Russia
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Wurdalak
The Wurdalak is from Russian folklore. They are heretics or blasphemers who rise from the grave after making a deal with the devil for immortality. Their hunger is insatiable and consumes its immortal life. They often look like a female who appears young and attractive to lure in victims. They return to the form of rotting corpses when alone with their victims which is their true form. 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.
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Wawkalak
The Wawkalak is a strange form of werewolf from Russian belief. They were formed when a person angered the devil and was cursed by him to become a wolf. The Wawkalak would be recognized and cared for by their family. They have no malevolence and are often quite friendly, but they are forever doomed to be driven out of the village they’re in over and over again. Citations: Guiley, Rosemary. The Encyclopedia of Vampires, Werewolves, and Other Monsters. United States, Facts On File, Incorporated, 2004.
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Urias
The Urias were a race of giants and were considered the first to inhabit the earth in Romania and Russia. They lived in peace with humans at first but eventually began to cause war and destruction. They were often connected to Nephilim. They were killed by the biblical flood. Urias burial mounds contain riches. These graves can be found on Christmas Eve, Easter, or Saint Georges Day, at which time a magic fire burns above them. Citations: McElroy, D.R.. Superstitions: A Handbook of Folklore, Myths, and Legends from Around the World. United States, Book Sales, 2020. World Mythology Lite. N.P., Frederick Holiday.
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Upyr
The Upyr is a Russian vampire that rises from the dead. They hunt down entire families starting with the children and working up to the adults. They come from the corpse of a witch or from someone who committed suicide. They can also be created if a person or animal walks over the grave of someone recently deceased, causing them to drain their life force to reanimate themselves. 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.
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Susszheevo Aquatic Alien
The Susszheevo Aquatic Alien was sighted near Susszheevo, Tver Province, Russia in the Summer of 2001 in the evening. It was sighted by Oleg Smelkov and a friend Nikolay. They went to a lake Northwest of Moscow to go fishing. While searching for a fishing spot they found the lake covered in a dense eerie fog. Eventually, they found a spot and started fishing, later it got darker and the wind picked up. They heard splashing 20 meters ahead of them and a head emerged from the water. The creature slowly approached and suddenly jumped on the riverbank. It was a humanoid creature with a huge head, a wide mouth…
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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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Eretiku/Eretnik/Elatoamsk/Eretitsa/Eretnitsa
The Eretiku is a creature from Russian mythology. This creature is seen as the female version of Erestun. They are thought to be deliberate blasphemers who practice black magic or women who sold their souls to the devil and return from the grave. They take the form of old women and seek out others of their kind to form covens. It can induce a sickness that causes the life force and sanity to begin wasting away, simply by staring into someone’s eyes. If they’re not strong enough to physically manifest, they take the form of a ghost that can manipulate physical objects. In this form, they rise from the graves…
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Erestun/Xloptuny
The Erestun is a form of spirit from Russian myth. They possess someone who is on the brink of death, often causing accidents, illnesses, or violence. They are thought to be the spirits of evil sorcerers formed when the sorcerer splits its soul, or when they somehow lose their physical body. They enter the body in an invisible astral form and cause what appears to be a miraculous recovery. They need to feed on human blood to maintain control of the body they possess and prey on the friends and family of their host. Sometimes they take only a small amount of blood, but in desperate situations, they will drain…
