Isithfuntela

The Isithfuntela is from West Africa. They are created when witches enter the bodies of those who have committed suicide. The witch will cut out the corpse’s tongue and drive a wooden peg into its skull to bind it. They can also control them separately to themselves. They lack physical strength and cannot fight a healthy person one on one, but can shapeshift, often turning into bats and rats, and can hypnotize people. They can also raise the dead which turn to dust once the sun rises. They must feed on human blood to survive. They hypnotize their victims and drive wooden pegs into their brains to kill them, then they will drain their blood. Wolves hate them, and a pack will rip the Isithfuntela apart if they encounter one. They can be killed through decapitation or by driving a stake through their heart.

Citations:

Mason, Jenny. Zombie Myths. United States, Gareth Stevens Publishing Lllp, 2017.

Melton, J. Gordon. The Vampire Book: The Encyclopedia of the Undead. United Kingdom, Visible Ink Press, 2011.