Bathory, also known as Oracle, is a recurring character on Syfy's Van Helsing. She is portrayed by Jesse Stanley
She is a former Vampire Hunter turned vampire. a Bridesmaid of the Dark One. She is also responsible for the creation of the fourth Elder: Sam.
Bathory seems to partially associate with The Sisterhood: we can see this in season 2 when Dmitri consults them. She also knows Michaela, the founding mother of The Sisterhood, but does not recognize her as her own mistress. During her human life as a Vampire hunter Bathory sought to destroy Michaela and The Sisterhood. We are even told in Three Pages that she was responsible for imprisoning Michaela in her tomb in the lair of The Sisterhood.
She recognizes only "her beloved" - Dracula - as her one true mistress, and will stop at nothing to bring her back to the world.
Throughout The Series
Season Two
At the very start of S2E13 we are introduced to Bathory for the first time for a short period. Dmitri, acting to free Abaddon, his master, requests help from the sisterhood. He asks the sisterhood for the location of the Oracle. as he seeks her advice. Ivory moves out of the way of the Oracle and commands Dmitri to kneel before Bathory. Dmitri, unknowing of the exceptional power possessed by the Oracle refuses to, and even mocks her for being old, haggard, slow, and "tired". As Bathory stumbles around holding her cane, Ivory again commands Dmitri to kneel; "I kneel only before my betters..." he says, and Bathory, enraged by this, slashes the back of his knees with the cane before he can react, and holds his chin up.
She uses her telepathic abilities to gather his desires. "He seeks the location of the lair of the elder," she says in her croaky evil witch like voice. She explains where the elder is imprisoned, how to get there, and the fact that she will only allow 3 people to go the lair. Dmitri selects Scab and Ivory, and Bathory takes it upon herself to slaughter all of Dmitri's comrades, ripping their flesh apart, and draining them of their blood. From the very outset we see a glimpse of her powers and abilities, but until Season 4 we never really get to know how powerful and who she really is.
Season Three
Again Bathory plays this rather intermittent character throughout the series. She is only encountered a few times, and is often following Sam around, fueling his bad deeds, and trying to take away any last fraction of humanity he may have for Felix and for Mohammed. She encourages him to kill Felix, and often reads and manipulates his mind on frequent occasions. She lures him to the Dark Realm where she plans for him to kill Mohammed and become the final elder.
Season Four
Oracle orders Sam to bring her the amulet and one of the Van Helsings. He is free to do with the other as he pleases. Oracle carves a pentagram into the dirt. It’s a pathway forward. The gateway of all they’ve set in motion for the Dark One to be freed. They must find the others first. Upon discovering that the Van Helsings made off with the blood amulet, Oracle sends word to the others. She sends a message out to the Sisters, specifically Ivory, with whom she speaks through. Oracle tells them to return to the beginning and prepare for the awakening. Sam wishes to learn everything. Oracle claims she can give him the greatest gift he’d ever known. The ability to be more than he ever thought possible. Perhaps to become the Dark One himself. But before she does so, Sam must promise his loyalty to her. And in return, she’ll teach him anything he wishes. Within moments, Oracle transforms, taking on a more human appearance. For their fates to become entwined, they must drink from each other. Continue Reading Here....
Oracle and Sam find Michaela’s tomb. She is being guarded by Ivory, Scab, and the rest of the Sisterhood. They’re in the tomb to awaken Michaela, the great mother of the Sisterhood. Oracle orders them to prepare the ritual. Oracle warns Sam that Michaela is powerful and can’t be trusted. The ritual to awaken Michaela begins as the Sisters cut their hands and bleed around her tomb while chanting in Latin. Oracle and Ivory lead the chant while Sam watches. The coffin begins to shake and Michaela breaks free. She looks to Oracle, referring to her as Bathory. Apparently, there’s a long standing rivalry between Oracle and Michaela, based on the fact that Oracle’s lies and deception are the reasons she was locked away for over two centuries. She asks about the Dark One, who is still exiled by the Van Helsings. Oracle then introduces Sam to Michaela as the fourth elder. She doesn't believe he's worthy to meet the Dark One. Continue Reading Here....
Oracle, Michaela, and Sam meet with Hansen. They lost the amulet and the Van Helsings. Raising the Dark One will be the answer to all their troubles. They must first hunt down Vanessa and the amulet. Sam wishes to hunt her himself, but Oracle tells him to stay in place. Michaela suspects that Hansen is hiding something. Hansen takes Michaela, Oracle, and Sam to see Violet in action during one of her training sessions. He explains that she’s a Van Helsing who he helped create and kept her secret in order to protect her. They intend to use Violet as a sacrifice to the Dark One. Continue Reading Here....
