Find me here:
  The Paranormal Guide
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Podcast
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • Atlas
  • Glossary

Locusta

24/1/2014

Comments

 
Picture
Her name was Locusta, and she is famous for being the very first serial killer.

She is credited with killing at least 8 people by poison, but the reality is that she was known in Rome as a ‘Professional Poisoner’, so the death toll would’ve been much, much greater.

Contract Hitwoman

PictureLocusta testing out poison on a prisoner
Serial killers have existed since the dawn of time, but the first recorded serial killer was a woman named Locusta – although she could also fall into the category of ‘contract hitman’ (or woman).

Not too much is really known about Locusta, and a lot of the history surrounding her is conjecture.

She was born in the first century AD in Gaul, at the time an outer province of Rome, which is now known as France. She studied herbal lore as a young woman and acquired a thorough knowledge of plants and herbs in the surrounding countryside.

At some point she moved to Rome. In her day-to-day dealings with the Roman people she learned that most were corrupt, and would not hesitate in hurrying the death of an acquaintance along. She realised there was a market for her herb-lore in such a greedy city, and before long had become a professional poisoner. Fortunately for her she had quite an influential clientele, and this helped her a great deal during the many times she was arrested.

Poisoning an Emperor

PictureClaudius's body discovered by soldiers
Life was dangerous for Locusta, but exciting – and all was going well and then, as legend tells it, she received a secret summon from Empress Agrippina the younger - a unique woman in Roman history, she was the sister of Caligula, the wife of Claudius, and the mother of Nero. Agrippina required Locusta’s services to remove the Emperor Claudius from this life – at which point her son Nero from her first marriage would take his place as Emperor.

Locusta and Agrippina worked together to fool Claudius. While Locusta poisoned a big batch of mushrooms, Agrippina bribed the Emperor’s taste tester to disappear for the night, and once the mushrooms were ready, Agrippina served Claudius herself. The death was not pretty and definitely served Agrippina’s purpose. Legend also states that Locusta provided a ‘back up’ method of assassination in the form of a feather which also had a lethal dose of poison on it.

Nero became Emperor at only 16 years of age and during his reign he frequently used Locusta for her skills. She was arrested several times throughout his rule, and each time Nero would arrange for her release. She was too important to die.

Having the Emperor’s favour, Locusta lived in wealth and extravagance. She was also pardoned completely for all poisonings she had been charged with over the years. But unfortunately her good luck could not last. Eventually the Roman Senate condemned Nero to death (he was an absolute lunatic). Locusta provided him with a poison kit so he could do away with himself, but he was so rushed he left the kit behind and had to take his own life using a dagger.

This left Locusta to the mercy of the people of Rome, and the new Emperor Galba. He embarked on a law-and-order campaign throughout Rome and publicly executed many "official" criminals. Locusta was among them.

Execution... Spectacle?

PictureMaster Poisoner
The method of Locusta's  execution has caused controversy. There are many sources that say she was killed by being raped by a specially trained Giraffe. Did this actually happen?

How did this story every come into existence?

Researcher and wiki editor Stevensaylor has provided the following information: “Regarding the “urban myth” that Locusta was sentenced to rape by giraffe, the earliest such claim I find is in The Encyclopedia of Serial Killers by Michael Newton, first edition ONLY, which states: “As described by Apuleius a century later, Locusta’s execution was timed to coincide with one of the frequent Roman festivals – probably the Agonalia (for Janus), held on January 9. On orders from Galba, Locusta was publicly raped by a specially trained giraffe, after which she was torn apart by wild animals.”

While this highly detailed statement may “sound” factual, it is not. (And, interestingly, it does not appear in the second edition of Newton’s book.) Apuleius cannot be the source, because nowhere does Apuleius refer to Locusta; in The Golden Ass, Apuelius does tell the tale of a woman poisoner condemned to be mounted by an ass (not a giraffe), but the woman is a fictional character, not Locusta. Nor do we have any clue about the precise date of Locusta’s death.”


By Peet Banks 2014
Put together by Ashley Hall 2014
Comments
comments powered by Disqus

    The Paranormal Guide Articles

    Here you will find all of the articles written for The Paranormal Guide on all things paranormal, strange, dark, macabre, weird, strange and bizarre!

    All photos with the blog posts remain the property of their respectful owners. If one of your photos is featured here without attribution please leave a comment on the blog and full credit will be given.

    Categories

    All
    Bizarre Experiments
    Conspiracy
    Cryptozoology
    Cursed And Haunted Objects
    Curses Demons And Exorcisms
    Earth Mysteries
    Fakes Frauds And Hoaxes
    Ghosts And Hauntings
    Ghosts Ghouls And Demons
    Interesting And Inspiring People
    Investigations
    Miracles
    My Paranormal
    Paranormal Photos
    Paranormal Vocabulary
    Phobias And Philias
    Post Mortem Practices
    Psychics Predictions And Seers
    Questions And Discussions
    Reviews
    Spirituality And Miracles
    Spirituality And Miracles
    Strange And Macabre Places
    Strange And Tragic Deaths
    This Week In Dark History
    Tragedy
    True Crime And Punishment
    Ufos And Aliens
    Unsolved Mysteries
    Urban Legend Superstition And Folklore
    Weird Odd And Bizarre


    Ashley Hall -
    The Paranormal Guide

    Ashley Hall explores The Paranormal, True Crime, Strange Deaths, Dark History, The Weird, The Strange and The Bizarre! Fact or Fiction? You decide!

    Picture

    Contributors

    Picture
    Matty Sweeney
    Picture
    Peet Banks
    Picture
    Nic Hume

    Picture
    Check out The Paranormal Guide Podcast and join three paranormal investigators and researchers for honest and raw discussions on all things paranormal, strange, dark and macabre HERE!

    Archives

    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012

    Please note that dates are from when the article was originally made.
    The Paranormal Guide does have posts all the way up to the current date.


    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.