The Real Elizabeth Bathory vs. the Fictional Elizabeth Bathory in Curse of the Blood Witch by Dawn Colclasure

Say the name “Elizabeth Bathory” and most people will conjure images of a woman bathing in bathtubs filled with blood in their minds. Or they might recall watching a documentary exploring the historical scandals surrounding Bathory during her lifetime.

And most historians worth their salt will claim that we have it all wrong. Or do we?

If you write fiction, that may not matter. Most writers of fiction have a certain degree of literary license to twist and turn bits of historical knowledge to suit their stories. If you’re writing about a person in history, then it’s ideal to try to stay as true to what we know about this person as possible. And write about them in that light.

But what if we are writing a story set in an alternate universe?

For my forthcoming novella, Curse of the Blood Witch, it fits that bill. And when I set out to create a fictional Elizabeth Bathory, I had to do a ton of research on the real one. Here’s what I came across in my research:

Bathory was rumored to be a vampire.

The idea that Bathory murdered so many young girls for their blood started a gossip mill turning with accusations of vampirism. However, there is no anecdotal evidence or even partial evidence showing that she did indeed sport fangs and sleep in a coffin. No, it would seem that Bathory was more interested in blood for the purpose of bathing in it, believing that it would keep her appearing young.

In my novella, however, not only did I turn the historical Elizabeth Bathory into a vampire, but I also portrayed her as a witch who worshipped Satan. This last part is what gave her further clout for the person rescuing her from imprisonment, because he wanted the connection to Satan which my character had.

Bathory dabbled in the occult – as did many in her family.

Many historical figures in power often dabbled in the occult, likely thinking that their knowledge of magic and league with the Devil would give them more power. Bathory was also knowledgeable of the occult because she grew up in a family who practiced various forms of it. Unfortunately, I was not able to learn what type of occult they were interested in.

So I just picked one: Witchcraft. The Satanism connection was also a guess, but it was Bathory being a witch that I used for the purpose of my story. Not only is she a vampire in my story but she is also a witch.

Bathory was sentenced to imprisonment because of murder.

Elizabeth Bathory was convicted of murdering several young girls and she was exiled into a tower for the rest of her life. However, during the trial, rumors circulated that she had been betrayed by members of her family either jealous of her power or miffed over a woman having such a seat of power. In my novella, it was the betrayal by a fictional cousin which exposed her many secret murders.

Bathory really did die in that tower.

Shortly after her death, rumors circulated that the body found in the tower was not Bathory, but a clone meant to fool her captors so that she could safely escape. However, the corpse was examined and it really was Elizabeth Bathory.

But in my novella, Bathory does indeed escape. She is helped by a fictional cousin who wanted her connection with Satan so he could use it to rise to power.

As to the task of writing Bathory herself, it certainly wasn’t easy! This woman existed in the latter part of the 15^th century, so there are not many photos or art pieces capturing what she looked like. There are no autobiographies or journals, and no letters to go on in how she spoke to people. I had to take a guess with all of it! I did not explore her appearance too much in the prologue my Bathory character is in, as this too is information which is not easy to come by, and my description of her room also was my best guess.

Still, as far as historical knowledge about Bathory is concerned, don’t look to works of fiction for this information. Yes, an author may do their very best to portray an historical figure the best way they can, but most of it is at the whim of the story and just how far an author can go with research. The novels and novellas which real people from history are in are just works of fiction, and like all forms of fiction, it can only be seen as a source of enjoyment rather than one for historical truth.

Curse of the Blood Witch by Dawn Colclasure will be published by Baynam Books Press March 10, 2025.

Pre-order the book at this link: https://amzn.eu/d/fZWC2QL