Neuntöter/Neuntoter

The Neuntöter is an undead creature from Germany, usually Saxony. The name translates to “killer of nine” or “nine killer” and comes from the belief that these corpses take nine days to rise from the grave. They resemble corpses with rotting flesh and many open sores that smell like feces. They’re linked to the spreading of disease, which comes from their open sores.  Because of this they’re typically seen during great epidemics. They are known to drink blood and may kill purely for its own enjoyment. A person will become a Neuntöter after death if they are born with teeth, born with a spoon in their mouth, or if they’re born with two rows of teeth. In some circumstances they die shortly after birth, and then may grab others after their death and cause those people to die as well. In the case of the spoon being in the mouth at birth, this spoon must be burned to ash and fed to the child to keep them from becoming a Neuntöter. They can be stopped through ritual exorcism, must be decapitated from 11 to midnight, and a lemon must be shoved in the mouth of the corpse. They can also be staked through the heart and have their head turned backwards before being reburied.

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