‘Castlevania: Nocturne’: Who Is Sekhmet & How She’s Connected to Erzsebet Bathory?

There is no doubt that Erzsebet Bathory has risen to the top as the strongest villain in the world of ‘Castlevania’ as her powers in ‘Castlevania: Nocturne’ allowed her to become a goddess in almost everything, including her name. That was because she associated herself with the Sekhmet, as she even transformed into a feline creature after plunging the world into darkness. But who exactly is Sekhmet, and how is she connected to Erzsebet Bathory?

Sekhmet is mythologically the first vampire

There have been a lot of familiar names introduced in the storyline of ‘Castlevania: Nocturne,’ as we all know that most ‘Castlevania’ characters are based on real-life characters or, at the very least, those who were written in myths, legends, and fictional novels. One such name that we were familiar with was Sekhmet, whose name was often mentioned in the storyline of ‘Nocturne.’

One of the earliest mentions of Sekhmet’s name was when Drolta told her history to Olrox. She said that she used to be an Egyptian priestess who worshipped Sekhmet. It was soon after that she became a vampire. Of course, the main villain, Erzsebet Bathory, often talked about Sekhmet throughout the series.

As you may already know, Sekhmet is the Egyptian goddess of war and healing. But while she may be portrayed as a feline warrior in most of her depictions, there is another interpretation of her character in the world of mythology.

According to legends and mythology, no one really knows who the first vampire is. Still, blood-sucking creatures have always been common in the different stories that we can read throughout the history of mankind. Sekhmet is but one of these blood-sucking creatures, even though she may be an Egyptian goddess.

According to Egyptian mythology, Sekhmet was sent down to earth by the sun god Ra to punish the wickedness of mankind. Because she was the goddess of war, it made sense for her to slaughter wicked humans. However, during her slaughter, she couldn’t stop drinking human blood. Only through Ra’s intervention was Sekhmet’s thirst for blood finally quenched.

So, based on what legends say about Sekhmet, it goes without saying that she could have been a vampire because she drank human blood. Of course, she was a feline warrior, and we know that carnivorous animals don’t mind the taste of blood. Still, the fact that she couldn’t stop herself from trying to drain the entire planet indicated the possibility that she may have been something similar to a vampire.

Because some scholars would often consider Sekhmet as a vampire, it is often said that she is the first vampire ever written. That’s because ancient Egyptian writings go back thousands of years before the time of Christianity. This also means that the legend of vampires has always been a part of human history, even if they weren’t called vampires back then.

Erzsebet Bathory drank the blood of Sekhmet

Now that we have established that Sekhmet could have been a vampire based on the way that she was portrayed in Egyptian mythology, it is easier to see how she is connected to the world of ‘Castlevania’ and to the main antagonist of ‘Nocturne,’ Erzsebet Bathory.

Returning to the storyline of ‘Nocturne,’ it was mentioned by Vaublanc that the Vampire Messiah had become so powerful that she had the power to plunge the entire into darkness as she had now become a god. Bathory was said to have drunk the blood of Sekhmet and had now acquired her powers.

At first, it was easy to think that the vampires may have just been exaggerating about Erzsebet Bathory’s power and how this Vampire Messiah could block out the entire sun. The main characters didn’t even think that something was remotely possible. And Olrox, a vampire himself, thought that the other vampires were exaggerating when talking about Bathory’s power.

But Erzsebet wasn’t bluffing when she said that she now had the power of a goddess. In fact, she often referred to herself as a literal goddess because she drank the blood of Sekhmet and had become the Egyptian goddess of war herself. There were even instances wherein she referred to herself as Sekhmet instead of Erzsebet.

At one point, she even talked about how she wanted to take revenge on Ra for what her “father” did to her in the past. This means that it is possible that she had also acquired Sekhmet’s memories or her personality.

Bathory’s power became clear when she created an eclipse using some sort of gravitational ability that allowed her to pull celestial bodies and block out the sun to plunge the entire world into darkness. After doing so, she transformed into a feline vampire hybrid that was not unlike how Sekhmet is often portrayed in Egyptian mythology.

Upon her arrival at the abbey, Erzsebet Bathory showcased the power of a goddess when her very presence alone shook the battlefield and caused a shockwave that was strong enough to push some of the characters back. She was so powerful that she could effortlessly defend herself against the characters’ attacks, including Richter Belmont’s blue flames, which were strong enough to burn any vampire into ashes. Bathory didn’t have to do anything as she was protected by an aura of gravity pushing back any attack.

So, as far as the series is concerned, Bathory had become the strongest vampire in the world by drinking the blood of Sekhmet, who may have even been a vampire in the world of ‘Castlevania’ at one point in time. By drinking the blood of a godlike figure, the Vampire Messiah became so powerful that she could block out the entire sun with her powers and was basically untouchable by any of the main characters in the series.

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