Csatár...
. - Báthory Erzsébet: történeti beszély két énekben (1847) by Hungarian poet Sándor Vachott.
- The Blood Countess, Erzsébet Báthory of Hungary (1560–1614: A Gothic Horror Poem of Violence and Rage) by Robert PetersRobert PetersRobert Louis Peters is a poet, critic, scholar, playwright, editor, and actor born in an impoverished rural area of northern Wisconsin in 1924. He holds a Ph.D in Victorian literature. His poetry career began in 1967 when his young son Richard died unexpectedly of spinal meningitis...
.
Literature
- She is the main protagonist of the 2010 novel The Countess by Rebecca JohnsRebecca JohnsRebecca Johns is an author and educator. She is a graduate of the University of Missouri's School of Journalism and the Iowa Writers' Workshop. She is the author of Icebergs and, coming in October 2010, The Countess...
. - Ewige Jugend by Leopold von Sacher-MasochLeopold von Sacher-MasochLeopold Ritter von Sacher-Masoch was an Austrian writer and journalist, who gained renown for his romantic stories of Galician life. The term masochism is derived from his name....
. - Vampyr by Carolina Andújar in which she's represented as an evil vampire, but never mentioned by her real name
- Hungarian novella Én, Báthory Erzsébet (I, Elizabeth Báthory) by Mária P. Szabó (2010)
- Historic novel Báthory Erzsébet (1940) by Hungarian writer Kálmán Vándor.
- Erzsébet Báthory appears as a character in the Hungarian novel Ördögszekér (The Devil's Wagon) published in 1925 by Sándor Makkai, a bishop of the Hungarian Reformed Church in Transylvania. The novel is about the incestuous relationship of Gábor Báthory and his younger sister Anna who were adopted into the household of István Báthory, the older brother of Erzsébet.
- Short story Csejtevár és asszonya (The Lady of Castle Csejte) by Hungarian writer Kálmán MikszáthKálmán MikszáthKálmán Mikszáth de Kiscsoltó was a major Hungarian novelist, journalist, and politician.-Biography:Mikszáth was born in Szklabonya, Upper Hungary into a family of the lesser nobility...
. - Bathory: Memoir of a Countess is a novel by A. Mordeaux.
- Báthory is a major character in the alternative history/fantasy novels This Rough MagicHeirs of Alexandria seriesThe Heirs of Alexandria is an alternate history/historical fantasy series set primarily in the Republic of Venice in the 1530s. The books are written by three authors, Mercedes Lackey, Eric Flint and Dave Freer...
and Much Fall of Blood by Eric FlintEric FlintEric Flint is an American author, editor, and e-publisher. The majority of his main works are alternate history science fiction, but he also writes humorous fantasy adventures.- Career :...
, Dave FreerDave FreerDave Freer is a South African-born science fiction author writing mostly humorous or alternate history novels.He was conscripted into the South African Defence Force and sent to the Angolan Border as a medic....
and Mercedes LackeyMercedes LackeyMercedes "Misty" Lackey is a best-selling American author of fantasy novels. Many of her novels and trilogies are interlinked and set in the world of Velgarth, mostly in and around the country of Valdemar...
. - Báthory is the ancestor of protagonist Christopher Csejthe in the Half/Life series of novels by Wm. Mark Simmons and figures prominently in the second book, "Dead On My Feet" with a plot twist that hinges on the questionable innocence of Katarina Beneczky (Katalin Benick) among the Countess' collaborators.
- Báthory is a major character, depicted as a half-breed vampire, in Daughter of the Night by Elaine BergstromElaine BergstromElaine Bergstrom is an American author in the genres of fantasy and horror. She has had 13 novels published.-Biography:Bergstrom was born in Cleveland and lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin....
. - The Blood Countess is a novel by Andrei CodrescuAndrei CodrescuAndrei Codrescu is a Romanian-born American poet, novelist, essayist, screenwriter, and commentator for National Public Radio. He was Mac Curdy Distinguished Professor of English at Louisiana State University from 1984 until his retirement in 2009....
. - The Bloody Countess by argentinian writer Alejandra PizarnikAlejandra PizarnikAlejandra Pizarnik was an Argentine poet.-Life and work:She was born on April 29, 1936 to Russian Jewish immigrant parents in Avellaneda, a suburb of Buenos Aires, Argentina. A year after entering the department of Philosophy and Letters at the Universidad de Buenos Aires, Pizarnik published her...
was a short gothicGothic fictionGothic fiction, sometimes referred to as Gothic horror, is a genre or mode of literature that combines elements of both horror and romance. Gothicism's origin is attributed to English author Horace Walpole, with his 1764 novel The Castle of Otranto, subtitled "A Gothic Story"...
work of fiction (1968, reprinted in The Oxford Book of Gothic Tales, ed. Chris Baldick) - In the science fiction short story Rumfuddle by Jack VanceJack VanceJohn Holbrook Vance is an American mystery, fantasy and science fiction author. Most of his work has been published under the name Jack Vance. Vance has published 11 mysteries as John Holbrook Vance and 3 as Ellery Queen...
, a baby who would have grown up to be Elizabeth Báthory is taken to a different time and place in history. - In the novel 62: A Model Kit62: A Model Kit62: A Model Kit is a novel by Julio Cortázar published in 1968. The book is a literary experiment that ranks among the most important novels written in Spanish in the 20th century. It was written in Paris between Hopscotch and the release of Around the Day in Eighty Worlds in 1967....
by Julio CortázarJulio CortázarJulio Cortázar, born Jules Florencio Cortázar, was an Argentine writer. Cortázar, known as one of the founders of the Latin American Boom, influenced an entire generation of Spanish speaking readers and writers in the Americas and Europe.-Early life:Cortázar's parents, Julio José Cortázar and...
, the countess and her story are recurring themes. - In David EddingsDavid EddingsDavid Eddings was an American author who wrote several best-selling series of epic fantasy novels.-Biography:...
series The EleniumThe EleniumThe Elenium is a series of fantasy novels by David Eddings. The series consists of three volumes:* The Diamond Throne* The Ruby Knight* The Sapphire RoseThe series is followed by The Tamuli....
a character appears who revels in the killing of young women. This character is a significant villain, serving to forward the story. - The novella "Sanguinarius" by Ray RussellRay RussellRay Russell was an American writer of short stories, novels, and screenplays. In 1991 he received the World Fantasy Award for Lifetime Achievement....
is a fictional account of the deeds of Countess Bathory, told in the first person. - Colombian writer Ricardo Abdahllah has written several pieces of short fiction around Bathory's myth.
