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O-Toyo
O-Toyo is from Japan. She could take the form of a human or a leopard. She killed a courtesan to steal her face, body, and memories and used this form to seduce a Prince named Hizen. She gradually drained his life force until she was discovered by a samurai named Ito Soda, who then killed her.
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.
Obayifo
The Obayifo is a form of witch-like living vampire from the Ashanti people. They are thought to remove their skin at night and fly through the sky in the form of a ball of fire. Rather than being created through some form of curse or other transformation, Obayifo are simply born. They are seen as malicious creatures that feed on blood, as well as the suffering of their victims who they spread disease to through their bite. They largely target children and leave small imperceivable bites and take small amounts of blood after entering through open windows. If they are without prey, they can feed on fruits and vegetables. The Obayifo may cause crops to wither, and scam people by offering to “protect” a village from the Obayifo for a price. Spells and charms can repel the creature, but they can only be stopped for good if they are identified by a shaman who then curses them with the same form of sickness it inflicts upon others.
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.
Ogolijen
The Ogoljen are from the Czech Republic and specifically Bohemia. They are bloodthirsty undead. They resemble old naked, balding men with rotting skin. Their breath is so bad it can knock someone out from ten feet away. They can be killed by being burned to ashes or decapitated. If they are decapitated, their bodies must be buried so they cannot rise again. Dirt from their graves can be used as a charm to repel the creatures. They can be stopped by being dug up during the day, burying them at crossroads, and sewing shrouds to their navels.
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.
Ohio Highway Dragon
The Ohio Highway Dragon was a mysterious creature from a sighting in 2008 or 2009 recounted to Linda S. Godfrey. The creature was described as resembling a massive bird, dark brown or black in color, resembling an eagle the size of a dragon. While an exact estimate isn’t given, its notable that its wingspan was wider than the two lane highway it was sighted over. It didn’t move very fast and even seemed like it was moving in slow motion. It hovered over the road for about ten seconds about a mile and a half away and disappeared into the trees. It was seen arched up like most pictures of dragons, and it flapped its wings enough to keep it hovering in place.
Citations:
Godfrey, Linda S.. American Monsters: A History of Monster Lore, Legends, and Sightings in America. United States, Penguin Publishing Group, 2014.
Oom Leeuw
Oom Leeuw is a mythical figure from South African myth. His name means “Uncle Lion” and he was regarded as king of the beasts and could roar loud enough to shake the earth. He has strong iron claws and used to have massive wings like a bat that folded against his sides when not in use. He used his wings to swoop down on prey before they could even react and could use these wings to create massive bursts of air. A shortcoming he had was an inability to read, which he was notedly embarrassed about. He kept the bones of his prey in his cave guarded by pairs of white crows, and he was terrified of these bones being broken. One day, Bullfrog entered the cave and broke these bones. This weakened his wings so much that he couldn’t use them. Oom Leeuw threatened to kill the white crows but was unable to follow up on that threat because they simply flew away.
Citations:
Abrahams, Roger D., and Abrahams, Roger. African Folktales. United Kingdom, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 2011.
Metelerkamp, Sanni. Outa Karel’s Stories: South African Folk-lore Tales. United Kingdom, Macmillan, 1914.
Oomph
The Oomph is a weird creature that comes from Lumberjack Folklore. It goes by the “scientific” name Ranaincumbramentum alvinshwartzi. They are sneaky creatures that are difficult to catch, and eat eggs they find in bird nests. They are roughly the size of a dog, appear to be a hybrid of lizard and toad, with long claws, sharp spines along their backs, and large spots all over their body. They are named after the sound that it makes when finding bird nests, which sounds like ‘oomph oomph.’
Citations:
Yarns of the Big Woods, Written and Illustrated by Art Childs
Otgiruru/Owenga
The Otgiruru is an undead creature from the Herero people of Namibia, that may be related to the Ovengua, Ovengwa, or Owenga. They are created when evil sorcerers do not not pass to the afterlife, either by choice or by not being allowed to. Sometimes they are thought to be ancestors that come back due to anger to torment the living. They rise from the dead and construct a new body for themselves out of whatever bad things they can get ahold of such as dirt, raw meat and organs from animals, insects, and other similar things. The body they create typically resembles a dog rather than a human. They are known to hunt at night, and may disguise themselves as normal dogs, howling and whimpering, attacking anyone who answers. They may even make the sound of a family pet to lure people into investigating. They consume their victim’s flesh, blood, soft tissue organs, and bone marrow. Despite their supernatural power they never attack more than one person at a time, and retreat if any more than one is present. To kill the Otgiruru, they must be pinned down with spears and hacked to pieces. These cut up pieces then have to be burned in separate fires so they cannot heal themselves.
Citations:
Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia of Vampire Mythology. United States, McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2017.
Guiley, Rosemary. The Encyclopedia of Vampires, Werewolves, and Other Monsters. United States, Facts On File, Incorporated, 2004.
Klepeis, Alicia. Vampires: The Truth Behind History’s Creepiest Bloodsuckers. United States, Capstone, 2015.
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.
Silver, Alain, and Ursini, James. The Vampire Film: From Nosferatu to Interview with the Vampire. United States, Limelight Editions, 1997.
Ovengua
The Ovengua are from Guinea. They are created when an evil sorcerer or a corrupt person dies. Their bones escape their grave one by one and gather back up in a secret location. They move through the forest and attack travelers at night. They catch and eat people and may drink blood. They live in caverns during the day. They can be attacked by a lot of spears and must be burned completely to ash or they will come back. They may take a ghostly or a physical form, which is for the sake of feeding. The creatures can be appeased by leaving out bowls of animal blood outside the house or village. They can exist on one bowl every week and be satisfied. They become angry if any step of the appeasement is mishandled and will kill people and animals but may do so by spreading disease. Blood must be cleaned immediately if dropped, and clothes must be burned, or the Ovengua becomes angry.
Citations:
Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia of Vampire Mythology. United States, McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2017.
Du Chaillu, Paul Belloni. Explorations & Adventures in Equatorial Africa: With Accounts of the Manners and Customs of the People, and of the Chace of the Gorilla, Crocodile, Leopard, Elephant, Hippopotamus, and Other Animals. United Kingdom, J. Murray, 1861.
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.