Vampires
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Asema
The Asema is from a vampiric creature from Suriname. They look like old people with red eyes and downward pointing toes. They remove their skin at night and fold it up to hide it away, and then take the form of a blue ball of light. They fly around and enter houses through the smallest openings. They avoid feeding from those who have bitter blood. When they find a victim, they return to feed on them night after night until the victim dies. Large blue and red spots under the bite indicate an Asema attack. Eating garlic makes the blood taste bitter to the Asema. Putting a bag of rice…
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Asanbonsam
The Asanbonsam is a vampiric creature from Ghana, Togo, and along the Ivory Coast. They resemble a human with iron hooks for their hands and feet. They wait in trees until humans approach. When someone passes underneath, they hook them and drains their blood. When food is scarce, they go into villages and drain the blood from sleeping people’s thumbs. It is thought that they can be appeased by sacrificing a goat and spilling its blood. Citations: Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia of Vampire Mythology. United States, McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2017.
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Aripa Satanai/Samca
The Aripa Satanai is from Romanian Folklore. Her name translates to “Satan’s Wing.” She’s incredibly bloodthirsty, and thought to be half bear and half old woman. She is often called “Queen of the Forest” because she controls everything in the woods. Citations: Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia of Vampire Mythology. United States, McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2017.
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Aniukha
The Aniukha is a vampiric creature from Siberia. They’re described as quadrupedal, but capable of standing on their back legs to jump great distances. Their size ranges from that of a large grasshopper to that of a rabbit. They’re covered in pale scales with patches of dark brown fur, and have huge dark eyes, pointed ears, jagged teeth, and a short snout. They aren’t particularly strong and target the young and the old. Garlic repels them, and smearing garlic in a circle on the chest assures it doesn’t attack someone in their sleep. Garlic on doorways and windowsills can keep the creature from entering. It’s believed that they can only…
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Alp/Alpen(plural)
The Alpen are demonic creatures from Germany. They are typically male, though they can be female, and they very commonly are seen wearing white hats which are the source of their power, and stealing this hat can cause them serious trouble. Sometimes they are thought to be the spirits of dead newborns, spirits of children who died immediately after a difficult birth, or the souls of returning family members. They are powerful shapeshifters that lack a true form. They can take the form of any animal but commonly appear as birds, cats, dogs, pigs, and snakes. They may also take the form of a Black Dog, or a cloud of mist.…
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Aipalookvik
Aipalookvik is from Inuit mythology. It is a Tuurngait (a being similar to a god) of the dead alongside Anguta. However, where Anguta was seen as benevolent, Aipalookvik was considered evil. He was seen as a threat to fishermen and anyone else who went out on the water. Aipalookvik would manifest as a spirit that possesses dead bodies. When it would find a victim, it would drain their body heat and drag them into the water. Citations: Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia of Vampire Mythology. United States, McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2017. Brown, Nathan Robert, and Smith, Evans Lansing. The Complete Idiot’s Guide to World Mythology. United States, Alpha Books, 2008.
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Adze
The Adze is from the Ewe people of Ghana and Togo. It is a vampire-witch, a living vampire, or an evil spirit that possesses someone. It takes the form of a firefly, a glowing beetle, or a large mosquito. It is attracted to hunts and drains the blood from children. It also carries diseases when it feeds. Although it drinks blood it can also drink coconut milk or palm oil to survive. If angered it may go into a frenzy and drink all the palm oil and coconut milk in the area. When supplied with plenty of food it takes only what it needs, but when denied feeding it becomes…