- In the novel Daughters of the Moon by Joseph Curtin, she is portrayed as coming back to life as a vampire, and takes the name of Lizabet Bazore. She also preys upon a guitarist for an upcoming rock band, GloryDaze, named Vincenzio "Vinnie the Razor" Rosario.
- In the Buffy the Vampire Slayer book Tales of the Slayer vol. 1, she is the villain in the story "Die Blutgrafin".
- The 2006 novel The Blood ConfessionThe Blood ConfessionThe Blood Confession is an American novel published in 2006. It was written by Alisa M. Libby. The novel is a revisionist telling of the legend of Countess Elizabeth Báthory, with elements of the fairy tale Snow White. It is presently held in over 340 libraries, according to WorldCat. It was...
by Alisa M. Libby - Báthory's legend is used as a basis for the Japanese anime Ghost HuntGhost Hunt, originally titled , is a light novel series written by Fuyumi Ono. It follows the adventures of the Shibuya Psychic Research Center as they investigate mysterious occurrences all over Japan with a team of other spiritualists and clever assistants. Although the last novel was published in 1994,...
's seventh file/case mystery "Blood-Soaked Labyrinth", shown from episode 18–21. - In the novel Anno DraculaAnno Dracula (novel)Anno Dracula is a 1992 novel by British writer Kim Newman, the first in the Anno Dracula series. It is an alternate history using 19th century English historical settings and personalities, along with characters from popular fiction...
Báthory appears as a relative of Dracula. - "The Trouble with the Pears" by Gia Bathory Al Babel.
- "Ella, Drácula" (She, Dracula) by Javier García Sánchez, Spanish writer. 2002.
- The 2007 Brazilian novel O Legado de Bathory by Alexandre Heredia.
- She appears, 'resurrected' as a vampire, in the latter books of The Vampire Huntress Legend SeriesThe Vampire Huntress Legend SeriesThe Vampire Huntress Legend Series is a twelve book series written by Leslie Esdaile Banks under the pen name L.A. Banks. The series centers around a young twenty-something woman named Damali Richards who is a spoken word artist but is also The Neteru, a human who is born every thousand years to...
by L.A. BanksLeslie Esdaile BanksLeslie Esdaile Banks was an American writer. She wrote in various genres, including African American literature, romance, women's fiction, crime suspense, dark fantasy/horror and non-fiction... - Finnish detective novel 2008 "Unkarilainen taulu" ("The Hungarian Painting") by Mikko Karppi
- In the DC ComicsDC ComicsDC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
book series Secret SixSecret Six (comics)The Secret Six is the name of three different fictional comic book teams in the , plus an alternate universe's fourth team. Each team has had six members, led by a mysterious figure named Mockingbird, whom the characters assume to be one of the other five members.-Original Secret Six:The Secret Six...
, the origin of the character JeannetteJeannette (comics)Jeannette is a fictional character in the . She first appeared in Secret Six #3 , and was created by Gail Simone and Nicola Scott.-Publication history:...
is revealed. She was taken hostage by Báthory as a young girl and, as the Countess's "favorite", forced to watch every murder with the intent of being Báthory's final victim. However, when the Countess was imprisoned, Jeannette was assigned to care for her, and used the position to slowly murder Báthory by placing ground glass in her tea. - She appears as the main villain in "Dracula the un-dead", written by Dacre Stoker (Bram's great-grand nephew) and Ian Holt.
- In the anime Vampire Hunter D: BloodlustVampire Hunter D: Bloodlustis a 2000 anime film written and directed by Yoshiaki Kawajiri. The film is based on Hideyuki Kikuchi's Vampire Hunter D novels, D - Demon Deathchase.The film began production in 1997 and was completed with the intention of being shown in American theaters...
, Carmilla is an ancient vampire who resides in the Castle of Chaythe and uses blood to revive her dead body. - In the manhwa series Horror Collector by Lee So-Young, the protagonist Evilice, a wealthy, beautiful collector of items used for acts of violence (ie. murder) attempts to resurrect the spirit of Elizabeth Bathory, who sealed herself inside of a doll through a blood bath. However, the ritual is only successful under a full moon. A running gag in the manhwa is that Evilice's jealous boyfriend Sin unsuccessfully attempts to get rid of the doll, who sees it as a threat to his relationship with Evilice. Elizabeth Bathory herself is portrayed in this version as a beautiful and compassionate young maiden which contrasts with her habit of bathing in the blood of her victims while her younger teenage self acts as a comic relief character.
- Báthory is featured prominently in Lord of the Vampires, the third installment of The Diaries of the Family Dracul by Jeanne KalogridisJeanne KalogridisJeanne Kalogridis , also known by the pseudonym J.M. Dillard is an Greek-American writer of historical and horror fiction.She was born in Florida and studied at the University of South Florida, earning first a BA in Russian and then an MA in Linguistics...
. In the novel, she is imagined as one of the Brides of DraculaBrides of DraculaThe Brides of Dracula are characters in Bram Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula. They are three seductive female vampire "sisters" who reside with Count Dracula in his castle in Transylvania, where they entrance male humans with their beauty and charm, and then proceed to feed upon them...
. Dracula frequently addresses her as "cousin". - In the 2010 novel, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, it is revealed that she was a vampire. After her trial, persecution against vampires in Europe skyrocketed, driving them to settle en masse in the New World.
- The mangaMangaManga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
Berusaiyu no Bara Gaiden (a side storyGaidenis a Japanese-language word meaning "side story" or "tale", used to refer to an anecdote or supplementary biography of a person. This use of gaiden is commonly used in popular Japanese fiction to refer to a spin-off of a previously published work that is neither officially considered a sequel nor...
from The Rose of VersaillesThe Rose of Versailles, also known as Lady Oscar or La Rose de Versailles, is one of the best-known titles in shōjo manga and a media franchise created by Riyoko Ikeda. It has been adapted into several Takarazuka Revue musicals, as well an anime television series, produced by Tokyo Movie Shinsha and broadcast by the...
) has her story updated to 18th century FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, and she is confronted by the characters from the main series, Oscar François de JarjayesOscar François de Jarjayesis one of the main characters in the manga/anime series The Rose of Versailles, created by Riyoko Ikeda.-Character history:Born the last of five daughters to the Commander of the Royal Guards, General François Augustin Regnier de Jarjayes she is raised by her father as if she were a boy in order...
and her friends. - Báthory is described as the daughter of Dracula and appears as one of the main protagonists in Modern Marvels – Viktoriana by Wayne ReinagelWayne ReinagelWayne Reinagel is an American author and graphic artist, primarily known for his historical fiction novels.-Biography:Born in Collinsville, Illinois, United States...
