Atlanta Vampire Alliance [AVA]

[Merticus]

The Vampire Species


Asasabonsam

These are African vampires amongst the Ashanti peoples of Western Africa. It is humanoid in appearance, but has iron teeth. It dwells in the forest, sitting in the trees, using its hook-shaped feet to ensnare unwary passers-by. I’ve also heard that they tend to bite victims on the thumb, but I don’t know whether or not that is correct.



Aswang

The story of the aswang is one that parents in the Philippines often used to keep children in line. The Aswang most often appeared as a beautiful maiden engaging in vampiric activities at night, and leading a normal life during the day. They supposedly had an ointment that they rubbed on to give them their supernatural powers. When feeding, the Aswang would become a large bird, and land on a prospective victim's roof. It would then let down its long pointy tongue, and prick the victim's jugular vein, sucking the blood through it's hollowed tongue. After feeding, the Aswang resembled a pregnant woman.



Asema

South American vampire, usually pictured as an elderly person during the day, which could take off its skin, and become a blue ball of light during the night. It was in this blue light form that it would feed. Popular forms of protection against the Asema were garlic, eating herbs that would make one’s blood bitter, and scattering rice or sesame seeds outside one's door, which it had to pick up before it could enter.



Baobban Sith

The Baobban Sith are evil Scottish fairies, who appear as beautiful young women (sometimes ravens or crows, as well) and will dance with men they find, being sure to keep their hoofed feet hidden, until the men are exhausted, and then feed upon them.



Bas

The Bas is a spirit believe in by the Chewong people of Malaysia. The food of the bas was ruwai, which is loosely translated as soul, vitality, or life. The Bas most often hunted pigs, but were said to occasionally attack humans, if hunger-driven enough, or by accident. The most common way to keep the Bas away was to build a fire, which it saw as a sign of civilization or humanity, and it would stay away.



Betail

See Vetala, they're the same thing, just two different words.



Bhuta

The Bhuta are Indian monsters, who are said to reside in and around cremation grounds, old ruins, and other abandoned locations, especially in deserts. They could transform into either owls or bats. They ate filthy food, and were always thirsty. They liked milk, and often attacked babies who had just fed. They were also said to have the ability to possess people. These creatures might act in a vampiric fashion at times, but were generally just seen as malevolent, not as vampires.



Brahmaparusha

These are a vampire-like creature pictured with a head encircled with intestines, and a skull filled with blood from which it drank. Their legendry comes from India.



Callicantzaros

These are Greek children born in the week between Christmas and New Years, which were believed to be unlucky. They were described as feast-blazed and believed to be destined to become vampires after their deaths. They were only active during Christmas Day and the twelve days afterward. They were known for their long fingernails and crazed behavior. They would tear apart victims using their fingernails. Not necessarily vampires, in the usual sense of the word, but somewhat related.



Chiang Shih

In China there are vampire-like creatures called Chiang Shih, which are created when a cat jumps over a dead person's corpse. They appear livid and may kill with poisonous breath in addition to draining blood. If a Chiang Shih encounters a pile of rice, it must count the grains before it can pass on. Their immaterial form is a sphere of light, much like Will-O-the-Wisps.



Cihuateteo

Aztec women who died in childbirth, as well as their babies. They wandered the night and attacked children, leaving them paralyzed or diseased. Described physically as having white faces, and very chalky arms and hands. They wore the garb of Tlazolteotl, goddess of sorcery, lust, and evil.



Dearg-Dul

In Ireland many druids speak of Dearg-Duls which has to be killed by building a cairn of stones upon the grave. I've also seen it spelled Dearg-Due, and I’m pretty sure they're the same creature. The Dearg-Duls can't shape change. Very little is known about the Dearg-Dul.



*Ekiminu

These are assyrian(spelling?) malignant spirits (half ghost, half vampire) caused by improper burial. They are naturally invisible and are capable of possessing humans. They can be destroyed by using wooden weapons or by exorcism.



Kappa

The Kappa are about as close as any Japanese monster gets to being a vampire. They are unattractive human-like children, with greenish yellow skin, webbed fingers and toes, and somewhat like a monkey with a long nose and round eyes. They had shells like tortoises, smelled like fish, and had a concave head that held water, which, if spilled, would cause the Kappa to lose its strength. Kappas fed from the edge of water, pulling creatures in, and sucking their blood out through their anuses (yes, you read that correctly).



*Kathakano

The Crete vampire Kathakano is much like your generic vampire, but can only be killed by chopping of the head and boiling it in vinegar.



