Undead
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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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Upier/Upierczi(pl)
Upierczi are undead vampires from Poland. They build nests in crypts or some other secure location. They rarely use their own graves for their nests and instead nest far from their own burial locations. They hunt from noon to midnight. They fill their nests with blood when they come back and sleep in them. They use their forked tongues to attack instead of fangs. They are constantly hungry and drain their victims entirely. They are the risen corpse of someone born without teeth or with a caul. In life they are agitated, hyperactive, and have an intense flushed face. They are completely evil after death. They can be prevented from becoming…
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Upior
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Tuyul/Toyol/Toyol
The Tuyul are mythical creatures from Indonesian and Malaysian folklore. They are sometimes believed to be the spirits of aborted children. They’re described as child-like and require pampering to make them loyal. They especially like candy and can be controlled with this. They can be bought from a shaman or taken from their resting place. They’re very popular as they don’t require human sacrifices. People may adopt Tuyul to gain wealth, having the creature steal money from others, though they cannot steal money that is tied up. Sometimes Tuyul need to be specifically led to a location they are meant to steal from so they don’t get lost. If the…
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Tenatz
The Tenatz are from Bosnian legends. They are undead shapeshifters. They can turn into mice or other small burrowing creatures to escape from their graves. They return to the form of a walking corpse once above ground. They consume blood. Cutting the hamstrings of a corpse is thought to prevent them from rising as a Tenatz. If they have already risen, they can be stopped with fire or exorcism. 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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Blutsaugr
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Taxim
Taxim are creatures from Eastern Europe. They are focused on revenge. They spread plagues and sometimes attack cattle. They are animated corpses. They can be detected by their terrible smell. They only hurt their intended target. Citations: Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia of Beasts and Monsters in Myth, Legend and Folklore. United States, McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2016. Larousse Dictionary Of World Folklore: An Unparalleled View Of Folktales And Heritage by Alison Jones Melton, J. Gordon. The Vampire Book: The Encyclopedia of the Undead. United Kingdom, Visible Ink Press, 2011.
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Strigoi
The Strigoi is a form of vampiric monster from Romanian myth. The term Strigoi can be used as a general term for any evil entity, and it comes from the Italian word “strega” meaning Witch. They often shapeshift into night birds like owls. Over time they transformed from witch vampires to an undead form of vampire. 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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Shinigami
The Shinigami are Yokai of death from Japanese myth. They are sometimes seen as spirits of the dead that possess the living and seek to harm them. They typically resemble humans with pale grey skin and inhuman features. They are drawn to death and linger around areas where people have just died. They thrive in areas where particularly gruesome deaths have occurred, as they haunt areas tainted by evil and look for people to possess. They haunt people and alter their behavior causing them to become obsessed with death and their own sins, eventually leading to suicide. They particularly like targeting bad people but will target anyone. Anyone who sees…
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Revenant
The Revenant is a form of undead creature and at one time it was used as a synonym for “ghost.” Their name is a variation of the French “revenir” meaning “to return.” They return from the grave and can be physical or incorporeal. In Irish folklore, they are physically risen bodies that sometimes attend their own funerals. Other times they are undead, with some being vampiric in nature. Citations: Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia of Vampire Mythology. United States, McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2017. Guiley, Rosemary. The Encyclopedia of Ghosts and Spirits. United States, Checkmark Books, 2007.
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Ovengua
The Ovengua are from Guinea. They are created when an evil sorcerer or a corrupt person dies. Their bones escape their grave one by one and gather back up in a secret location. They move through the forest and attack travelers at night. They catch and eat people and may drink blood. They live in caverns during the day. They can be attacked by a lot of spears and must be burned completely to ash or they will come back. They may take a ghostly or a physical form, which is for the sake of feeding. The creatures can be appeased by leaving out bowls of animal blood outside the…
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Otgiruru/Owenga
The Otgiruru is an undead creature from the Herero people of Namibia, that may be related to the Ovengua, Ovengwa, or Owenga. They are created when evil sorcerers do not not pass to the afterlife, either by choice or by not being allowed to. Sometimes they are thought to be ancestors that come back due to anger to torment the living. They rise from the dead and construct a new body for themselves out of whatever bad things they can get ahold of such as dirt, raw meat and organs from animals, insects, and other similar things. The body they create typically resembles a dog rather than a human. They…
