Category: Mythological Creatures

The Shtriga was a vampire-like witch that was found in Albania. The creature was similar to the Strigon, which was a witch found among the southern Slavs, the strigoi of Romania, and the vjeshtitza of Montenegro.

The Shtriga usually took the form of a woman who lived undetected in the community. She was difficult to identify, although a sure sign was a young girl’s hair turning white.

The vampire witch attacked her prey at night, usually in the form of an animal, such as a moth, fly, or bee.

In order to catch a Shtriga, two methods can be attempted:

~ On a day when the community gathered in the church, a cross made of pig bones could be fastened to the doors. Any Shtriga inside would be trapped and unable to pass the barrier.

~ If one followed a suspected Shtriga at night, one could see her vomit blood at some point after she sucked the blood of her victims. The vomited blood could be bottled and turned into an amulet to ward against witches.

Legend of the Shtriga:

According to legend, only the shtriga herself could cure those she had drained (often by spitting in their mouths), and those who were not cured inevitably sickened and died.

The name can be used to express that a person is evil. According to Northern Albanian folklore, a woman is not born a witch; she becomes one, often because she is childless or made evil by envy.   A strong belief in God could make people immune to a witch as He would protect them.

Usually, shtriga were described as old or middle-aged women with grey, pale green, or pale blue eyes (called white eyes or pale eyes) and a crooked nose. Their stare would make people uncomfortable, and people were supposed to avoid looking them directly in the eyes because they have the evil eye.  To ward off a witch, people could take a pinch of salt in their fingers and touch their (closed) eyes, mouth, heart and the opposite part of the heart and the pit of the stomach and then throw the salt in direct flames saying “syt i dalçin syt i plaçin” or just whisper 3–6 times “syt i dalçin syt i plaçin” or “plast syri keq.”

In some regions of Albania, people have used garlic to send away the evil eye or they have placed a puppet in a house being built to catch the evil. Newborns, children or beautiful girls have been said to catch the evil eye more easily, so in some Albanian regions when meeting such a person, especially a newborn, for the first time, people might say “masha’allah” and touch the child’s nose to show their benevolence and so that the evil eye would not catch the child.

Edith Durham recorded several methods traditionally considered effective for defending oneself from shtriga. A cross made of pig bone could be placed at the entrance of a church on Easter Sunday, rendering any shtriga inside unable to leave. They could then be captured and killed at the threshold as they vainly attempted to pass. She further recorded the story that after draining blood from a victim, the shtriga would generally go off into the woods and regurgitate it. If a silver coin were to be soaked in that blood and wrapped in cloth, it would become an amulet offering permanent protection from any shtriga.

In Catholic legend, it is said that shtriga can be destroyed using holy water with a cross in it, and in Islamic myth it is said that shtriga can be sent away or killed by reciting verses from the Qur’an, specifically Ayatul Kursi 225 sura Al-Baqara, and spitting water on the shtriga.

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The Slavic vampire was not always the symbol of evil that it came to be in the nineteenth century European literature.

The Slavic vampire was originally the product of an irregularity within community life, such as problems with burial practices, death, or birth. People who had a violent death, people who committed suicide, or people who died of an accident became vampires.

Most Slavic cultures had a set of ritual activities that were to be followed after a death for for days following the death. Deviation of that ritual could result in the deceased becoming a vampire.

People who were excommunicated or deviated from the church would cause vampirism.

Problems at birth could also cause vampirism. In the Slavic culture, certain days of the year frowned upon intercourse, and children conceived on these days would become a vampire. Bulgarians believed that children who died before baptism would become an ustrel, which is a vampire who would attack and drink the blood of livestock. The Kashubs believed that children born with teeth or a caul would become a vampire after death.

The Slavic society offered many causes of vampires, and the belief the community members could become a vampire after being attacked or brought on by waves brought about vampire hysteria.

If a person is suspected to become a vampire, the community could take pre-burial actions to prevent the vampire from awakening. Religious objects were placed in the coffin. Plants such as the mountain ash would be left in the grave. Seeds were spilled in the grave, on top of the grave, and on the road from the graveyard. In extreme cases, the body was pierced with thorns or a stake. A wooden block may be placed under the chin to prevent the vampire from eating its burial clothes, or the clothes may be nailed on the outside of the coffin.

