Countess Elizabeth Bathory

Grisly 16th Century Torture of Young Women

Bears An Ironic Resemblance to Sylvia Liken's

Modern Day Slaying

By Lynn A. Granata

In comparison to the puppet masters of the 1965 Sylvia Likens murder, one can't help but wonder if Gertrude, Paula, and Stephanie Baniszewski are reincarnations of the Hungarian Torture Queen Countess Elizabeth Bathory?  It's a funny coincidence because if you research the Eastern European Balkan States, like Romania, Bulgaria, Poland, and Hungary you will find that in that culture paganism ran rampant.  In more looser terms these areas of the world invented what we call today the "Goth" or Gothic culture. By the way, I am in no way discriminating against any particular culture.

Gothic Culture

  I know some things about Goth culture, but I'm no participant of it by any means. Not every Gothic culture is evil, as you know, there are good and bad in every culture on earth. 

Bleeding Edge Dolls

I do have a collection of Bleeding Edge Goth Dolls they are fashion dolls, like Barbie.  Except they are a little more avant gard in their design and make-up, and their clothing and let's not forget their hair colors. They have pierced noses and lips as well as tatoos.  Some have purple hair, most have black hair with green or white or purple streaks, there also is one that has fuscia colored hair and she's called "Lolitta."

Buy them on e-bay today and you'll see they can go as high as $400. And that's being modest. Because they no longer are making them and those that are retired can be bid on starting at $50-$1000. I was lucky though, because I bought my collection back when they first were issued about 10 or 12 years ago. Now they need some dusting. When they first came out they were regularly priced at around $40 or $50 dollars, some were as low as $25. I wouldn't sell them though, not even if I were at the end of my rope! I enjoy combing their beautiful long locks of hair.

Countess Elizabeth Bathory

Now back to what I originally intended to discuss-Countess Elizabeth Bathory. She lived between 1560-1614, so she was approximately 54 years old when she died. She lived in a remote Bavarian Castle nestled in the thick thistled Hungarian forest. But it's what when on inside that castle that gives you the eerie creeps. Inside these castles, she had according to all testimony, Báthory's victims were adolescent daughters of lowest untouchable or peasant class, they were recruited to go to the castle or were set up by abatement to go there to find high-paid work, which was rare at that time in history. Daughters of inferior gentry, were sent to Bathory's gynaeceum by their parents to learn  etiquette. The atrocities consisted of severe beatings, burning or mutilation of hands, biting, freezing and starving to death.

Countess of Evil, Elizabeth Bathory.

Last years and death

Báthory was imprisoned in Čachtice Castle and placed in solitary confinement. She was locked up in a bricked set of rooms, with small slits left open for air and to hand food. She lived there for the remainder of her life until she died. On August 21, 1614, Báthory complained to her bodyguard that her hands were cold, whereupon he replied "It's nothing Maam. "Please go lie down." She went to bed and was found dead the next day. She was buried in the church of Čachtice on November 25,  according to some sources because of the villagers' hatred of "The Tigress of Čachtice" buried in the cemetery, her body was later transferred to her place of birth  Ecsed, then interred at the Báthory family crypt. The location of her body is unknown.

Conclusion

Notice how her life, outcome of her crimes and aftermath are so similar to Gertrude Baniszewski's?

Gertrude's heritage may have evolved from a long line of Polish/Hungarian/Dutch ancestry as well. Is it any wonder that if you could go way back in time to trace her ancestors, that you are almost 100% certain to come up with some fascinating facts? The monsters of our time don't merely vanish at death, but if there is an afterlife they will return again some way somehow to repeat their fury all over again.

Reference

Retrieved from:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_B%C3%A1thory