(2011) - Báthory is the name of the High School where the protagonist of the novel, Vladimir Tod, goes to in The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod by Heather BrewerHeather BrewerHeather Brewer is an American writer of young adult fiction. Her debut series, The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod, was published by Dutton Juvenile.-Publications:The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod:*Eighth Grade Bites...
- Báthory is encountered by the band of protagonists while she is imprisoned in hell in the novel DamnedDamnedDamned or The Damned may refer to:* Damnation, a concept of condemnation by God, and use of the term as a profanity- Music :* The Damned , a British punk rock group* "Damned"...
by Chuck PalahniukChuck PalahniukCharles Michael "Chuck" Palahniuk is an American transgressional fiction novelist and freelance journalist. He is best known for the award-winning novel Fight Club, which was later made into a film directed by David Fincher and starring Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, and Helena Bonham Carter...
. - In the "The Parasol Protectorate" series by Gail CarrigerGail CarrigerGail Carriger is the pen name of Tofa Borregaard, an archaeologist and author of steampunk fiction. She was born in Bolinas, an unincorporated community in Marin County, California, and attended high school at Marin Academy...
one of the primary vampire characters is Countess Nadasdy. Nádasdy was Báthory's married name.
Film
There have been several films about or referring to Elizabeth BáthoryElizabeth Báthory
Countess Elizabeth Báthory de Ecsed was a countess from the renowned Báthory family of Hungarian nobility. Although in modern times she has been labelled the most prolific serial killer in history, the number of murders has been debated...
:
- 1970 – Necropolis (Franco Brocani)
- 1970 – Countess DraculaCountess DraculaCountess Dracula is a 1971 Hammer horror film based on the legends surrounding the "Blood Countess" Elizabeth Báthory. It is in many ways atypical of Hammer's canon, attempting to broaden Hammer's output from Dracula and Frankenstein sequels....
(Peter SasdyPeter SasdyPeter Sasdy is a British film and TV director.As well as numerous TV credits, notably the Nigel Kneale-scripted The Stone Tape , he directed several horror films for Hammer, including Taste the Blood of Dracula , Countess Dracula and Hands of the Ripper...
) (with Ingrid PittIngrid PittIngrid Pitt was an actress best known for her work in horror films of the 1960s and 1970s.-Background:Pitt was born Ingoushka Petrov in Warsaw, Poland to a German father of Russian descent and a Polish Jewish mother. During World War II she and her family were imprisoned in a concentration camp...
) - 1971 – Les Levres rouges/Daughters of DarknessDaughters of DarknessDaughters of Darkness is a 1971 Belgian horror film , directed by Harry Kümel...
(Harry Kümel) - 1973 – Ceremonia sangrienta/Blood Castle (Jorge GrauJorge GrauJorge Grau is a Spanish director, scriptwriter, playwright and painter. In 1974 he directed Let Sleeping Corpses Lie aka The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue.-External links:...
) - 1973 – El Retorno de Walpurgis/Curse of the DevilEl Retorno de WalpurgisEl Retorno de Walpurgis, also known as The Return of Walpurgis, Curse of the Devil and The Black Harvest of Countess Dracula, is a 1973 Spanish horror film that is the seventh in a series about the werewolf Count Waldemar Daninsky, played by Paul Naschy.-Synopsis:When Waldemar Daninsky kills a...
(Carlos Aured) - 1974 – Contes Immoraux/Immoral TalesImmoral Tales (film)Immoral Tales is a 1974 French anthology film directed by Walerian Borowczyk. The film was Borowczyk's most sexually explicit at the time. The film is split into four erotic themed stories that involve the loss of virginity, masturbation, bloodlust and incest.After the release of Immoral Tales,...
(Walerian BorowczykWalerian BorowczykWalerian Borowczyk was a Polish film director. He directed 40 films between 1946 and 1988. His career as a film director was mainly in France.-Biography:...
) (with Paloma PicassoPaloma PicassoAnne Paloma Picasso known professionally as Paloma Picasso, is a French/Spanish fashion designer and businesswoman, best known for her jewelry designs and signature perfumes. She is the youngest daughter of famed 20th-century artist Pablo Picasso and painter and writer Françoise Gilot...
) - 1975 – Alžbeta Hrozná alebo Krw story/Elisabeth the Terrible or The Krw Story (Stanislav Štepka)
- 1979 – ThirstThirst (1979 film)Thirst is a 1979 Australian film by Rod Hardy. It stars Australian actors Chantal Contouri and Max Phipps and British actor David Hemmings...
(Rod HardyRod HardyRod Hardy is an Australian television and film director.His interest in film began before the age of 12, when he shot several short films on his brother’s 8 mm film camera...
) - 1980 – Krvavá pani/The Bloody Lady (Viktor Kubal)
- 1980 – El Retorno del Hombre-Lobo/Night of the WerewolfEl Retorno del Hombre LoboEl Retorno del Hombre-Lobo, also known as The Craving, Return of the Wolfman, Return of the Werewolf and Night of the Werewolf, is a 1980 Spanish horror film that is the ninth in a long series about the werewolf Count Waldemar Daninsky, played by Paul Naschy.-Synopsis:Waldemar Daninsky is sentenced...
(Jacinto Molina) - 1981 – Zsarnok szíve, avagy Boccaccio magyarországon/Tyrant's Heart, or Boccaccio in Hungary (Miklós JancsóMiklós JancsóMiklós Jancsó is a Hungarian film director and screenwriter.Jancsó achieved international prominence from the mid-1960s onwards, with works including The Round Up , The Red and the White and Red Psalm .Jancsó's films are characterized by visual stylization,...
) - 1988 – The Mysterious Death of Nina Chereau (Dennis BerryDennis Berry (director)Dennis Berry is an American film director, actor and screenwriter.-Selected filmography:* La Collectionneuse * Promise at Dawn * Borsalino * The Big Delirium * Highlander: The Raven...
) - 1992 – "Bram Stoker's DraculaBram Stoker's DraculaDracula is a 1992 American Gothic horror-romance film directed and co-produced by Francis Ford Coppola, based on the novel Dracula by Bram Stoker...
" (Francis Ford CoppolaFrancis Ford CoppolaFrancis Ford Coppola is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. He is widely acclaimed as one of Hollywood's most innovative and influential film directors...
