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Kamaitachi
The Kamaitachi is a form of Yokai from Japanese myth. Its name translates to “sickle weasel” and is often depicted as weasels holding tiny sickles. They work together in groups of three. The first Kamaitachi slashes at the victim to knock them down, the second one slashes the body before it even reaches the ground, and the third then magically heals the wound, spilling almost no blood. Attacks from the Kamaitachi often happen in swamps, and sometimes those who have been attacked will become incredibly sick and then die. Citations: Maberry, Jonathan. Vampire Universe: The Dark World of Supernatural Beings That Haunt Us, Hunt Us, and Hunger for Us. United…
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Kamaikaahui
Kamaikaahui was a person in Hawaiian myth. He was born in Maui as a rat, then he became several bananas, and then eventually he transformed into a man with a shark mouth on his back. To hide the shark mouth on his back, he always wore a cloth covering it. He kept the form of a man on land and took the form of a shark on the sea. He lived and farmed by the main road and would warn people of sharks as they would walk by going to the ocean. He would then take a shortcut and eat them in the form of a shark. People eventually start…
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Kalmykian Exploding Snake/Kalmykia’s Exploding Worm/Short Grey Snake/Exploding Enigma
The Kalmykian Exploding Snake is an extremely obscure cryptid. This creature is briefly mentioned in the book The Beasts That Hide From Man by Karl Shuker in a section talking about the Mongolian Death Worm. The account of this creature comes from a letter written to a cryptozoologist named Michel Raynal, from another cryptozoologist named Dr. Marie-Jeanne Koffmann on January 6, 1997. The accounts themselves were lost when Dr. Koffmann’s office was robbed. It’s described as a short grey snake, roughly 50 centimeters (20 inches) long and 15-20 centimeters (6-8 inches) in diameter. It has smooth skin, is rounded at the front of its body, and has a very short…
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Kalku
The Kalku are evil magic users from Mapuche myth. They’re often compared to witches and sorcerers and send out spirits called Wekufe to do evil. Kalku and Machi are sometimes considered the same thing, with the Machi simply being good rather than evil. They are believe to dwell in a Reñu, meaning a Witch’s Cave. They may gather young girls in the cave and teach them magic, called Kalkutun, and swear them to secrecy. They may draw power from their ancestors or any others that they gather into their circle. They can cause illness or take over the will and actions of their victims. They can attack people by linking something…
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Kakli Besar
The Kakli Besar is a monstrous creature from Johor, Malaysia. They are described as evil hairy hominids standing nine feet tall. They have eighteen inch long feet with four toes, and large claws that can slice through bone like they are flesh. Many believe they were created by evil forces specifically to attack humans. They often attack humans and have also been known to kill livestock. They can be repelled by smoke, fire, and the sound of metal hitting together. There was a large hunt for these creatures in 1995. Citations: Maberry, Jonathan. Vampire Universe: The Dark World of Supernatural Beings That Haunt Us, Hunt Us, and Hunger for Us.…
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Jiangshi/Chiang-Shih/Kiang-Shi/Kuang-Shi
The Jiangshi are a form of undead creature from Chinese myth. They’re most often formed when someone dies from murder, hanging, drowning, suicide, or dying during the committing of a crime. It is believed they are the lesser of the two souls, called the p’o, that remains in the body after death. They have incredibly stiff bodies due to rigor mortis and have to hop around because of this. They’re believed to become stronger the longer they exist, with rigor mortis wearing off, and they would become smarter and more malicious. They can leap from massive distances and even learn how to fly. They have been known to appear as…
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Ichiwanda/Ifiwanda/Ichisongola/Kanumba
The Ichiwanda comes from the Lamba people of Zambia, formerly Rhodesia. They are sometimes described as demons, but this is largely an inaccurate term because they can be benevolent under certain circumstances. They can cause madness to those they take possession of, may cause a lingering ulcer, and they are also commonly associated with leprosy. They can also be responsible for accidents of carelessness. There is a similar creature called a Umusako. It’s also believed everyone has an “Attendant Ichiwanda” functioning much like a guardian angel, protecting them from things like wild animals, but they may also punish a person for their misdeeds. Sometimes they reveal the breaking of taboos,…
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Humababa/Huwawa/Kumbaba
Humbaba is from Sumerian, Mesopotamian, Assyrian, and Babylonian mythology. He was appointed by the god Enlil to guard the cedar trees in the world of the living. He was dangerous to any who entered his forest. He was a large humanoid with a lion head and dragon teeth whose roar was like a storm. His breathe was like death and he could breathe fire. Covered in plate-like scales, he had talons like a vulture and a tail that had a snake head at the end of it. He personified natural elements and was protected by seven mystical auras. No one ever escaped his wrath. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, which…
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Fext/Kostlivec
Fext are a form of undead from Eastern Bohemia and Western Moravia. Their other name, Kostlivec, simply means “skeleton” which is a less specific term. It is believed that babies with their amniotic sac still around them at birth are likely to become Fext. Their corpses do not decompose after death. Their skin is like a hardened shell, and they cannot be killed with normal bullets but can be killed with a glass ball or peg. Many of them are connected to the thirty years war. Citations: Marenčin, Albert, and Stejskal, Martin. Labyrintem tajemna, aneb, Průvodce po magických místech Československa. Czechia, Paseka, 1991.
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Ogolijen
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Ka Dinga Pepo/Ka Denga Pepo/Ka-Dinga Pepo/Kadinga Pepo
Ka Dinga Pepo is a phenomenon from Zanzibar. The term is Swahili with “ka” meaning ‘a form of,’ “Dinga” meaning a cramp-like seizure, and “Pepo” referring to an evil spirit or plague. The term refers to a spiritual attack causing sickness. The term was also for the origin of the name for ‘dengue fever’ in 1800. Citations: Africanderisms: A Glossary of South African Colloquial Words and Phrases and of Place and Other Names. United Kingdom, Longmans, Green and Company, 1913. Dobson, Mary. Murderous Contagion: A Human History of Disease. United Kingdom, Hachette Book Group, 2015. Fabes, Stephen. Signs of Life: A Doctor’s Journey to the Ends Of The Earth. United…