Lamia

The Lamia were named after Libyan Queen Lamia. They were known in ancient Greece. They were exclusively female vampires, which often appeared in half human, half animal (most often a snake and always the lower part) form. They ate the flesh of their victims as well as drinking the blood. Lamias could be attacked and killed with normal weapons.



Lamiai

Not to be confused with Lamia, a Libyan Queen, daughter of Belus and Libya, whom the Lamiai were named after. Lamia is also another race of vampires, though, see above. These Greek demonic beings would often suck the blood of young children. They also have the power to shape change into beautiful young maidens, to attract and seduce young men in that form.



Lampir

See Vrykolakas.



Langsuyar

A Malaysian woman of great beauty, who bore a stillborn child, and when told of the condition of said child, she would be shocked (as any mother would), and after coming out of her stupor, she would clap her hands, and fly away into a nearby tree. She would then be seen every once in a while wearing a green robe, having long fingernails, and with ankle-length black hair. The hair hid an orifice in her neck with which she would suck the blood of children. To prevent a woman from becoming a Langsuyar, glass beads would be placed in her mouth to prevent banshee-like screams, eggs under her arms, and needles in her palms to prevent flying. It was supposedly possible to tame a Langsuyar. A Pontianak was the stillborn child of the Langsuyar.



Lidérc

A Hungarian Succubus-like creature, that could appear as a person, animal, or shining light. It is said that they did not have the ability to shape change, but rather existed in all shapes at once, choosing which form an observer might see it in. I believe it attacked victims in the same way a Succubus might.



Loogaroo

The loogaroos are often old women, in the folklore of Haiti and other islands in the West Indies, who'd made pacts with the devil. The devil would ask for some warm blood each night, and in return, give the loogaroos magical powers. When retrieving blood, they would take their skin off, and take the form of a fiery ball of light.



Nosferatu

Nosferatu is a modern word derived from Old Slavonic word, nosufur-atu, which in turn was borrowed from the Greek nosophoros, meaning, "a plague carrier”. This word has erroneously been used to mean "undead," which came about from Bram Stoker, and has been used as a reference to the Devil, as well. Quite often this word is used to signify your generic run-of-the-mill vampire.



Mulo

This literally means, "one who is dead." The Mulé (Mulo plural) are believed in by Gypsies. A Mulo was any individual, especially a person who died an untimely death (suicide, accident) that might become a vampire and search out the person or persons who caused their death. Physical appearance of Mulé is usually normal, except for a possible missing finger, animal-like appendage, or other such abnormality. The Slavic and German Gypsies often believed that vampires had no bones, and thus, the Mulé supposedly were boneless.



Nora

A small bald humanoid, that would move around on all fours, and was claimed to be invisible. He would attack by jumping on his victim, and sucking on their breasts. The Nora was known mainly in Hungary.



Obur

I believe these are also known as the Krvopijac, but I'm not positive on that. The Obur was Bulgarian. The obur was a gluttonous blood drinker, and was also very loud, capable of creating noises not unlike that of a firecracker, and had the ability to move objects like a poltergeist.



Pelesit

Malaysian vampiric being that took on the form of a house cricket. If someone was being attacked by a Polong, the pelesit generally accompanied it. The Pelesit would arrive before the Polong, enter the victim’s body, and prepare the way for the Polong. Penanggalan



There are a few different ideas about the Malaysian Penanggalan, but most agree on a few points. They were all female, and their heads were separated from their bodies, and their intestines dangled down. She would live in a tree, and fly from house to house, sucking the blood of children just being born, and sometimes even their mothers.



Pisachas

These creatures originate from India, and the word means literally, "eaters of raw flesh." They're hideous in appearance, bloodthirsty, and repellant. They’re supposedly products of the anger of the deity Brahma.



Polong

A very small Malaysian female (1 inch tall), which was believed to be a witch’s familiar. In return for daily blood from the witch, the Polong would do many tasks, including attacking the witch's enemies. See alsoPelesit. Pontianak



A Malaysian Langsuyar's stillborn child. It was believed to take the form of a night owl. To prevent a deceased baby from becoming a Pontianak, it was treated the same as the Langsuyar.



Rakshasa

This is one of the more well known vampiric races from India. They were often described as ogres or demons that would live in cemeteries, disrupt rituals, and interrupt devotions. The slaying of infants was a common pastime of the Rakshasa. Quite often the Rakshasa would take on a half breed form, half humanoid, half animal.



