Vampires
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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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Vryolakas
The Vryolakas is a form of vampiric creature from the Republic of Macedonia related to the Vrykolakas. They are created when a cat or dog jumps over a body before it’s buried. They can also be created when someone dies from murder, suicide, if one ate meat from something killed by a werewolf, if someone splashes wine on the face of a corpse, or when an evil magic user dies. They are only active from 10 pm until morning and are weak to sunlight. They hunt humans to drain them completely of blood. They often have a compulsion to pour wine over their own faces, some believing they do this…
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Vrykolatios
The Vrykolatios is a form of vampire from Santorini, Greece similar to the Vrykolakas. They eat their victims alive and chew all the way down to the bone. They only stop feeding when the victim dies. Citations: Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia of Vampire Mythology. United States, McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2017.
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Vrykolakas/Vrykolakes(pl.)/Timpaniaois
The Vrykolakas is a creature from Greek myth related to the Vrukolak of Dalmatia and the Vryolakas from Macedonia. It was believed that every Greek clan had one Vrykolakas. It’s possible that this was a more general term for vampires in Greek myth. They are often linked to stories of werewolves, with possible Serbian influence. They are thought to be vampiric spirits that possess the corpses of dead werewolves. As it is a spirit separate to the body, it is sometimes not seen as a form of undead. Sometimes the Vrykolakas was formed from the corpse of someone who had been excommunicated, with these Vrykolakas often being depicted as more…
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Vrukolak
The Vrukolak is a vampiric creature from Northern Dalmatia, related to the Vrykolakas. They are created when a cat or dog jumps over a corpse, or when someone is murdered without any witnesses. They first target former friends and family from life, and victims of a Vrukolak also become a Vrukolak. They can transfix people with eye contact or an unnatural screech. It’s impossible to kill them, but they can be crippled to keep them from rising again. To do so you have to cut the tendons in their legs and then nail the coffin down and drive the final nail into their hearts. Citations: Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia of Vampire…
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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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Varcolac/Varacolaci(pl.)
The Varcolac is a form of wolf monster from Romanian myth. Some believe the Varcolac is a Christian reinvention of Fenrir. They sometimes take the form of demons who possess the corpses of unbaptized children. They can be created when someone commits suicide, or they can simply become a Varcolac from a hereditary curse. Some however believe God sends the Varcolaci to consume the moon to lead men to repent. When they rise from the grave they have pale, dry skin. They’re seen as enemies of light who seek to swallow the sun and the moon, causing eclipses when they near success. They are particularly active on St. Georges day,…
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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…
