August 21, 1614 — Countess Elizabeth Báthory dies

The heroine and role model of every goth woman who ever aspired to the title of Queen Bitch, Countess Elisabet Báthory was a Hungarian noblewoman most famous for bathing in the blood of virgins in order to preserve her youthful appearance.

It’s unlikely that Bathory ever actually bathed so, but it is certain that she numbers among the most prolific serial killers of all time, and is possibly the most prolific of female serial killers known to history. Most of her victims were indeed young women (although their virginity or otherwise is a question unlikely ever to be answered).

In 1610, she was arrested along with four of her servants. Three of the servants were later convicted and executed, with the fourth being sentenced to life imprisonment. Bathory herself was never convicted, but remained under the house arrest that had been instituted from the first. Four years later, it appears that she starved herself to death.

Elizabeth Bathory Portrait.jpg
By Unknown[1]; Copy of an old portrait, Public Domain, Link

As mentioned in:

Elizabeth — Ghost
Elizabeth — Kamelot
Bathe in Blood — Evile
Elizabeth — XIII. stoleti
Rose of Pain — X Japan
Countess Bathory — Venom
Buried Dreams — Clock DVA
Elisabeth Bathory — Tormentor
Elisabeth Bathori — Dissection
Beauty Through Order — Slayer
Sweet Elizabeth — Valley Lodge
Venus in Fear — Cradle of Filth
Villa Vampiria — God Dethroned
Torquemada 71 — Electric Wizard
Woman of Dark Desires — Bathory
Bathory’s Sainthood — Boy Sets Fire
Once Upon Atrocity — Cradle of Filth
Countess Erzsebet Nadasdy — Barathrum
An Execution — Siouxsie and the Banshees
Blood Countess — The Fiendish Phantoms
The Twisted Nails of Faith — Cradle of Filth
Desire in Violent Overture — Cradle of Filth
Beneath The Howling Stars — Cradle of Filth
Portrait of the Dead Countess — Cradle of Filth
Cruelty Brought Thee Orchids — Cradle of Filth
Thirteen Autumns and a Widow — Cradle of Filth
Steroids (Crouching Tiger Hidden Gabber) — Death Grips
Lustmord and Wargasm (The Lick of Carnivorous Winds) — Cradle of Filth

Titan

A derivative of Venom, Titan combines that drug with other chemicals derived from the plants of Poison Ivy. Created by Dr Penelope Young, it was primarily used by the Joker in one of his periodic takeovers of Arkham Asylum. The Joker dosed numerous henchmen with Titan before finally taking it himself. Batman defeated them all handily anyway. Later, the Dark Knight joined forces with fellow former Venom addict Bane to destroy all remaining supplies of Titan, although it appears that Harley Quinn may still have some.

The effects of Titan are an exaggerated version of those of Venom, including massive and swift increase of musculature and strength, but also mental devolution into a berserker state. In addition, the effects of Titan are disfiguring, leading to distorted facial features and exposed spinal columns among users – the effect are also permanent.

Related Drugs: Venom.

Venom

One of the most addictive and dangerous of steroids, Venom first appeared on the streets of Gotham City early in the self-appointed mission of the Batman. In fact, Batman himself was one of its most prominent users for a time.

Unfortunately, in addition to enhancing strength to a superhuman degree, Venom had a number of side-effects, including muscular dystrophy (when not in use) and a capacity to addict users stronger than most drugs short of crack. Batman quickly realised this, and went cold turkey, a process that took about a month (and which was accompanied by incredible physical pain and vivid hallucinations). He never used the drug again, although villains such as Bane and Lex Luthor did.

Related Drugs: Titan.