Sam tracks Violet through the woods. Oracle follows him as they’re bound. She catches up to Sam scolds him for going after Violet. Sam asks for Oracle’s help in taking the final step to merge with the Dark One. It’s all he desires. She agrees. Oracle and Sam catch up to Vanessa, Violet, and Jack. As Vanessa takes on Sam, Jack and Violet fight Oracle, though they are no match. Oracle draws a pentagram in the dirt and tells Sam to bring her the amulet. As Oracle takes some of Vanessa’s blood, she explains to her that the Dark One would’ve preferred consuming Vanessa. Oracle instructs Sam to drink the blood and take the amulet to complete the pathway and open the portal. Sam does just that, and the Dark One rises. Dracula turns to Oracle, her first and most enduring bride. Dracula asks who created the fourth elder. Oracle explains she did. Sam was a seed of pure evil, who she nurtured and encouraged to grow to free Dracula. However, she questions why Oracle is alone as she expected to be greeted by all her wives. Unfortunately, Vanessa tricked Dracula and threw herself as well as the Dark One back into the Dark Realm. Continue Reading Here....
Oracle has taken Jack to Michaela’s tomb and brands her, in hopes that Hansen will be able to bend her to his whim. Oracle for wasting their chance to raise the Dark One. She broke faith with their truce. Hansen then separate the two. While he doesn’t have a plan, he's counting on Oracle's. Michaela and Oracle perform an enchantment on both Jack and Violet. They’re causing her visions to hopefully by time for Ivory to catch Violet, however, they can’t figure out why she’s seeing things they can’t. They suspect she may have an immunity to the enchantment or a stronger mind than they realized. In actuality, it’s Hansen interfering. Oracle marked Jack with a bond, which should’ve given her and Michaela access to Violet through Jack, but they failed. Michaela refuses to accept that as so. No mortal can resist her powers. But as Oracle explains, Van Helsings are different. However, in the end, they both come to suspect that Violet broke the illusion through Hansen’s tampering. Continue Reading Here....
Michaela and Oracle invade Hansen’s mind in hopes of learning how to free the Dark One from the Dark Realm. However, Hansen refuses to betray his children and given them the three pages. He manages to overpower Oracle and Michaela and force them out his mind. Oracle has rendered Hansen powerless and tied him to a chair. Oracle knows much about Jack and Violet. How they’re special. However, if they go against the Dark One, they will fail, and Oracle will bend them to her will. Oracle disguises herself as Avery and meets with Colonel Nicholson to discuss the base and Hansen’s disappearance. Later, Oracle can feel Michaela’s demise from Fort Collins. She’s greatly pleased with this development. Continue Reading Here....
Oracle enters Hansen’s office, where she finds the painting that the three pages were hidden in. Nicholson meet with Oracle, who is disguised as Avery. Nicholson reveals that he was capture, but briefly managed to escape. His men also managed to capture Hansen. Nicholson then leads Oracle into a trap under the rouse that they’re interrogating Hansen. As it turns out, Oracle is actually speaking to Hansen while the real Nicholson leads Violet, Jack, and Ivory into Fort Collins. Hansen proceeds to lures Oracle into a large chamber. Axel and Julius lock the door behind them. Hansen briefly manages to overpower Oracle, but she regains control and kills him. Continue Reading Here....
Colonel Nicholson takes President Archer to Oracle, who’s locked in the cell and posing as Avery. She claims that Hansen has been blocking her investigation and has been in cahoots with the daywalkers. Archer looks past Oracle to see a dead body on the floor, though Oracle remains in character, hoping to convince Archer to let her go. Archer asks Oracle a number of questions that only Avery would know, so when Oracle fails to answer them, she drops the rouse, telling them how they’re all doomed. Dracula rises. She takes control of Jack's body before taking on Archer's appearance. She frees Oracle and the two take off in a chopper. Continue Reading Here....
Season Five
Bathory leads a fleet of men through the woods near Abel in search of Michaela and the Sisterhood. The following day, she reads Countess Olivia von Dracula her fortune. One card details a child — a blessing which she was not meant to receive. Bathory sees two futures diverging, as well as two women, each looking to shape Olivia’s fate. She then draws the “Death” card resulting in Olivia commenting that she knows enough of tarot to know that this card doesn’t always represent an actual death. Bathory pointedly replies that it has been known to mean a lack of awareness or an unseen threat. Bathory asks Olivia about vampires, which she insists are nothing more than fairytales. Bathory then draws the "Ten of Swords" and "The Hanged Man" cards. Something dark and inescapable awaits Olivia, Bathory warns. However, rather than taking heed of the warning, Olivia grows flustered and displeased, she tells Bathory that she should take her things and leave before rushing out of the tent. She then witnesses as Olivia is killed by Jack Continue Reading Here....
