Russian vampiric lore tells of the vourdalak, a particularly evil vampire that resembles a beautiful woman and preys exclusively upon men. It can only be destroyed by decapitating it and burning the body to ashes.
Source: Bunson, Vampire Encyclopedia
Вурдалак
Русские предания рассказывают о вурдалаке, особенно злом вампире, который похож на красивую женщину* и охотится исключительно на мужчин. Его можно уничтожить обезглавив и спалив дотла.
Источник: Bunson, «Vampire Encyclopedia»
* Термин «вурдалак» — искажение от слова «волкодлак», созданное и введенное в оборот, вероятно, А.С.Пушкиным в стихотворении «Вурдалак»; сегодня в русском языке это синоним упыря-вампира. Классический славянский упырь, однако, представляет собой живого мертвеца (любого пола), восставшего из могилы и преследующего своих ближних и дальних родственников, убивая их одного за другим.
A vampiric spirit from Slavic lore, the voukodlaks enters into the body of a sleeping man and possesses him. Once the vampire has control, it will use the body to attack and rape young girls and women until it comes across its ideal mate, another type of vampire known as a VIECHTITSA.
Source: Masters, Eros and Evil, 188; Summers, Werewolf in Lore and Legend, 148; Wolf, Dracula: Connoisseur’s Guide, 105-107
Вукодлаки (Вукодлак)
Варианты: Вукодлак
Вукодлаки — вампирический дух из славянских преданий, входит в тело спящего человека и овладевает им. Как только вампир получит над телом контроль, он будет использовать его для изнасилования молодых девушек и женщин, пока не наткнется на своего идеального партнера — вампира другого вида, известного как вещица.
Источники: Masters, «Eros and Evil», 188; Summers, «Werewolf in Lore and Legend», 148; Wolf, «Dracula: Connoisseur’s Guide», 105-107
Throughout Bulgaria and Macedonia there is the prevailing belief in a vampiric spirit known as a vompir, or vompiras if it is a female spirit. The vompir is created when a person is improperly buried or mourned, dies in disgrace, or passes on in some unnatural way, such as in childbirth or by suicide. At night, the vompir enters into the body of a corpse and possesses it. Once in control of the physical body, the vampire animates it and seeks out its prey — a sleeping person. Then it suffocates him and drains the body of blood.
Should a person ever find himself under the assault of a vompir, he must pray to the god of darkness and night, Troyan, or the goddess of beauty and love, Lada, for deliverance.
Apart from its ability to possess and animate corpses, the vompir can also cause nightmares, create droughts, and divert rivers.
A vompir can only be destroyed once it has occupied a corpse. After it has been captured, the vampire must be decapitated followed by the severing of its feet and hands. The body is then to be tied up tightly and either stabbed through the heart with a stake made of aspen wood or have a raven’s claw driven into the skull from behind the right ear. Lastly, the body must be buried underneath a huge millstone.
In Dalmatia there is a type of vampiric REVENANT that hunts the fields and forests and is known as a volkolak. Volkolak means “dead, but alive, resembling an ordinary man”, “vampire in 40 days”, and “werewolf ’s son”. Volkolak are created when a man who happens to be a werewolf lives with a woman as her husband but never marries her, gets her pregnant, and then dies before his child is born. The child will, when it eventually dies, rise up 40 days later as this type of vampire. A second way that a volkolak is created happens when a man sells his soul to the devil. When this person dies, he too will become this type of vampire.
Source: Indiana University, Journal, vol.14, 241; Perkowski, The Darkling, 53; Summers, Werewolf in Lore and Legend, 15
According to Slavic lore, there is a vampiric water spirit known as a vodyanik, the male counterpart to the RUSALKA. Its name translates to mean “water grandfather,” which is fitting when one considers its appearance. It looks like an old man with a long, GREEN beard and red, round belly and cheeks. Atop its bald head the vodyanik wears a tall and pointed hat it has made of woven reeds and about its waist is a belt made from rushes. All other clothing it may wear is always GREEN.
Vodyanik are, like many fay tend to be, oddly territorial and occasionally unpredictable. For instance, the vodyanik is perfectly fine with people using the water it lives in for bathing, as long as they do not do so during the midnight and noon hours. Should it discover that someone has broken this rule, it will pull him under and drown him, draining the blood from his lifeless corpse. It has been known to help fishermen by assuming the shape of a trout or salmon and driving schools of fish into their nets. Vodyanik will also warn fishermen of approaching storms.
Whenever the mood occurs or the notion strikes, the vodyanik will shape-shift into the form of a handsome young man (who, no matter the circumstance, will be wet all over his left side) in order to attract the attention of a lovely young woman. It may even adopt the guise of someone she knows and trusts in order to trick her. Once it has her near or in the water, it will pull her under and drown her, feeding off her blood as she dies.
In Russian folklore there is a vampiric water spirit known as a vodovyj opyr. It lives in lakes, ponds, rivers, and wells, attacking humans and drinking their blood.