) – The wife of Vlad The Impaler, played by Winona RyderWinona RyderWinona Ryder is an American actress. She made her film debut in the 1986 film Lucas. Ryder's first significant role came in Tim Burton's Beetlejuice as a goth teenager, which won her critical and commercial recognition...
, is named Elisabeta in reference to Elizabeth Báthory who was often referred to as Countess Dracula, though her character in the film bears no resemblance. - 1999 – Bloodbath (Dan Speaker, Kim Turney)
- 2000 – Bathory (Brian Topping)
- 2000 – Alguien mató algo (Jorge Navas)
- 2000 – La historia de Elizabeth Bathory (Leonardo Carreño)
- 2002 – Killer LoveKiller LoveKiller Love is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Nicole Scherzinger, former lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls. It was released from March 18, 2011 in international markets by Interscope Records, in association with its affiliated record labels...
(Lloyd A. Simandl) - 2004 – Tomb of the WerewolfTomb of the WerewolfTomb of the Werewolf is a 2004 horror film about a man searching for treasure while being followed by a reality show film crew, who encounters a werewolf and a vampire instead...
(Fred Olen RayFred Olen RayFred Olen Ray is an American director, producer, screenwriter, actor, and cinematographer.-Biography:He is the producer, director, and screenwriter of low to medium-budget feature films in many genres, including horror, science fiction, action/adventure, softcore sex films and crime dramas...
) - 2004 – Eternal (Wilhelm Liebenberg, Federico Sanchez)
- 2005 – The Brothers GrimmThe Brothers Grimm (film)The Brothers Grimm is a 2005 fantasy Adventure film directed by Terry Gilliam. The film stars Matt Damon and Heath Ledger in an exaggerated and fictitious portrait of the Brothers Grimm as traveling con-artists in French-occupied Germany during the late 18th century...
– (Ehren Kruger, Terry Gilliam) - 2005 – Night Fangs – (Ricardo Islas)
- 2006 – Stay AliveStay AliveStay Alive is a 2006 horror film directed by William Brent Bell, who cowrote it with Matthew Peterman. It was produced by McG, co-produced by Hollywood Pictures and released on March 24, 2006 in the US. In the U.S. the film was rated PG-13 for horror violence, disturbing images, language, and brief...
(William Brent BellWilliam Brent BellWilliam Brent Bell is an American screenwriter and film director.-Life and career:Bell was born in Lexington, Kentucky. In 1999, Bell wrote and directed his first feature, Sparkle and Charm...
) - 2006 – Demon's Claw (Lloyd A. Simandl)
- 2006 – Bram Stoker's Dracula's CurseBram Stoker's Dracula's CurseBram Stoker's Dracula's Curse is a 2006 horror film by The Asylum, written and directed by Leigh Scott. Despite featuring Bram Stoker's name in the title, the film is not directly based on any of his writings, but shares similarities to films such as Blade: Trinity, Dracula 2000, Underworld:...
features a character named "Countess Bathory", depicted as a female equivalent of Count DraculaCount DraculaCount Dracula is a fictional character, the titular antagonist of Bram Stoker's 1897 Gothic horror novel Dracula and archetypal vampire. Some aspects of his character have been inspired by the 15th century Romanian general and Wallachian Prince Vlad III the Impaler... - 2006 – Metamorphosis (Jenő Hódi)
- 2007 – Blood Scarab (Donald F. GlutDonald F. GlutDonald F. Glut is an American writer, motion picture director, screenwriter, amateur paleontologist, musician and actor....
) - 2007 – Hellboy: Blood and Iron – (Kath SoucieKath SoucieKatherine Elaine Soucie is an American voice actress. She is sometimes credited as Kath Soucie, Katherine Soucie, Kath Souci, Kath E...
) - 2007 – Hostel: Part II – (Eli RothEli RothEli Raphael Roth is an American film director, producer, writer and actor. He is known for his role as Donny "The Bear Jew" Donowitz in Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds for which he won both a SAG Award and a BFCA Critic's Choice Award...
) - 2008 – Bathory (Juraj JakubiskoJuraj JakubiskoJuraj Jakubisko is a Slovak film director. In his movies he managed to catch life's most beautiful colors, unhinge the poetry behind the ordinary and to be ahead of his time without forgetting his roots....
) - 2009 – The CountessThe Countess (film)The Countess is a 2009 film about Elizabeth Báthory. It is the third directorial effort by Julie Delpy, who also stars as Bathory. Delpy has said, of the project, that "it sounds like a gothic [story] but it's more a drama...
(Julie DelpyJulie DelpyJulie Delpy is a French-American actress, director, screenwriter, and singer-songwriter. She studied filmmaking at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts and has directed, written, and acted in more than 30 films, including Europa Europa , The Voyager , Three Colors: White , Before Sunrise...
) - 2010 - 30 Days of Night: Dark Days30 Days of Night: Dark Days30 Days of Night: Dark Days is a 2010 American horror film based on the comic book miniseries of the same name. It was directed by and written by Ben Ketai, alongside co-writer Steve Niles. It is a sequel to the 2007 film, 30 Days of Night...
- (Steve Niles, Ben Ketai) - 2011 – Die BlutgräfinDie Blutgräfin (film)Die Blutgräfin is a German-Austrian film about Elizabeth Báthory. The screenplay is by the director of the film Ulrike Ottinger with additional writing by Elfriede Jelinek.-Plot:...
(Ulrike OttingerUlrike OttingerUlrike Ottinger is a German filmmaker, documentarian photographer and professor at European Graduate School in Saas-Fee, Switzerland.-Biography:From 1959 she was a visiting student at the Academy of Arts in Munich and worked as a painter...
)
Stage plays
- 1865 – Báthory Erzsébet: Történeti szomorújáték, 5 felvonásban (Erzsébet Báthory: An Historic Tragedy in Five Acts), by Hungarian poet Zoltán Balogh.
- 1985 – Báthory Erzsébet by Hungarian playwright András Nagy.
- 1994 – In the Service of Beauty by MelbourneMelbourneMelbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
playwright Sam SejavkaSam SejavkaSamuel Marcus Sejavka Samuel Marcus Sejavka Samuel Marcus Sejavka (born 2 April 1960 in Melbourne, Australia, is a writer, actor and musician.Sejavka grew up in Mt Waverley and attended Holy Family Primary School, a Catholic school in Mt Waverley....