Despite witnessing Jack's execution, Bathory crosses paths with her in the woods. They briefly engage in combat and Jack reveals that she's come to kill Michaela. Bathory takes Jack back to her camp, where Bathory reveals that she was trained to be a vampire hunter by her mother. Unfortunately, Bathory has lost much in her fight with Michaela, including her mother. Jack explains that she intends to stop the rising of the Dark One, but Bathory cards grow more ominous with every turn, leading her to believe that the worst is far from over. Bathory contemplates fleeing the fight but ultimately decides to lure Michael into the woods, but they fail and the Dark One is resurrected. Continue Reading Here....
After the Dark One is resurrected, Bathory uses her mother's scroll to help combat the growing darkness. However, in doing so, she risks becoming dark. After Count Dalibor beheads Michaela, Bathory and Jack fight Dracula. However, Bathory is blinded by Dracula and stabbed by Michaela before being turned into a vampire. Bathory, a newly turned vampire, remarks that in blindness, she sees everything and that she is the Oracle. Present day, at the White House, Bathory approaches Dracula, both of whom realize that the past has altered and that some of Dracula's strength is missing. Bathory then notices a bite mark on Dracula neck from when she was bitten by Jack. Continue Reading Here....
Bathory is disguised as Vice President Avery while Dracula carries the appearance of President Archer. After Dracula's speech addressing the nation, she but she still misses her strength. Bathory promises to return her power and bring her the Van Helsings' heads as well. Bathory then has a vision of her death, claiming to her beloved that she saw Dracula's victory, with the two of them standing over a pile of corpses. Bathory then leaves to read her cards, which read "Death", "The Fool", Jack, Violet, and Vanessa. Continue Reading Here....
Bathory is distrustful of Nina upon her arrival at the White House. When the Dark One takes her in, Bathory makes her stance known and warns Nina that she's the one and only bride of Dracula. With Nina's intel, Bathory attacks the Resistance's warehouse, where is bitten and turned human by Jack while attempting to take back the Dark One's amulet. Continue Reading Here....
Bathory has been turned human by Jack's bite, but the darkness from having used the scroll so many years ago has consumed her and left her in a psychotic state. Fortunately, Vanessa manages to take in her darkness, which both restores Bathory's vision as well as her sanity. Despite this, the Dark One's hold on Bathory remains. She takes control of Bathory and forces her to stab Jack before stealing the amulet. Bathory then heads up to the roof and releases the Dark One's power from the amulet before falling to her death in an attempt to save herself from the Dark One. Continue Reading Here....
Bathory's body lies on the ground below. Vanessa, Axel, Jack, Ivory, and Violet scramble for another plan following her death. Axel blames her for betraying them. However, Vanessa discovers that she was under the Dark One's control upon finding the Dark One's pentagram insignia on the back of Bathory's neck. Continue Reading Here....Physical Appearance
Bathory has two forms. She has a vampire form and a human form. In vampire form, she has white skin and blue eyes. While human, she has olive skin, dark eyes, and brown hair.
Abilities
Bathory is an extremely powerful pseudo-vampire-witch who is the closest servant to Dracula. She has likely been gifted with a large fraction of the Dark One's powers as reward to her devotion over the years, so much so that she is on a whole other level of power to any other vampire in existence; even ancient vampires greatly fear her. She can:
- Creating Elders: Perform enchantments to create Elders (even from newly turned vampires), under certain circumstances (pure-evil human).
- Telekinesis: Uses her telekinetic abilities to move, freeze, torture, and even kill ancient vampires (Willem for example).
- Telepathy: she is able to read and manipulate the minds of both humans and vampires having demonstrated being able to read Sam's and Axel's minds, getting Sam to kill the only person he ever cared about (Mohammed), nearly getting Axel to free her from her prison.
- Shapeshifting: she can take on the form of anyone she pleases in the blink of an eye.
- Superhuman Speed: She managed to take down Dmitri and kill all of his clan with no sign of any difficulty, and move before Dmitri had any chance to react. This is likely due to her being the first turned vampire and older than any other ordinary vampire in existence.
- Has acquired a strange taste for vampire blood: Slit Wilhelm's throat and drank some of his blood, and when she killed Dmitri's clan she also can be seen to be drinking another vampire's blood. Perhaps this blood is more potent than human blood and makes her stronger - she only killed Wilhelm after drinking his blood?
- Magic: Bathory can use magic to see the future, telekinesis and cast spells.
Appearances
Season Four
- Dark Destiny
- Broken Promises
- Liberty or Death
- Metamorphosis
- The Prism
- All Apologies
- Three Pages
- The Beholder
Season Five
- Past Tense
- Old Friends
- Lumina Intunecata
- State of the Union
- The Doorway (archive footage)
- Undercover Mother
- The Voices
- Novissima Solis