Countess Dracula Was a Leo

Countess Dracula was a Hammer horror film, released in 1971, starring Ingrid Pitt in the title role. The plot was straightforward. An aging countess, living in Hungary, who has discovered the secret of eternal youth, or so it seems. By bathing in the blood of slaughtered virgins her wrinkled skin returns to its twenty-something best, and she can enjoy a passionate love life with the man of her choice.

Far-fetched as the plot might sound, it's actually based on a true story. Countess Elizabeth Bathory was a Hungarian noblewoman, and according to most sources she was born on August 7 1560. Her centre of operations was Cachtice Castle, in modern-day Slovakia.

Like the Hammer Countess, Elizabeth Bathory was responsible for killing dozens (and some say hundreds) of young women, who presumably would have been Slovak peasants. At least, she was probably responsible. The Hungarian authorities did a thorough investigation, and as punishment she was walled up in one room of her castle, where she lingered for a few years until her death.

We don't know for sure why she killed so many people - female serial killers are pretty rare. Though clearly Elizabeth Bathory was an extraordinary person, with many sides to her character.

This was the theme of the film Bathory, which was released in 2008. She was a woman of great intelligence, with excellent leadership skills, who had a hand in repelling the Turkish invaders from her little corner of Central Europe.

From an astrological point of view, Elizabeth Bathory had her Sun in Leo. Like many Leos she had enormous self-belief, but in her case it might have reached crazy levels. She was the Countess, and she could do what she liked. And unlike most serial killers, her crimes were committed with the help of her servants.

We also shouldn't forget that vanity is a trait that's often associated with the sign Leo. Elizabeth Bathory was known for her attractiveness, and as a child she showed incredible vanity. So it's possible, as her looks started to fade, that she embarked on unconventional beauty treatments. But the trouble with such treatments is that once you start them it's difficult to stop. Particularly if you're a Leo and you're insanely vain and you're a psychopath.