Countess Palatine Ingrid von Marburg is a fictional character on the American supernatural horror television series Salem, which aired on WGN America from 2014 to 2017.

Critical response to Countess Palatine Ingrid von Marburg was largely positive, with the character's story arc with Mary and Lawless' performance praised as highlights.

The last and oldest in a line of Germanic witches,[1][2] Countess Palatine Ingrid von Marburg is first shown looking for the identities of those behind the Grand Rite, a ritual involving the use of mass murder to elicit the rise of the Devil to Earth.

[5] While working with her son and lover Baron Sebastian von Marburg, she begins to plan a way to infiltrate Salem, Massachusetts and learn more about its local witch coven (known as the Essex Hive).

[7] During her time in the city, she begins to act as a fairy godmother to the witch Mercy Lewis by teaching her magic and how to cleanse her body by bathing in the blood of virgins.

She also convinces Anne to steal magistrate John Hale's Book of Shadows, telepathically telling the young witch that she plans to sacrifice the entire town to resurrect the Devil.

[12] Even though the witches of the Essex Hive resist Ingrid's plans, she destroys John Sibley's body and soul by drowning him in a magical, tar-like substance known as "hell blood".

[13] After Ingrid's apparent death, her soul transfers back to her original body (a mummified corpse) that is protected in a magical sarcophagus hidden in an alternate dimension.

[23][24] The New York Times' Neil Genzlinger felt that the decision to hire Lawless was based on her status as "one of television’s most cult-inspiring actresses" and the plan to expand on the series' over-the-top horror elements.

[16][17] While discussing her approach to Ingrid, Lawless said that she was inspired by stories of witches throughout history, and explained: "[w]hether they were rumor or not, we've got lots of great information about how they've lived and what made them so terrifying".

[1] Surprised by the amount of history incorporated into Salem,[19] she commented that show creators Adam Simon and Brannon Braga relied on "anecdotal evidence of people at the time" when writing storylines for her character and the rest of the cast.

Defining the show as using "murder in the parlor" and "women fighting to the death in a very elevated way," Lawless emphasized that it treated magic differently than the Harry Potter franchise, commenting that there is "nothing cute going on".

[25][26] Bustle's Kelsea Stahler identified Ingrid as Mary's foil, emphasizing the ability of Lawless' character to charm and appeal to the city of Salem and its inhabitants.

[2] While Lawless felt that her character was incapable of love, she believed that Ingrid feels emotional conflict while performing evil deeds, and played her decisions as appealing to a greater good.

[38] Following her introduction to Salem, Kerry Harvey of Stuff.co.nz commended Lawless as "a scene-stealer", and felt it supported her reputation as "a fearless performer who is not afraid to tackle strong – and sometimes flawed – female roles".

[40] Sharma described Ingrid as a "fan-favorite character", noting how fans had commented on the show's official Facebook page asking for Lawless to return for future episodes.