, exploring the final days of the Countess after she has been imprisoned in her castle. - 2000 - "Transylvania no Mori - Shin Toujou! Chibimoon wo Mamoru Senshitachi" (The Forest of Translyvania - New Birth! The Soldiers That Protect Chibimoon), a musical from the Sailor MoonSailor MoonSailor Moon, known as , is a media franchise created by manga artist Naoko Takeuchi. Fred Patten credits Takeuchi with popularizing the concept of a team of magical girls, and Paul Gravett credits the series with "revitalizing" the magical-girl genre itself...
musicals series (Sera Myu). Elizabeth Bathory was a prominent villain and was depicted as a kept alive by being an undead werewolf and posed as an English teacher to trap the Sailor Senshi. She was partnered with other historical serial killer Gilles de RaisGilles de RaisGilles de Montmorency-Laval , Baron de Rais, was a Breton knight, a leader in the French army and a companion-in-arms of Joan of Arc. He is best known as a prolific serial killer of children...
, however in the 2001 revision her character was replaced by yet another serial killer: Marquise de Brinvilliers. - 2000 – Bathory by Canadian playwright Moynan King.
- 2004 – Erzsebet by Michael Stever, with Amy LeBlanc. First exhibited in 2004 at The American Theatre For Actors, Chernuchin Theatre, NYC. 'Erzsebet' By Michael Stever - Table Read Preview
- 2007 – Bathory: The Blood Countess, written by John DiDonna and produced by The Empty Spaces Theatre Co.
- 2010 – Bathory: A new musical music and lyrics by David Levinson, book by Daniel Levinson produced at the 45th Street Theater and Ripley Grier Studio's
- She is featured as the main villain in The novel The Blood Countess by Tara Moss.
Radio
- The Canadian Broadcasting CorporationCanadian Broadcasting CorporationThe Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
's supernatural series "Nightfall" ran a two part dramatization on the atrocities of Báthory called Blood Countess in 1980.
Games
The bloodbath myth served as a major component of some games:- A fan made, 5 mission campaign for Thief II: The Metal AgeThief II: The Metal AgeThief II: The Metal Age is a 2000 first-person stealth game developed by Looking Glass Studios and published by Eidos Interactive. The sequel to Thief: The Dark Project, the game's plot follows Garrett, a master thief, as he attempts to uncover a conspiracy in a medieval, steampunk city...
on PC, that mixes fact and fiction into a very engaging story - see the mission release thread on the TTLG Forums. - In the VCR/DVD boardgame Atmosfear: a playable character portrayed as a vampiress
- A character based on Elizabeth Bathory, named Elizabeth Bartley, appears in the video game Castlevania: BloodlinesCastlevania: BloodlinesCastlevania: Bloodlines is the only Castlevania video game released on the Mega Drive/Genesis. It was developed and published by Konami, and was first released in North America, on March 17, 1994. Its Japanese title is . This version featured a considerable amount of violence, with the American...
as Dracula's niece. - In the MMORPG Ragnarok OnlineRagnarok OnlineRagnarok Online , often referred to as RO, is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game or MMORPG created by GRAVITY Co., Ltd. based on the manhwa Ragnarok by Lee Myung-jin. It was first released in South Korea on 31 August 2002 for Microsoft Windows and has since been released in many other...
, Bathories are witch-like enemies fought on the 4th basement floor of Clock Tower. - In the MMORPG DarkEdenDarkedenDarkEden is a free-to-play massively multiplayer online role-playing computer game in isometric projection or 3/4 perspective developed and published by SOFTON. The game has a horror theme based on a war between humans , vampires and Ousters in a region called Helea located in a fictional country...
, Lady Elizabeth Bathory is a game "boss" alongside Lord Vlad Tepes who players are able to kill in an instanced level known as a "lair". - In the MMORPG Atlantica OnlineAtlantica OnlineAtlantica Online is a free to play 3D massively multiplayer online role-playing game developed by NDOORS Corporation. The game is set in an alternate history Earth, with the game map consisting of large parts of the northern hemisphere...
, Countess Elizabeth Bathory is the boss of the dungeon Bran Castle alongside Lord Vlad Dracula. - "The Countess" is a super unique monster from Blizzard Entertainment'sBlizzard EntertainmentBlizzard Entertainment, Inc. is an American video game developer and publisher founded on February 8, 1991 under the name Silicon & Synapse by three graduates of UCLA, Michael Morhaime, Allen Adham and Frank Pearce and currently owned by French company Activision Blizzard...
popular dungeon-crawler Diablo 2. The following passage is read in a rotting tome and initiates the quest:
- "...And so it came to pass that the Countess, who once bathed in the rejuvenating blood of a hundred virgins, was buried alive... And her castle in which so many cruel deeds took place fell rapidly into ruin. Rising over the buried dungeons in that god-forsaken wilderness, a solitary tower, like some monument to Evil, is all that remains. The Countess' fortune was believed to be divided among the clergy, although some say that more remains unfound, still buried alongside the rotting skulls that bear mute witness to the inhumanity of the human creature."
- In the video game Vampire Hunter DVampire Hunter D (video game)Vampire Hunter D is a PlayStation video game based on the series of books and movies of the same name. Along with Countdown Vampires, it is one of the few survival horror games to revolve around vampires. The gameplay is similar to the earlier games in the Resident Evil series; because characters...
, the main antagonist addresses herself as Elizabeth Bartley Carmilla - The PC game Born Into DarknessBorn Into DarknessBorn Into Darkness is the second album by the German hard rock band known as Letter X. The band was without a lead vocalist at the time of its recording, as Martin Obermeier was no longer with the group. For this album Michael Bormann was contracted to perform lead vocals...
features a chapter based on Bathory and the idea that Vlad the Impaler had given Elizabeth and her husband the Shroud of Lazarus. - The Butcheress from the video game BloodrayneBloodRayneBloodRayne has received mostly mixed to positive reviews. Aggregating review websites GameRankings and Metacritic gave the Xbox version 73.53% and 76/100, the GameCube version 68.88% and 73/100, the PlayStation 2 version 68.87% and 75/100 and the PC version 65.78% and 65/100.-External links:*...
claims to be a descendent of her. - In the video game Ninja Gaiden 2, the female villain named Elizabet is similar to Bathory in that in one scene in the game, she is seen bathing nude in a pool of blood and her demonic power seems to be that of using blood to attack her foes.
- In the role-playing gameRole-playing gameA role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
NightlifeNightlife (role-playing game)Nightlife is a horror-themed role-playing game first published by Stellar Games in 1990. Many of its innovations would be seen in later games such as White Wolf's World of Darkness.-Overview:...
