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 how a person dies. They are often active on Saturday night, and commonly attack on religious holidays. They also can’t attack anyone born on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, or Friday. They are strongest during the first week of March, and it was believed only women could be witches. Old women can join the coven by making a blood oath to keep their secrets which will result in instant death if broken. They gather, each in a different animal form, and feast on the hearts of children. A woman can supposedly become a witch by entering a group of witches to serve and dark force. A woman can be born as a witch if her mother is a witch, causing them to turn into a witch after a certain age or after marriage. Being born in a bloody placenta indicated a witch was born, and the powers could be removed if the placenta is burned. A witch could also be stopped if the midwife of the born witch announces it, as others knowing about the witch makes it lose its power. A girl who would grow into a witch would start in younger years as a Mora. They can be detected by the witch lying asleep with their head where their legs should be in bed. If someone could capture and burn the wings of a Vjestetiza in moth form, and instruct them to return the next day, then it may return the next day as an injured woman, revealing her identity. This was one form of witches subjected to the test of being thrown into the water to see if they float or sink, a situation where the witch lived and the innocent drowned. They could be repelled by stirring the ashes from he homes hearth with horns. They are known to fear wolves, immortelle flowers, crosses, hawthorn stakes, basil, garlic, and wormwood. They do not attack children whose names have ‘wolf’ as its base, and they cannot attack people who regularly partake in Communion. They can be stopped by household items placed upside down. They can be divided into three groups.

– One form are female undead that rest in their graves during the day. They rise to hunt children at night and feed on their hearts and livers.

-The second form are demonic women either born with magic powers or being taught magic by an older witch.

-The final form are simply older women who practice magic but are still human.

Citation:

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.

Zlatic, Vladimir. Slavic Mythology: Demons in Serbian Folklore. N.p., Amazon Digital Services LLC – KDP Print US, 2021.