The Mad Scientist of Castle Frankenstein

There is no need for an introduction to the term "Frankenstein," but in this instance, we are not discussing Mary Shelley's famous creation, but rather the actual Castle Frankenstein and the actual crazy scientist who hid inside. He lived in Castle Frankenstein in the late 17th and early 18th centuries, and his name was Johann Konrad Dippel. Dippel was once a theologian, but eventually became obsessed with alchemy. He allegedly experimented with cadavers to conduct soul transference while also attempting to create the elixir of life.

The local peasants were horrified and disturbed by tales of his experiments, but even his contemporaries were turned off by Dippel and his work. The local peasants were horrified and disturbed by tales of his experiments, but even his contemporaries were turned off by Dippel and his work. Emanuel Swedenborg, a contemporary and one-time friend of his, denounced him as a "very nasty fiend... who attempted bad things." Nothing was off limits for Dippel, so it's not surprising that others thought he eventually sold his soul to the devil in search of the most occult knowledge.