, appears as a Vampyre NPCNon-player characterA non-player character , sometimes known as a non-person character or non-playable character, in a game is any fictional character not controlled by a player. In electronic games, this usually means a character controlled by the computer through artificial intelligence...
living under the alias Lisa "Blood" Bath. She is the lead for an unsigned hardcore/heavy metalHeavy metal musicHeavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band called Krypt. - In the 2010 Role-playing video gameRole-playing video gameRole-playing video games are a video game genre with origins in pen-and-paper role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons, using much of the same terminology, settings and game mechanics. The player in RPGs controls one character, or several adventuring party members, fulfilling one or many quests...
expansion Dragon Age: Origins – AwakeningDragon Age: Origins – AwakeningDragon Age: Origins – Awakening is an expansion for the fantasy role-playing video game Dragon Age: Origins. Awakening adds a brand new campaign which takes place during the aftermath of Dragon Age: Origins...
, a baroness (dead at the time the game takes place) abducts and kills young female villagers and uses their blood for rejuvenating rituals. - In the 2004 PS2 videogame PrimalPrimal (video game)Primal is an action-adventure video game released in 2003 for the PlayStation 2. It was developed by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe aka SCE Studio Cambridge. It tells the story of Jennifer Tate, a 21-year-old woman searching for her boyfriend through a series of demonic realms...
, there's a young Elizabeth in a Carpathian castle who seems destined to grow up to be Elizabeth Bathory. - In Mortal Kombat (2011), the Fatality Tutorial mentions Elizabeth Bathory as being the DLC character Skarlet's favorite historical figure.
- In the video game Vampire Hunter D
Toys
Báthory is featured in McFarlane ToysMcFarlane Toys
McFarlane Toys, a subsidiary of Todd McFarlane Productions, Inc., is a company started by Todd McFarlane that makes highly detailed models of characters from movies, comics, musicians, video games, and sport figures...
6 Faces of Madness
6 Faces of Madness
McFarlane's Monsters III: 6 Faces of Madness is an action figure series released by McFarlane Toys in June 2004 as part of McFarlane Monsters Series.-Features:...
series, a collection of action figures, including Rasputin and Vlad the Impaler. Báthory is depicted bathing in blood while the heads of some of her victims are impaled in a candelabrum. Bathory was also made as a doll in the Living Dead Dolls
Living Dead Dolls
Living Dead Dolls is a line of horror dolls designed in the United States by Ed Long and Damien Glonek and manufactured by Mezco Toyz since 2000.-Origins:...
series.
Music
- Countess Bathory (Bathorycka) is a 1994 opera by the Slovakian composer Ilja Zeljenka, with libretto by Peter Maťo, after Jonáša Záborského.
- Erzsebet is an opera by FrenchFrench peopleThe French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
composerComposerA composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
Charles ChaynesCharles Chaynes- Biography :Chaynes studied at the Conservatoire de Paris with Darius Milhaud and Jean Rivier. In 1951 he won the Prix de Rome with the cantata Et l'homme se vit les portes rouvrir...
. - The black metal band Murder Rape make reference to Elizabeth Bathory in their song "Mistress Of The Gloomy Nights" from their only album "Evil Shall Burn Inside Me Forever (2001)"
- A Bestia: Báthory Erzsébet véres legendája (The Beast: The Bloody Legend of Erzsébet Báthory), is a Hungarian rock opera by Béla Szakcsi-Lakatos and Géza Csemer.
- Báthory Erzsébet, opera (premiered in Budapest, 1913) by Hungarian composer Sándor Szeghő (1874–1956).
- Erzsébet: Elizabeth Bathory: The Opera, is by Dennis Báthory-KitszDennis Báthory-KitszDennis Báthory-Kitsz Dennis Báthory-Kitsz (born March 14, 1949, Plainfield, New Jersey) Dennis Báthory-Kitsz (born March 14, 1949, Plainfield, New Jersey) (pseudonyms: Dennis Bathory, Dennis Kitsz, Dennis J. Kitsz, Dennis Bathory Kitsz, Kalvos Gesamte, Grey Shadé, D.B...
(he claims he may be related to her) - The extreme Metal band Cradle of FilthCradle of FilthCradle of Filth are an English extreme metal band, formed in Suffolk in 1991. The band's musical style evolved from black metal to a cleaner and more "produced" amalgam of gothic metal, symphonic black metal, and other extreme metal styles, while their lyrical themes and imagery are heavily...
dedicated their album Cruelty and the BeastCruelty and the BeastCruelty and the Beast is the third studio album by English extreme metal band Cradle of Filth. It is a concept album based on the legend of the Hungarian "blood countess" Elizabeth Báthory...
(1998) entirely to her, telling her story with a certain degree of artistic license but keeping the main details of her story intact. There are two versions of the album cover, both feature a woman bathed in a tub of blood. References to Elizabeth Bathory occur throughout the band's work. - The German band UntotenUntotenUntoten is a German musical group based in Berlin. It was founded by David A. Line and female vocalist Greta Csatlós in 1994. The lyrics are written primarily in German and English, supported by female vocals.-History:...
made a concept albumConcept albumIn music, a concept album is an album that is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical." Commonly, concept albums tend to incorporate preconceived musical or lyrical ideas rather than being improvised or composed in the studio, with all songs contributing...
about her, called Die BlutgräfinDie BlutgräfinDie Blutgräfin is the eleventh album of Untoten.-Track listing:All tracks written and produced by David A. LineDisk 1:#"Schauplatz des Verbrechens" – 1:38#"„Nur ein Tropfen Blut!“" – 4:20#"Die Jagd" – 4:37#"Blutrot, die Liebe" – 5:43...
. - French singer JulietteJuliette NoureddineJuliette Noureddine, better known by her stage name of Juliette, is a French singer, songwriter and composer.-Biography:She was born on September 25, 1962 in the 17th arrondissement of Paris. Her grandfather, of Algerian origin, arrived in France during the 1920s. Her father, Jacques Noureddine,...
(Nourredine) mentions La Bathory in her song Tueuses from her 1996 album Rimes Féminines along with numerous famous female criminals. - Japanese unit GPKISMGPKismGPKism is a gothic/industrial unit formed in 2007. It was originally the solo project of GPK , while Kiwamu joined later that year. Both GPK and Kiwamu compose music for this project...
have written two EP's about Countess Bathory, Barathrum (meaning Hell) and Iudicium (meaning fate, judgement or trial). - Russian black metal band Messiya had released an EP dedicated to her called Erzebet in the year 2009.
