Undead
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Kudlak
The Kudlak is a creature from Croatian myth. They are born with a caul, which would either result in Kudlak or a Krsnik. They are a form of living vampire that preys on humans in the area. They are thought to have the ability to shapeshift and often takes the form of pigs, oxen, or horses, typically with a black coloration. They are also believed to fly on night winds and use magic. With magic they can magically learn secrets, cause illness, and kill whenever possible. It is often believed every community would have one Kudlak and one Krsnik. Though classified as a living vampire, they can rise from the…
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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…
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Khmoch
The Khmoch is a reanimated corpse from the myths of Cambodia. They have rotting flesh, sunken eyes, and a terrible smell. They are known to eat human flesh and blood. They are also thought to appear as an owl before a person’s death using its call to bring the death quicker. They are often believed to be ancestors that came back to control the living through possession. To avoid this, people have to honor their ancestors. Citations: Enright, Laura. Vampires’ Most Wanted: The Top 10 Book of Bloodthirsty Biters, Stake-wielding Slayers, and Other Undead Oddities. United States, Potomac Books Incorporated, 2011. Leach, Mark M. Cultural Diversity and Suicide: Ethnic, Religious,…
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Kathakano
The Kathakano is an undead monster from Crete. They cause people to distrust smiling strangers since they pose as a happy stranger or happy drunk person. When someone approaches the smile gets larger and larger and reveals massive sharp teeth. They spit acidic blood at victims like a snake which causes immediate pain and blindness. It uses this opportunity to attack their victim and drain them of blood. They return to their graves during the day and can be killed during this time by digging up the body and performing an exorcism. They can also be stopped by driving thick stakes through the shoulders and thighs to pin the body…
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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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Jerangkong
The Jerangkong are from Indonesian myth. They are ghosts in the form of human skeletons and are sometimes covered in blood or dirt. They make a chattering sound like hard wood hitting together. They create a gap in their graves and emerge in the form of smoke. They mean no harm. They burn on contact. They have various origins but are said to have been egg thieves in life. They will continue to steal eggs when in the form of the Jerangkong. They will not break the egg but will suck the egg out through the shells pores. Citations: A Book of Indonesian Ghosts. N.p., StoryTale Studios
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Isithfuntela
The Isithfuntela is from West Africa. They are created when witches enter the bodies of those who have committed suicide. The witch will cut out the corpse’s tongue and drive a wooden peg into its skull to bind it. They can also control them separately to themselves. They lack physical strength and cannot fight a healthy person one on one, but can shapeshift, often turning into bats and rats, and can hypnotize people. They can also raise the dead which turn to dust once the sun rises. They must feed on human blood to survive. They hypnotize their victims and drive wooden pegs into their brains to kill them, then…
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Hone-Onna
The Hone-Onna is an undead Yokai from Japanese myth. The name translates to “bone woman.” They often linger in dark streets, down alleyways, and graveyards. They are believed to be women who die and return from death due to love, rather than anger. They return to their partner in life to continue living a life with them, appearing at night and leaving during the day. They appear as they did in life, though their true form is that of a rotting skeletal woman. The strength of their illusion grows stronger as they continue to further rot. The only ones who could see this form are those unaffected by love and…
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Haugbui
The Haugbui is an undead creature from Scandinavian mythology. Its name means “mound dweller.” They are thought to be corpses who rise from the dead and collect treasure. When angered, Haugbui bring disease and misfortune that lasts through generations. They are believed to use a specific form of black magic called Trollskap. They can be appeased if offered the first bit of milk from a cow who just birthed a calf, or the first glass of ale brewed in a household. In desperate times, people would sacrifice cows to this creature. In other situations, they can be killed with fire or a large group of armed warriors. Citations: Maberry, Jonathan.…
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Fyglia
The Fyglia is a form of undead from Iceland. They’re flesh eating creatures whose name means “following spirit.” They climb roofs and kick off shingles when searching for prey. To kill a Fyglia, it must be captured, decapitated, and reburied with the head placed under the body. Citations: Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia of Vampire Mythology. United States, McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2017.
