Witches
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Chonchon
The Chonchon are mythical creatures from the Mapuche people of Chile. They’re a vampiric form of witches with vulture-like heads and some believe it is an undead creature. Sometimes they take the form of birds with the head of a Kalku and they can shapeshift to appear as people with large ears. They’re a form of Wekufe, summoned by a Kalku and hunted by the Machi. They swoop down and knock people to the ground, ripping out their throats to feed on their blood. They can be driven away by warriors using weapons enchanted by a Machi, but can only be killed by Familiars of the Machi turned into snakes…
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Cauchemar
The Cauchemar is a vampiric demon or witch from French myth whose name translates to “nightmare.” Sometimes they act as a succubus or incubus and enter the beds of evil people. Someone sleeping with a Cauchemar is enslaved to its will and drained of their life energy. Signs of an attack from a Cauchemar are waking up having drooled, having no energy, and having leg cramps. Attacks can be prevented by putting salt, stones, or beans under the pillow. A broom propped in the corner deters the Cauchemar as does having screens on the windows. Sleeping on one’s stomach can keep a Cauchemar away, and they cannot enter a house…
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Cailleac Bhuer/Black Annis/Blue Hag/Stone Woman
Cailleac Bhuer is a monster from Scottish folklore. She appears as a monstrous old woman with blue skin and a single eye, and when seen on the road, she often presents herself as a struggling old woman. She is believed to haunt moors and rocky passes. She is viciously hungry and targets lone travelers, beating her victims over the head to knock them out, and dragging them away to be consumed. She sits on a pile of human bones and when human prey is unavailable she kills livestock. She often has a crow on her shoulder that acts as a familiar. Citations: Maberry, Jonathan. Vampire Universe: The Dark World of…
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Bruxsa/Bruxa
The Bruxsa is a form of vampiric witch from Portuguese myth. These monsters consciously choose to be evil. They take the form of beautiful women during the day, and can fully pass as humans. At night they turn into birds and like leading travelers astray, attacking them when they have lost hope. They prefer to feed on children’s blood and sometimes they seek men to impregnate her so that she can have a child, and then consume it. They’re immortal and invulnerable using magic to bring drought, illness, destructive rain, and cause livestock to miscarry. Charms made of fresh garlic can be used to keep this creature away and mixing…
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Blue Witches
The Blue Witches are mythical figures from Ireland and Scotland. They resemble massive, naked, blue women. They’ve been seen on the battlefields of the Romans and the Celts, where they searched for wounded Romans to kill. They carry ancient magic swords stolen from the tombs of kings and use these swords to chop the heads off of Roman soldiers. They are possibly based on female soldiers who’ve charged into battle with blue war paint. 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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Baubas/Babauzis
The Baubas is a creature from Lithuanian myth. It is a monster or witch thought to carry off bad children. This creature’s name translates to “one who frightens children.” It is believed to have associations with the goddess of death (possibly Veliuona). Citations: Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia of Beasts and Monsters in Myth, Legend and Folklore. United States, McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2016.
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Banshee/Bean Sídhe
The Banshee is a creature from Irish mythology. Once a singular ancestral spirit. Her wail announced the coming death among one of the five main families these being the O’Briens, the O’Connors, the O’Gradys, the O’Niells, and the Kavanaghs. Newer interpretations of the Banshee see them as Psychopomps that foretell death with their calls. Hearing the cry of the Banshee means that someone you know will die the following night. Some believe that groups of Banshee gather together and cry out together at the death of a great or holy person. They are rarely seen but often resemble naked women with long hanging boobs washing shrouds by the river. When…
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Baba Roga/Babaroga
Baba Roga is a Slavic creature from Serbia. She resembles a hunched, ugly, toothless, old woman with a horn in the middle of her head. She hides in dark places and only comes out at night. She scares bad children and takes them back to her lair. She functions as a bogeyman figure. Her name roughly translates to “horned grandma.” Citations: Zlatic, Vladimir. Slavic Mythology: Demons in Serbian Folklore. N.P., Amazon Digital Services LLC – KDP Print US, 2021.
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Baba
Baba is a mythical figure from Slavic myth. The name Baba generally translates to “old woman” or “grandmother.” She was sometimes revered as a goddess of death and regeneration, with Baba sometimes relating to the concept of the mother goddess. Over time she was viewed more as a witch, and her status as a deity was removed likely due to Christianization. As her witch-like features were emphasized, she became a more monstrous figure. She gradually went from a general Fae-like being to those synonymous with hags. Sometimes she would be used as a bogeyman figure. She was depicted either as a beautiful maiden or an ugly hag. The hag aspect…
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Asrapa
Asrapa is a vampiric witch from India. Her name translates to “blood drinker.” Some believe she’s the child of the Sage Daksha and his wife Muni. Others believe she simply came into being when the deity Brahma became angry. She is a shapeshifter typically depicted as a naked woman, that can raise the dead. She can be found wandering in cemeteries, and she eats human flesh from both the dead and the living. Citations: Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia of Vampire Mythology. United States, McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2017.
