Witches
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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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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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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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Striga/Strigen/Strigle(pl)
The Striga are powerful shapeshifting witches from Hebrew and Roman myth. Its name comes from the Italian word “strega” meaning “witch” which also serves as the root word to many other mythical creatures. They resemble old women, and it is unclear whether they are living creatures or undead. They can transform into birds like magpies and crows, but often take the form of owls which they are commonly represented as. They are thought to be intelligent and very strong, and they drain the blood of children. When children are attacked by the Striga, they are either drained of blood or cursed to waste away and die. It’s thought they cannot…
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Mjertovjec
The Mjertovjec is an undead creature from the myths of Belarus. They have the features of vampires, werewolves, and witches, and are created when a werewolf or a witch dies. They may be the ghost of someone who cursed their father during church service. They are described as having purple faces. One could also become a Mjertovjec if they committed heresy, abandoned their faith, or committed crimes against God. They feed on human flesh and blood, hunting only at night. Mjertovjec can be destroyed by sprinkling poppy seeds on the road between their grave and their former house. They could also be killed by driving a nail into their coffin. Citations:…
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Mbojo
The Mbojo is a shapeshifter from the beliefs of the Turu people from Tanzania. They are thought to be witch doctors that could become lions, and are blamed for various unexplained deaths. Sometimes however these deaths are thought be done by normal lions controlled by a witch-doctor. Often it would be believed that Mbojo would be hired basically as assassins to kill one’s enemies. Some however believe it is simply people who learned to kill in a way that imitates a mauling from a lion, or were convinced they were lions through drugs and other such means. Sometimes the Mbojo is used as a bogeyman figure of sorts. Some real…
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Machi
Machi are shamans from Mapuche myth. Machi are differentiated from Kalku by their benevolent nature and roles in society. The Machi and Kalku balance each other representing good and evil respectively. Machi are most commonly women, though this refers to gender and its presentations rather than biological sex. Gender is relatively fluid among Machi and is judged on different standards, being anatomy, positioning in sexual contexts, and ritual presentation. Machi are often stigmatized as witches or sexual deviants in modern society and are frequently subject to bigoted beliefs. They are known to use familiars and will become possessed by these familiars to navigate the spirit world. Their job is to…
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Kalku
The Kalku are evil magic users from Mapuche myth. They’re often compared to witches and sorcerers and send out spirits called Wekufe to do evil. Kalku and Machi are sometimes considered the same thing, with the Machi simply being good rather than evil. They are believe to dwell in a Reñu, meaning a Witch’s Cave. They may gather young girls in the cave and teach them magic, called Kalkutun, and swear them to secrecy. They may draw power from their ancestors or any others that they gather into their circle. They can cause illness or take over the will and actions of their victims. They can attack people by linking something…
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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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Imfene
The Imfene are monstrous creatures from the myths of South Africa. They are described as a unique breed of large, vicious, and powerful baboons. They are unnaturally smart and vicious and are known to kill humans both for food and for sport. Some believe they are witches taking the form of apes, while other stories suggest witches ride on top of Imfene as mounts. They can be killed by normal weapons but have been known to set traps in case humans attempt to hunt them. 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,…
