In order to give herself credibility as an alchemist when she entered the court of Duke Julius, she created the fictional Count Carl von Oettingen, son of Paracelsus. Count Carl was supposed to be the son of famous physician and alchemist Paracelsus, giving Count Carl a prestigious alchemical heritage. Talk of Count Carl drew the attention of Duke Julius and Sömmering. Zieglerin, instead of telling everyone that all the work she did was her own, told people that she was learning everything she knew from Count Carl and that he was the one performing many of the alchemic works.Nummedal, “Alchemical Reproduction,” 62–63. Count Carl was supposed to have given Zieglerin a powder that could turn lead into gold. Zieglerin and Count Carl were intended, in Zieglerin’s eyes, to have many of the aforementioned Lion’s Blood children. These children were all supposed to be girls and would not menstruate like their mother.Gordon, Searching for the Soror Mystica, 74. Zieglerin fully believed her story of the Count and continued to tell the tale of the mysterious man in her trial.