Redcaps

The Redcap was a malignant spirit who haunted abandoned castles and other places where violence had occurred. If one slept in a spot haunted by the redcap, it would attempt to dip its cap in human blood. It could easily be driven off with a word from the Bible or a cross. I do believe the Redcaps are Scottish.



Strigoi

This is the major Romanian vampire. It's basically the most common and well-known type of vampire, even if one doesn't know the term Strigoi. When a person thinks of a "Vampire," this is usually what they're thinking of, even if they don't know it. There is a difference between Strigoi, and Strigoi mort, both Romanian vampires. The former being a live vampire, and the latter being a dead vampire. There's also the Strigoi Vii, whom are witches destined to become vampires after death. The Strigoi was discovered by an unusual occurrence either at their birth or death, and a living Strigoi was a person who was born with either a caul or a little tail. A Strigoi Vii may become a Strigoi Mort, as well as other people who died irregularly, such as by suicide or an accident.



Succubus/Incubus

This is a race in Europe that is sometimes considered a vampiric race. The general way they feed is by having sexual relations with the victim, exhausting them and, then feeding on the energy released during sex. They may enter homes uninvited and can take on the appearance of other persons. They will often visit the same victim more than once. The victim of a Succubus will experience the visits as dreams. The male version of a Succubus is an Incubus.



Sukuyan

From Trinidad, these vampires resemble the Loogaroo.It would leave its skin at night, and travel as a blue ball of light in search of blood. If caught, a sukuyan would undergo a transformation into an animal, and without its skin would be unable to resume humanoid form.



Tenatz

From Montenegro, these were supposedly the bodies of deceased people taken over by spirits. They would roam around at night, and suck sleeping people’s blood. They would change into mice to enter and exit their gravesites.



Tlahuelpuchi

Aztecan person, usually female, which supposedly had the ability to shape shift into various animals and attack people, most often infants, and suck their blood. The most common was to change into a turkey, but dogs, cats, buzzards, and more were reported.



*Upierczi

These vampires have origins Poland and Russia, and is also called Viesczy. They have a sting under the tongue instead of the fangs. They are active from noon to midnight and can only be destroyed by burning. When burned, the body will burst, giving rise to hundreds of small, disgusting animals (maggots, rats, etc.). If any of these creatures escape then the Upierczi's spirit will escape too, and will return to seek revenge.



Upirina

See Vrykolakas.



Ustrel

This is a Bulgarian vampire, who was a child that had been born on a Saturday, and died before baptism. On the ninth day of its burial, an Ustrel was believed to rise from its grave, and attack local sheep and cattle, draining their blood. If an Ustrel was attacking a community's livestock, one could hire vampirdzhija, or vampire hunter. This person had an ability to see the Ustrels, and could detect whether or not there was an Ustrel in the community (sounds like a good scam to me).



Vetala

This Indian vampire spirit is also known as the Betail. It is said that they inhabited and animated the bodies of the dead. Vetalas are the subject for many Indian stories and legends, but I myself had a bit of trouble finding more information on them.



Vrykolakas

Vrykolakas (Greek) is pretty much interchangeable with Lampir (Bosnian),Vurvulak(Albanian), Upirina(Serbo-Croatian), and Vukodlak(Croatian). It was basically just an evil being amongst the Southern Slavs that attacked people at night, and it is said that there was one for every Slavic clan.



Vukodlak

See Vrykolakas.



Vurvulak

See Vrykolakas.



Yara-ma-yha-who

In Aboriginal cultures in Australia, there existed the Yara-ma-yha-who, a vampire-like being who was described as a small red man, about 4 ft tall, with no teeth, an exceptionally large head and mouth, and having the tips of its fingers and toes shaped like that of an octopus'. It was said to dropdown from trees and drain people of blood with their fingers and toes, leaving them weak and helpless, and would come back later to swallow them whole.



Yatu-Dhana

These are, in short, Indian sorcerers that devours the remains left by
Rakshasas



Source for this listing is from:
The Vampire Book: The Encyclopedia of the Undead. (1st Edition)

*Entries marked with an asterisk (*) are entries that I have not seen written in a book anywhere, or had any real facts upon them. These were acquired either by word of mouth, or off the web.

[zero]

In modern folklore, Dakhanavar was the name of a vampire who defended his territory by killing travelers who he viewed as trespassers. He sucked blood from the soles of their feet.

http://forum.armenianclub.com/archive/index.php/t-4315.html

and yep, the Armenian who posted in the above linked forum was not too thrilled with this Dakhanavar guy, since he seems a bit lame. I am forced to agree...

-z