- Channeling Of Lady Elizabeth Bathory is live album by multigenre jam band Stefanik, Perny & Kollar feat. KofiKofiKofi is a Twi and Akan day name and a given name for a boy born on a Friday, originating in Ghana. It may refer to:* Kofi , British lovers rock singer, born Carol Simms* John Kofi Agyekum Kufuor, Former President of ghana...
recorded in VišňovéVišnové, Nové Mesto nad Váhom DistrictVišňové is a village and municipality in Nové Mesto nad Váhom District in the Trenčín Region of western Slovakia.-Geography:The municipality lies at an altitude of 220 metres and covers an area of 5.52 km². It has a population of about 200 people....
village, under Čachtice CastleCachtice CastleThe Čachtice Castle is a castle ruin in Slovakia next to the village of Čachtice. It stands on a hill featuring rare plants, and has been declared a national nature reserve for this reason...
in 2010. - Underground hip-hop artist Killah PriestKillah PriestWalter Reed, better known as Killah Priest, Iron Sheik from the Middle East, or Masada, is an American rapper and Wu-Tang Clan affiliate who was raised in Bedford-Stuyvesant & Brownsville neighbourhoods in Brooklyn. He is known for intensely spiritual lyrics loaded with metaphors and religious...
named his album 'Elizabeth' in reference to her. - Music label Erzsebet Records take its name from her.
Songs about Elizabeth Báthory include:
- Countess Bathory by the English black metalBlack metalBlack metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, shrieked vocals, highly distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, blast beat drumming, raw recording, and unconventional song structure....
band VenomVenom (band)Venom are an English heavy metal band that formed in 1979 in Newcastle upon Tyne. Coming to prominence towards the end of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, Venom's first two albums—Welcome to Hell and Black Metal —are considered a major influence on thrash metal and extreme metal in general...
, from their highly influential album Black MetalBlack Metal (album)Black Metal is the second album by the English band Venom. It was released in November 1982 and is considered a major influence on the thrash metal, death metal and black metal scenes that emerged in the 1980s and early 1990s. Although lending its name to the latter genre, today the album is often...
. - Elizabeth is by the American rock band AidenAidenAiden is an American rock band from Seattle, Washington that formed in the spring of 2003. The members are WiL Francis , Nick Wiggins , and Angel Ibarra . wiL originally played bass but took over lead vocals when the original singer left...
, from the album KnivesKnives (album)-Chart positions:...
. - Beauty Through Order is by the American thrash metal band SlayerSlayerSlayer is an American thrash metal band formed in Huntington Park, California, in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. Slayer rose to fame with their 1986 release, Reign in Blood, and is credited as one of the "Big Four" thrash metal acts, along with Metallica, Megadeth and...
, from the album World Painted BloodWorld Painted BloodWorld Painted Blood is the eleventh studio album by American thrash metal band Slayer. It was released through American Recordings and Sony Music on November 3, 2009 and was produced by Greg Fidelman and executively produced by Rick Rubin. It is the band's only album produced by Greg Fidelman...
. - Channeling Of Lady Elizabeth Bathory is live composition by SlovakSlovaksThe Slovaks, Slovak people, or Slovakians are a West Slavic people that primarily inhabit Slovakia and speak the Slovak language, which is closely related to the Czech language.Most Slovaks today live within the borders of the independent Slovakia...
experimental band Stefanik, Perny & Kollar feat. Kofi from second album Channeling Of Lady Elizabeth Bathory. - Elizabeth is a song by progressive Symphonic MetalSymphonic metalSymphonic metal is a term used to describe heavy metal music that has symphonic elements; that is, elements that are either borrowed from classical music or, as with progressive rock music, create a style reminiscent of it, e.g...
band KamelotKamelotKamelot is an American symphonic power metal band from Tampa, Florida. The band was formed by Thomas Youngblood and Richard Warner in 1991. Norwegian vocalist Roy Khan joined for the album Siége Perilous, and shared song-writing duties with Youngblood until his departure in April 2011.As of 2010,...
composed of three parts – Part I: Mirror Mirror, Part II: Requiem for the Innocent, and Part III: Fall From Grace, from their 2001 album Karma. - Elizabeth by Czech gothic rock band XIII StoletiXIII StoletiXIII. Století is a Czech band from Jihlava playing gothic rock and hard rock. Initially, the band's style was post-punk, and the name back then was HNF - Hrdinové Nové Fronty ....
, from the album Ztraceni v Karpatech (1998) - Elisabeth Bathory by Hungarian black metal band TormentorTormentorTormentor is a black metal band formed in 1986 in Budapest, Hungary. Tormentor was one of the first black metal bands using synthesisers to create a more atmospheric sound. They recorded their first album, Anno Domini, in 1988, but were unable to release it until the end of communism. The album...
, which was covered by Swedish black metal band DissectionDissection (band)Dissection was a black metal band from Strömstad, Sweden. The band was formed in 1989, by Jon Nödtveidt. The band released its first EP in 1991. They disbanded in 2006, after Nödtveidt's suicide.- Band overview :... - Elizabeth by SwedishSwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
heavy metalHeavy metal musicHeavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band GhostGhost (Swedish band)Ghost is a heavy metal band formed in Linköping, Sweden in 2008. In 2010 they released a 3-track demo, followed by the single "Elizabeth", and eventually their debut full length album Opus Eponymous...
from their debut album Opus Eponymous - Bathory's Sainthood by American hardcore band Boy Sets Fire (2003)
- Báthory Erzsébet by experimental doom metal band Sunn O)))Sunn O)))Sunn O))) is an American doom metal band known for its synthesis of diverse genres including drone, ambient, noise, and black metal. Supported by a varying cast of collaborators, the band has two core members: Stephen O'Malley and Greg Anderson .-History:Sunn O))) is named after the Sunn...
is a cover of A Fine Day To Die by BathoryBathory (band)Bathory was a Swedish heavy metal band, formed by Quorthon in 1983. They are regarded as pioneers of both black metal and viking metal. Quorthon remained the main songwriter and member of Bathory for more than two decades. Bathory was permanently ended after Quorthon's death in 2004... - Countess Erzsebet Nadasdy by Finnish black metal band BarathrumBarathrumBarathrum is a Finnish black doom band. They originate from Kuopio but have since re-located to Helsinki. The first letters of their full-length albums spell "HEIL SOVA" , which completes their original eight-album plan. However, there have been rumours about a new record ever since the Anno Aspera...
- Villa Vampiria by death metalDeath metalDeath metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes....
band God DethronedGod Dethroned-Biography:God Dethroned was formed in 1991 by singer and guitar player Henri Sattler, with Hans Leegstra and Ard de Weerd. Sattler and Leegstra had previously been in Dysentery; Leegstra, quickly after the band formed, left the music scene altogether. They recorded a demo, Christ Hunt, in 1991,... - Transylvanian Pearl by Russian metal band NocticulaNocticulaNocticula is the demon lord of the Night, in the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. Her realm, Darklight, is catalogued as the 72nd layer of the Abyss...