If a dead person was thought to be a vampire, the body would be dug up and examined for signs of a vampire. If the dead was a vampire, the body would appear lifelike, the joints would be pliable, blood would ooze from the mouth or other body openings, hair and fingernail growth would be seen, and the body may appear bloated (being filled with blood).

In order to destroy a vampire, the body would be staked with wood or metal. The object would be driven into the head, heart, or stomach of the body. In severe cases, the body would be decapitated. A priest, would also, repeat the ritual activities of the funeral service, sprinkling holy water on the body, or performing an exoricism.

Vjesci was the name given to a Polish vampire known by the Kashubian people. The Vjesci vampire resembled the Nachzeher found to the west in northern Germany.

According to myths, a person was destined to become a vjesci if it was born with a caul. When a child was born with the membrane cap, it was removed, dried, ground up, and fed to the child on its 7th birthday in attempts to prevent the child from becoming a vampire.

Potential vjesci appeared to be completely normal and grew up in the community undetected, although in some cases, the potential vjesci had a restless and easily excitable nature and a ruddy complexion.

At the time of death, the person refused to take sacrament. His body cooled slowly, the limbs remained limber, and the lips and cheeks retained their color. Spots of blood often appeared under the fingernails and on the face of the body.

The vjesci didn’t really die, though. At midnight, after the burial, the vampire awakened and ate his clothing and some of his own flesh. He then left the grave and attacked his family, sucking their blood to the point of death. If the vampire is not satiated, he may go after the neighbors.

In order to protect oneself from a vjesci, steps could be taken.

• The dying people should receive the Eucharist.
• A little bit of earth was placed in the coffin under the body to prevent it from returning home.
• A crucifix or coin was placed underneath the tongue for the vampire to suck.
• A net may be placed in the coffin because the vampire had to untie the knots before it could leave the coffin.
• A bag of seeds or sand man be placed in the coffin for the vampire to count each seed or grain. before leaving the coffin.
• The body may be laid face down so that the vampire would dig further into the ground instead of out.
• A nail may be driven through the forehead.
• The head may be severed and placed between its feet.

If you were to open the coffin of a vjesci vampire, you would find a few tell-tale signs.

• The eyes would open.
• The head may move.
• It may make noise.
• The shirt may have been eaten.

If the precautions at the time of burial had not stopped the vampire to either drive a nail through the head or sever the head, there may be blood flowing from a new wound. It was said that if the blood was captured, it could be given to anyone who had been attacked by the vampire to prevent the victim from becoming a vampire.

The vjesci was closely related to the wupji (or opji), except the wupji had two teeth rather than a caul at birth. The Kashubian people immigrated to Ontario, Canada, bringing the vjesci with them. The vjesci and wupji were often used interchangeably.

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This Bulgarian vampiric revenant is created when a person dies a sudden and violent death and the spirit refuses or does not realize it needs to leave its body.

After 40 days the vampire will dig itself free from its grave and begins a reign of terror though this mainly consists of smearing manure on the sides of a person’s home and breaking the dishes in his house.

Active only between noon and midnight this vampire will exhaust all other food sources and options before seeking out a human to attack for his blood. If the person can make an offer to the vampire to spare their life the vampir must accept.

The only one with enough skill and knowledge to destroy this type of vampire is a Vampirdzhija (a type of vampire hunter).

Upyr (Oo-PEER)

Variations: Oupyr, Uppyr

This Russian vampire revenant is created when a heretic, sorcerer, or witch dies or as the child of a werewolf and a witch. Active between noon and midnight it looks like a normal person and preys on the children of a family and then moves on to the parents. After draining the victim of blood it will open a hole in the chest with its ironlike teeth and consume the heart.

Its grave can only be found by attaching a spool of thread to its clothing and following the thread. The grave must be soaked in Holy water and a stake driving though it in a single blow or the vampire will still rise. Another method of destruction is to decapitate the vampire and burn its corpse to ashes.