Animalitos

The Animalitos are creatures from Spain, whose name translates to “small animal” in Spanish. They may be around 10 centimeters in height, but grow no larger than two or three feet tall. They have dark reptilian bodies, canine heads and snouts, mouths like lizards, and two elastic arms. They are known to live in freshwater, often in marshes or in heaps of stones. They are typically very difficult to catch and are seen as incredibly agile and fast. Interestingly enough, the Animalitos were often seen as helpful to people. When the practice of “bleeding” a patient was thought to be a good idea, Animalitos were commonly used by doctors and healers in place of leeches. Wooden toys of them were thought to repel Cauchemars (either the mythical creature or just nightmares in general), and these would also be placed on children’s graves. On the other hand though, they are thought to attack the body parts of swimmers and drink the blood that spills as a result of these attacks. They may also lay in wait among piles of Gorse plants with their eyes at the surface of the mud and wait for people or animals going to get water or bathe. They could also become addicted to the blood of a particular patient even after they’ve healed, and if they accidentally drained too much blood and killed someone, the person’s soul would go to Hell. They are sometimes thought to be the souls of the disrespectful, who were tortured and killed during the inquisition. They are also believed to start out as Feu Follet (A french creature similar to the Will-O-Wisp) but have no light and instead cling to the vermin of the earth. During winter, they were thought to cover themselves in mud and strips of snakeskin. They may also curl themselves into a small ball and stick themselves in cracks of monasteries and cemeteries. They are often owned and controlled by sorcerers. They are contained in reeds that are knotted on one end with a cork covering the other. When held in captivity, they demand human flesh, especially from cursed humans, or the flesh of unbaptized children. The sorcerer controlling them must feed them every 24 hours, and if the proper child flesh cannot be obtained, they must give their own flesh to feed the creature. They are thought to lead people to damnation by granting their worst wishes in order to attain all that they desire. People hosting an Animalito may have remarkable speed and strength, and possibly hardened skin. There is one account of an Animalito who has a person becoming so affected that “his bones seemed to poke through his skin and his eyes widened immensely.” The conclusion to be drawn here is that the Animalito is consuming him from the inside out. Another interesting account of the Animalitos suggests that Napoleon was affected by an Animalito, and that was what kept him from being killed while in Spain. Animalitos could be killed with typical means and would choke to death in water polluted by oil. Hosts of the Animalitos however could only be killed with a silver bullet made from a coin that had a cross on it, or a bullet made from the melted wax of a candle used during mass.

Citations:

Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia of Vampire Mythology. United States, McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2017.

Maberry, Jonathan. Vampire Universe: The Dark World of Supernatural Beings That Haunt Us, Hunt Us, and Hunger for Us. United States, Kensington Publishing Corporation, 2006.

Mérimée, Prosper. La Vénus d’Ille ; suivie de Djoûmane et Les sorcières espagnoles. France, Pocket, 2004

Sabatier, Claudine, et al. La grande encyclopédie des lutins. France, Hoëbeke, 1992.