Nelapsi

The Nelapsi is a form of vampire from Czechoslovakian myth. They are incredibly powerful and can kill just by looking at someone. Frequently, they cause disease to spread across areas where they’re present. Viciously, they are known to slaughter entire villages, leaving no humans or animals alive. Sometimes they rip victims apart with their teeth, while other times they squeeze the victim and break their bones. When angry, they’re thought to torture their victims before killing them. They can be slowed down at night by placing a large number of small objects for it to count. This keeps it busy all night, forcing it to return to sleep at dawn. While they are not harmed by sunlight, they are incapable of rising during the day. They’re believed to possess two separate hearts and souls, making them extremely difficult to kill, and nearly impossible to kill with conventional weapons. They can be dug up during the day and subjected to an exorcism, and pierced through the skull with a stake of blackthorn wood. A corpse can be prevented from becoming a Nelapsi after death by hitting the head of their coffin on the doorframe as it leaves their house. This is believed to shake loose the bad luck stuck within the body. Corpses can also be kept from rising as Nelapsi if iron nails are used to fasten the limbs to the wood of the coffin. Smaller nails must also be used to nail down their hair so they can’t feed on their own flesh. It is also necessary to strap the jaw shut with bandages or a leather strap. Even when a Nelapsi is gone, the village may be plagued by other vampires drawn to the area.

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.