Demonic
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La Tunda
La Tunda is a bogeyman figure from the African-Ecuadorian people from the Colombian Pacific area, sometimes specifically the Esmeraldas Province. It is said she was once a favored angel from “the time when animal spoke,” but she defied God and was thrown into the Valley of Tears as punishment. Other stories however say she is a mother who killed her child in the woods and was cursed to search for this child until Judgement Day. Some other stories say that at some point she married the Devil and gave birth to Cuco. She is often thought to have eyes like a caiman, hairs like a porcupine, and a grinder (specifically…
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Thags Yang
The Tags Yang is a demonic creature from Tibetan myth. They attack travelers, wrestle them to the ground, and then drain their life’s breath. They can take the form of humans, tigers, or human tiger hybrids. They can be stopped from attacking if you are strongly religious, and they seek out those who don’t say prayers of protection. Citations: 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. Steiger, Brad. The Werewolf Book: The Encyclopedia of Shape-Shifting Beings. United Kingdom, Visible Ink Press, 2011.
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Sanguisuga
The Sanguisuga is a Latin form of vampire. The name means “blood sucker” though it’s sometimes referred to as a “horse leech.” The term was used before the word Vampire was popularized, and likely referred to a Vampire or some other blood sucking demon. They are related to bats, and if pierced they pour out the blood they’ve consumed. Citations: Arnold, Thomas Kerchever, et al. A Copious and Critical English – Latin Lexicon, Founded on the German-Latin Dictionary of Dr. C.E. Georges. United Kingdom, Longmans, Green, and Company, 1865. Bunson, Matthew. The Vampire Encyclopedia. United Kingdom, Gramercy Books, 2000. Maberry, Jonathan. Vampire Universe: The Dark World of Supernatural Beings That…
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Psoglav
The Psoglav comes from Slavic myth. Its name translates to “doghead.” They are considered a demonic creature with a human body, horse legs, a dog head, razor sharp teeth, and a single eye in the middle of their foreheads. They are opportunistic hunters, and may dig up graves to eat corpses. They are thought to live in gemstone mines from Bosnia and Montenegro. Citations: Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia of Beasts and Monsters in Myth, Legend and Folklore. United States, McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2016.
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Nosferat/Nosferatu
The Nosferat is a form of vampire most commonly known from Bram Stokers’ Dracula, and may have originated there as well. The name supposedly comes from the Greek word “nosphoros” meaning “plague carrier,” but the term Nosferat has not been reliably found in any East European dictionaries. This could make it a form of old Fakelore which became so intertwined with actual myth that it became a part of accepted myth in the modern day. The Nosferat was sometimes seen as a form of living vampire, and has been thought to originate as the illegitimate child of two people who were also born as illegitimate children. Sometimes it is instead…
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Mejenkwaad
The Mejenkwaad is a form of ghost or demon from the Marshall Islands. They are formed when the husbands of pregnant women leave, and do not return before the birth. After transforming, they devour their husbands as soon as they return. It was believed this was the fate of any lonely pregnant woman. There is a story of the island of Airok which had an incredibly high pregnancy death rate and was filled with Mejenkwaad. There were two women who never gave birth and lived to be old. They treated these Mejenkwaad as their daughters. They lived on the oceanside of Airok and none passed through that area because of…
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Mahaha
The Mahaha is a demonic creature from Inuit myth. It has sharp nails and is known to tickle people to death. It makes people laugh and cuts open their insides. It is similar to the Aagjuk, specifically to ones living on the moon. Citations: Aupilaarjuk, Mariano. Perspectives on Traditional Law. United Kingdom, Language and Culture Program of Nunavut Arctic College, 1999. Gogerty, Clare. Sacred Places: Where to Find Wonder in the World. United Kingdom, Octopus, 2020. Hulan, Renée. Northern Experience and the Myths of Canadian Culture. United Kingdom, McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2002. Jenness, Diamond, and McGrath, Robin. Canadian Inuit literature: the development of a tradition. Ottawa, National Museums of Canada,…
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Leviathan
The Leviathan is from the Hebrew people and is mentioned in the Bible. She was created by God on the fifth day of creation. In medieval times she was seen as a demon of envy and faith, or an arch-demon. She was sometimes seen as a symbol of chaos or as a fallen Seraphim. Her name means “the crooked serpent” or “whale.” She was three hundred miles long with eyes glowing like small suns. She hunted and ate a whale every day. Her breath was foul enough to kill and she could expel heat from her mouth that would instantly boil the water. She feared a sea worm called Kilbit…
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Lamashtu
Lamashtu is a figure from Sumerian and Mesopotamian myth. She is depicted as a woman with a hairy body, the head of a lion or bird, the ears and teeth of a donkey, large wings, and eagle talons for fingers. She was often shown riding a donkey carrying a two headed snake in each hand. At one time, she was seen as a vampiric and demonic goddess. She was believed to nurse dogs and pigs, cause crops to fail, dry up rivers, cause miscarriages, and steal children to nurse them with poison. She would also strike down men at random, cause fatal diseases, and inflict nightmares. People could be defended…
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Krvopijac/Krvoijac
The Krvopijac is a vampiric creature from Bulgaria. They are created when someone smokes or drinks during Lent. Sometimes these people transform immediately, but sometimes they transform after death, the process taking forty days to occur as an insult to numerology from the devil. Their skeletons are thought to melt and then reform into new forms of a much stronger material. They have pale rotting flesh, rotting teeth, sunken eyes, and smell strongly of rotten meat. They have forked tongues and only one nostril. They are incredibly strong and can only be combatted by fire. Their graves can be found by having a naked virgin ride a black foal through…
