Abigail Holland was born into the Aristocratic Arcane family of Transylvania. She was raised by her father Gregori in Castle Arcane, and when she was eighteen-years-old became a medic in the nearby Balkan village. In 1973, Interpol agent Matthew Cable came to Transylvania investigating the alleged murders of his friends Alec and Linda Holland. He believed that a strange creature known as the Swamp Thing was responsible for their deaths. He met Abby and became instantly smitten with her. At this time, Abby had a brief encounter with the bizarre Patchwork Man, and came to realize that he was actually the mute and disfigured form of her father, Gregori. It was also at this time that Abby first encountered another monstrosity – the Swamp Thing. The Swamp Thing and the Patchwork Man found themselves embroiled in a conflict with the Un-Men, a battle that resulted in the destruction of Castle Arcane.
Following the destruction of the ancestral estate, Abby agreed to leave Transylvania with Matt. She shared in several strange adventures with Matt and tried to convince him to abandon his obsessive desire to destroy the Swamp Thing. Before long, Abby reciprocated Matthew's love and the two were married. Matt arranged for Abby to become a U.S. citizen. They both soon discovered that Alec Holland was the Swamp Thing and Cable abandoned his hunt for Alec's killer. After many harrowing incidents with one another, the marriage between Abigail and Matt began to fall apart. She began slowly developing feelings for the Swamp Thing. Cable meanwhile became the victim of Abby's uncle Anton Arcane. After attempting to possess his body, Matthew Cable lapsed into a coma and eventually died. Distraught Abigail found comfort in the arms of the Swamp Thing. The two fell in love and married each other in their own unique private ceremony.