Source: Bogatyrëv, Vampires in the Carpathians, 171
Водный опир
В русском фольклоре есть вампирический водный дух, известный как водовый опир. Он живет в озерах, прудах, реках и колодцах, нападает на людей и пьет их кровь.
Источник: Bogatyrëv, «Vampires in the Carpathians», 171
A vampiric REVENANT from Serbia, the vlkodlak is created by one of two ways. The first method is when a man under 20 years of age who was a murderer, perjurer, or had sexual intercourse with his mother dies. The other way a young man can become a vlkodlak is if he was killed by a werewolf or ate meat from an animal that was slain by a werewolf. No matter how it is that the vlkodlak came into being, it will rise from its grave as a blood-covered, animated corpse, acting the part of a shameless drunkard. It has the power to cause eclipses.
To prevent a potential corpse from rising as a vlkodlak, its thumbs and toes must be cut off and nail driven into its neck. A vlkodlak, unless it is killed, will wander the earth for exactly seven years. At the end of that time, the vampire dies and its soul is reborn into a human, and the cycle begins again in a different part of the country. To destroy one, the vlkodlak must be stabbed through the stomach with a stake made of HAWTHORN and the HAIR on its body covered with tar. Then the vampire must be set ablaze with a candle that was used during its wake. The fire must be hot enough and burn long enough to render the corpse to ash.
Source: Alexander, Mythology of All Races, 299; Mac-Culloch, Celtic Mythology, 229; Mercatante, Good and Evil, 98; Turner, Dictionary of Ancient Deities, 500
Vjesci (Va-JES-ee) or (VYESKEE)
Variations: Opji, Vjeszczi, Vjeszczi Wupji
In Poland there is the belief that when a person who was born with a caul or teeth is about to die, he will use his last breath to renounce God. The body will retain its heat longer than a corpse should, its limbs will remain limber, the lips stay red, and blood will begin to seep out of its cheeks and fingernails. At midnight on the night of the person’s burial, it will rise up as a vjesci from the grave and begin seeking out family members to prey upon. Other than having a ruddy brown complexion and being immensely strong, the vjesci can pass for human.
When a child is born with a caul, it is possible to prevent it from becoming a vjesci at death. The caul must be preserved and on the child’s seventh birthday must be ground up and fed to him. Unfortunately, there is no known way to save a child who was born with teeth, but its resurrection can be stopped. To begin, the body will be placed in the COFFIN facedown so should it one day begin to dig its way free, it will be heading in the wrong direction. A CRUCIFIX and a coin must be placed in the corpse’s mouth at the time of its burial so that when the vjesci awakens, it will already have something in its mouth to chew upon. A bag of seeds, usually poppy, is also placed in the COFFIN, as the vampire will be compelled to count them all before it will leave its grave; however, it will only count one seed every seven years. Then, a net is wrapped around the COFFIN because if the vjesci should manage to count all the seeds, it will then have to stop and untie all the knots in the net, as that is another irresistible urge it must give in to.
Source: Canadian Centre for Folk Culture Studies, Paper 1-4, 8, 21, 23, 25; Lorentz, Cassubian Civilization, 70, 132, 133; Perkowski, Vampires of the Slavs, 191, 195
In Melanesia there is a vampiric being that hunts the Lakalai people of New Britain called a vis. At night the vis flies out in search of prey. When it attacks, it uses its long shiny talons to rip out its victim’s eyes before consuming his flesh and drinking his blood.
Source: Moon, Encyclopedia of Archetypal Symbolism, 173; Rose, Giants, Monsters and Dragons, 384
Вис
В Меланезии есть вампирическое существо, называемое вис, которое охотится на народ лакалай, живущий на острове Новая Британия. Ночью вис вылетает в поисках добычи. Когда он нападает, он использует свои длинные блестящие когти, чтобы вырвать у жертвы глаза, прежде чем съесть ее плоть и выпить кровь.
Источники: Moon, «Encyclopedia of Archetypal Symbolism», 173; Rose, «Giants, Monsters and Dragons», 384
There is a ghostly flame-red vampiric spirit in India known as a virika (“brave one”). Its teeth have been stained red by the quantity of blood it has consumed. It tends to linger around the home of someone who is dying, gibbering to itself as it is filled with excitement. To prevent it from attacking, a shrine must be built to its honor and filled with food and flowers. If the virika accepts the gifts, it will leave, and the dying will be granted a reprieve, left to depart this life in peace.
Source: Balfour, Cyclopædia of India, 87; Hastings, Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics, 603; Khanam, Demonology, 23
Вирика
В Индии есть призрачный огненно-красный вампирический дух, известный как вирика («некто храбрый»). Если он выпил достаточно крови, его зубы окрашиваются в красный цвет. Он склонен задерживаться возле дома, где есть умирающий, бормоча что-то себе под нос, поскольку его переполняет волнение. Чтобы предотвратить нападение вирики, в его честь нужно построить святилище и наполнить его едой и цветами. Если вирика примет дары, он уйдет, и умирающие получат передышку, чтобы с миром уйти из этой жизни.
Источники: Balfour, «Cyclopædia of India», 87; Hastings, «Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics», 603; Khanam, «Demonology», 23
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