- Buried Dreams, the title track from the 1987 album of the same name by the British industrialIndustrial musicIndustrial music is a style of experimental music that draws on transgressive and provocative themes. The term was coined in the mid-1970s with the founding of Industrial Records by the band Throbbing Gristle, and the creation of the slogan "industrial music for industrial people". In general, the...
band Clock DVAClock DVAClock DVA are an industrial music, post-punk and EBM group from Sheffield, England. The group was formed in 1978, with two members, Adolphus "Adi" Newton and Steven "Judd" Turner. Along with contemporaries Heaven 17, Clock DVA's name was inspired by the Russian-influenced Nadsat of Anthony Burgess'...
, sing-speaks to Elizabeth Báthory in her prison cell after being convicted of her crimes, wondering what she thinks about her past - Erzsebet by dance-punkDance-punkDance-punk is a music genre that emerged in the late 1970s, and is closely associated with the post-punk and No Wave movements.-Predecessors:...
artist Jay Tea (2007) - Torquemada 71, by English stoner metal band Electric WizardElectric WizardElectric Wizard are a stoner metal band from Dorset, England that formed in 1993. The band have since recorded seven albums, at least three of which are now considered to be landmarks of their genre: their self-title debut, Electric Wizard, Come My Fanatics..., and Dopethrone...
, from the album Witchcult TodayWitchcult TodayWitchcult Today is the sixth album by the doom metal band Electric Wizard. It was recorded entirely on vintage 1970s equipment at Toe Rag Studios and was released in November 2007. The sound of Witchcult Today was less harsh than preceding albums and Jus Oborn's vocals are much more prominent...
. - The Bleeding Baroness by the metal band CandlemassCandlemassCandlemass are an influential Swedish doom metal band established in 1984 by Leif Edling , their leader and songwriter. The band is originally from Stockholm. After releasing five full-length albums and touring extensively throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, Candlemass disbanded in 1994, but...
from their album Death Magic Doom (2009) shows some similarities to Countess Bathory's story - Resurrection and Schwarzer Engel by Spanish Gothic metalGothic metalGothic metal or goth metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music that combines the aggression of doom metal with the dark melancholy of gothic rock. The music of gothic metal is diverse with bands known to adopt the gothic approach to different styles of heavy metal music...
band Forever SlaveForever SlaveForever Slave is a Spanish symphonic-gothic metal band founded by Servalath and vocalist Lady Angellyca in 2000.They recorded two demos, "Hate" and "Schwarzer Engel", in 2000 and 2001 respectively, returning with another demo in 2004, "Resurrection"....
tell the story of Erzsebet Bathory. - Bathe In Blood by EvileEvileEvile is a thrash metal band from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire in the United Kingdom. Their debut album, Enter the Grave, was produced by Flemming Rasmussen at Sweet Silence Studios in Copenhagen, Denmark and was released worldwide in 2007 by Earache Records to critical acclaim by fans and critics...
(taken from 2007's Enter the GraveEnter the GraveEnter the Grave is the debut album by the English thrash metal band Evile. Released on 27 August, 2007 in Europe and on 25 September in North America and Japan, the album received generally favorable critical reviews and entered the UK Rock Chart at number 33. It was produced by Flemming Rasmussen...
). - ROSE OF PAIN from the album BLUE BLOOD by X JAPANX Japanis a Japanese heavy metal band founded in 1982 by Yoshiki and Toshi. Originally named X , the group achieved their breakthrough success in 1989 with the release of their second album Blue Blood...
- The song An Execution, a b-side on the Cities in DustCities in Dust"Cities in Dust" is a song written and produced by British rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees. It was released as the first single from their seventh studio album Tinderbox in 1985...
single by Siouxsie and the Banshees, was based on the "myth" of Countess Bathory. Banshees guitaristGuitaristA guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
John Valentine CarruthersJohn Valentine CarruthersJohn Valentine Carruthers is an English musician, guitarist and composer. He played with Clock DVA in the early 80's and then became the guitarist of Siouxsie and the Banshees in May 1984 ....
states, "She (Siouxsie) was reading this book about Countess Bathory, called Was Dracula A Woman? or something. She used to (sic.) bath in the blood of virgins in the vain hope it would keep you young". - The song Transylvanian Bloodlust by Canadian Black Metal band Funeral Fog from their album Under The Black Veil, 2003.
Bands named after Elizabeth Báthory include:
- The influential SwedishSwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
black metalBlack metalBlack metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, shrieked vocals, highly distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, blast beat drumming, raw recording, and unconventional song structure....
band BathoryBathory (band)Bathory was a Swedish heavy metal band, formed by Quorthon in 1983. They are regarded as pioneers of both black metal and viking metal. Quorthon remained the main songwriter and member of Bathory for more than two decades. Bathory was permanently ended after Quorthon's death in 2004...
take their name from Elizabeth, and mention her in some songs, one being "Woman of Dark Desires". - The Ohio hardcore/thrash band, Erzsebet Bathory, take their name from Elizabeth.
- The Dutch black metalBlack metalBlack metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, shrieked vocals, highly distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, blast beat drumming, raw recording, and unconventional song structure....
band CountessCountess (band)Countess is a black metal band from the Netherlands], formed in 1992. They have released around a dozen full-length CDs, and are considered one of the most eminent Dutch black metal bands.-Biography:...
take their band name from Elizabeth's title as Countess. CountessCountess (band)Countess is a black metal band from the Netherlands], formed in 1992. They have released around a dozen full-length CDs, and are considered one of the most eminent Dutch black metal bands.-Biography:...
also covered the song Countess Bathory, originally by VenomVenom (band)Venom are an English heavy metal band that formed in 1979 in Newcastle upon Tyne. Coming to prominence towards the end of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, Venom's first two albums—Welcome to Hell and Black Metal —are considered a major influence on thrash metal and extreme metal in general...
. - American band Ellsbeth take their name from Elizabeth and they had released a concept album about her named "Well Dressed Killing Machine" on year 2009.
- German heavy metal band Elisabetha take their name from her.
- Mexican heavy metal band Erzsebeth take their name from her and had released a concept album about her named "La Condesa Inmortal" on year 2007.
- Colombian black metal band Erzebet take their name from her.
- American gothic metal band Erzebet take their name from her.