Modern Vampires

Author: Michelle Munro

Published on: February 28, 2002

In 1560 Erzebet Bathory was born into one of the oldest - and wealthiest - families in Transylvania. Her ancestors had assisted Vlad Dracule during his rise to power; other relatives went on to become cardinals, princes, Prime Ministers, and King of Poland. She was a healthy, energetic child, a quality found to be unique for someone of her social status. She was also vain, often boasting of her fresh complexion that she believed was her best feature. Well educated, Erzebet was able to both read and write in four languages.

At the age of 11, she was arranged in marriage to 16-year-old Ferencz Nadasdy. To Erzebet, an arrangement was not the same as a commitment and at 14 found herself pregnant after a fling with a local peasant. In order to avoid a scandal, her parents sent Erzebet to an out-lying Bathory estate under the excuse of illness until the child was born. Immediately after birth the baby, a daughter, was given away and Erzebet returned to her parent's home.

On May 8, 1575 Erzebet and Ferencz were finally married. Erzebet took over the household concerns while Ferencz decided to assist in the Hungarian war against the Turks. Making the war his top priority, Ferencz began scoring victory after victory. His success was so great it earned him the nickname "Black Knight of Hungary."

With her husband away for long stretches of time, Erzebet quickly grew bored with everyday castle life. Yearning for something to fill her time, she befriended people claiming to be witches, wizards and alchemists and began to dabble in the occult. She also started spending a great deal of time visiting her aunt, Countess Karla Bathory, who introduced Erzebet to the erotic pleasures of flagellation.

Erzebet had always been fascinated by torture. This enchantment probably began as a little girl when she witnessed firsthand the methods her family used to deal with political foes. On one occasion she watched as a gypsy was beaten then sewn inside a horse's stomach and left for dead. As an adult she passed the time beating servants and whipping debtors being held in the dungeon. She favored whipping prisoners on the fronts of their nude bodies because she received great pleasure watching their faces.

On January 4, 1604, Ferencz died. In a scandalous move, Erzebet relocated to Vienna a month later. She spent time at Castle Blindoc before finally settling in Castle Csejthe. It was here that she would go over the edge.

Terrified of growing old, she became even more fixated with her looks after her husband's death. When pricey clothing and cosmetics stopped hiding the wrinkles, she obsessed on finding a cure. One day, she believed, she found the answer she had been searching for.

A servant girl was brushing Erzebet's hair when she did something to upset the Countess. Erzebet struck the girl causing her face to bleed, a few drops falling on Erzebet's hand. As she furiously wiped away the blood, Erzebet noticed the skin looked younger. She was instantly convinced the blood of young girls was the key to eternal beauty.

Erzebet's helpers began combing the countryside by the dark of night in search of worthy girls. Once they were brought to the castle, they were stripped naked and hung upside down by chains. Then their throats would be slit, the blood draining into a bath below. Erzebet would then bathe in the fresh warm blood.

She followed this routine for 5 years before she decided the results were much less than she desired. Undeterred, Erzebet rationalized that better blood was needed. In 1609, she founded an academy in the Castle taking in 25 noble girls at a time after promising