Serbia
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Vlkodlak/Volkodlak
The Vlkodlak is from Serbian legend. They starts out as werewolves, being humans who could turn into wolves without any additional supernatural abilities. After they die as werewolves, they rise from the grave as a Vlkodlak. They resembles a drunk person with skin flushed red like blood. They exist in this form for seven years and drain the blood of the living. After these seven years, they become normal humans, which will turn into a Vlkodlak again upon its death. A Vlkodlak can also be created if someone sees a werewolf and survives, which guarantees they become this after death. They can also be created by eating sheep that has…
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Vjestitiza/Veshtica
The Vjestitiza is a vampiric witch from Slavic myth in Montenegro and Serbia. They appear as old women, but may take the form of a blue ball of light. They can be recognized by facial hair, sharp teeth, and prominent bones. They use magic with a wand and may grow bat wings after becoming Vjestitiza. They prey on children and cannot attack the elderly. They can shape shift into various animals such as hens, flies, and black moths. They often hunt alone and may form covens. They drink blood and may rip out their victims hearts. After taking the heart and liver from a victim, they can schedule when and…
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Milosnice/Merciful
The Milosnice is a creature of Slavic belief specifically from Serbia. They are thought to be invisible beings that bring disease. Though often invisible, they sometimes take the form of women dressed all in black. They may work alone but have also been known to work in groups to cause even worse disease. In some places it was believed they possessed people to cause illness while other times they spread disease by poisoning food or the air. It was often believed that every Milosnice carried one specific disease that they spread. If an outbreak began, the Milosnice responsible could be stopped by lighting fires at crossroads and the entrances to…
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Children of Judas
The Children of Judas are from Serbian, Bulgarian, and Romanian myth. They are a type of vampire who always have red hair and can drain victims of every drop of blood through a single bite. Their bite marks often resemble the way the Latin number thirty is written, XXX, symbolizing the amount of silver Judas took to betray Jesus. 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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Baba Roga/Babaroga
Baba Roga is a Slavic creature from Serbia. She resembles a hunched, ugly, toothless, old woman with a horn in the middle of her head. She hides in dark places and only comes out at night. She scares bad children and takes them back to her lair. She functions as a bogeyman figure. Her name roughly translates to “horned grandma.” Citations: Zlatic, Vladimir. Slavic Mythology: Demons in Serbian Folklore. N.P., Amazon Digital Services LLC – KDP Print US, 2021.
