Elsbeth Bellum

Biography
Elsbeth Bellum was a black slave woman who lived on a plantation in Louisiana during the 19th century. She worked under a cruel overseer named Samson Parminter and was the betrothed of another slave named Black Jubal. Pariminter took an unhealthy interest in Elsbeth, which awakened Black Jubal's wrath. In response, Samson had Jubal tortured and ultimately killed by burning him alive upon a stake.

Elsbeth died some time later, but her ghost remained behind where she took on the presence of an aged woman living in the middle of the swamps in Louisiana. Many years ago, an escaped convict named Hunk Dorry came upon her as she was sitting outside with a cauldron of brewing food. He attacked her, but Elsbeth had little to fear as the sudden and unexpected presence of the Swamp Thing forced Dorry to back off. The convict died moments later as a result of gunshot injuries he had received during his escape.

Elsbeth was not at all taken aback by the Swamp Thing's fearsome presence and introduced herself as Auntie Bellum. She told him the story of Black Jubal, leaving out the fact that she was his mistress.

Moments later, the Swamp Thing was attacked by his nemesis Anton Arcane and six of his grotesque Un-Men. They were driven off by the ghosts of the slaves who once died there a century earlier. When everything settled down, the Swamp Thing could find no trace of Auntie Bellum, her shack or her crockery. Instead, he found an aging gravestone with her name etched upon it.