Gello (GEL-oh)
Variation: Drakaena, Frakos, Gallu, Gelloudes, Ghello, Gillo, Gyllou, Gylo, Lamis, the Lady of Darkness.
As early as 600 B.C. the story of Gello has been with us. The ancient Greek poet Sappho mentions this earliest vampire in her poetry. By the Byzantine period (A.D.330 to A.D.1453) Gello was transformed into the demon Gylu and was written of in an ancient text entitled Apotrofe tes miaras kai akazartu Gyllus (“Averting of the wicked and impure Gylu”). The text is a story as well as a spell to be used against her.
Gello, as the story goes, was once a maiden from the Isle of Lesbos who died without leaving an heir or having any living descendants, causing her to return as a vampire who consumed female children. In direct opposition to divine law, Gello uses her willpower and magic to get her way. She plays with kidnapped girls until she tires of their company and then consumes them. If captured, she will become complacent and do whatever is asked of her, pleading for her life the whole while. The one thing she will not do willingly is tell her 121⁄2 names, for that information would have to be beaten out of her. If ever the opportunity presents itself, she would escape from her captor and flee, not stopping until she is 3,000 miles away. According to her story, it took the angels Sansenoy, Senoy, and Semangeloph to finally defeat her. First they learned her names, and then they forced her to breastfeed from the tit of a woman whose child she consumed. After the feeding, Gello vomited up all the children she ever consumed. With the children rescued, the angels killed her by stoning her to death.
If the story is being told from the later Byzantine era, the three angels are changed to three saints: Sines, Sinisius, and Sinodorus; otherwise, the story is exactly the same.
A vampiric spirit from India, the gayal, whose name means “simple”, is created when a man dies and has no sons to properly perform his funeral rites or when someone dies with a great wrong committed against them. When the gayal returns, it will start attacking the sons of the people it knew in life, eating their flesh and drinking their blood. It is especially fond of attacking pregnant women. It enters into a woman’s body when she opens her mouth to eat. Then, from within, the gayal drains away her and her child’s life-energy until they both die (see ENERGY VAMPIRE).
When not assaulting people, the gayal can be found in cemeteries eating the flesh off corpses at night and hiding in its grave during the day. Young boys can be saved from a gayal attack by wearing a necklace of coins. A gayal cannot be destroyed, but it can be made less aggressive if someone performs the proper burial rites for its body, a process that involves cremation. To keep the gayal from rising from its grave, place cups filled with a combination of milk and water from the Ganges River around it. Placing burning lamps around the grave at night may trick the gayal into thinking it is daytime and keep it in its grave.
Source: Asiatic Society of Bengal, Bibliotheca Indica, 415; Briggs, The ChamIrs, 131; Crooke, Introduction to the Popular Religion, 69-70, 72, 168-171
A VAMPIRIC WITCH from France, the gaukemares assaults sleeping people. The witch shapeshifts into an INCUBUS or SUCCUBUS and drains its prey of their life- energy and sexual energy a little each night (see ENERGY VAMPIRE and LIVING VAMPIRE). The victims will be weak and have leg cramps at night, growing more and more tired as the nightly assaults continue; if the witch is not stopped, the victims will eventually die. Placing SALT under one’s pillow and saying prayers at night keeps the witch away.
Humans have cultivated garlic for at least 10,000 years. It has been theorized that it originated in southcentral Asia and northwestern China. Some anthropologists speculate that it was most likely the very first plant product intentionally cultivated by mankind. Sanskrit writings dating back 5,000 years refer to garlic as the “slayer of monsters,” because its odor warded off evil creatures. The ancient Egyptians said it could increase a person’s physical strength. In Transylvanian lore, placing garlic and a silver knife under one’s bed would keep vampires away.
It has been speculated that vampires, generally speaking, have two universal consistencies: they will always prey upon what their specific cultural
people consider most valuable and they will always be repelled by an inexpensive and common item. Considering how widespread and accessible garlic has always been, it is small wonder that vampires from all over the world and from every time period have been thwarted by this remarkable herb.
Source: Barbe, Vampires, Burial, and Death, 48, 63, 100, 131-132, 157-158; McNally, In Search of Dracula, 120-122; South, Mythical and Fabulous Creatures, 243, 246, 277; Summers, Vampire: His Kith and Kin, 187-188
In the Hindu religion there is a vampiric demigod named Gandarva (“ecstatic” or “music”). He preys only on a very specific type of women — those who married for love without the permission of their family or a proper ceremony; and then, he only attacks when they are home alone and asleep. Extremely stealthy, he sneaks into their bedrooms, raping and draining them of their blood.
Legends of Gandarva go back more than 2,000 years, making him at least as old as the PISACHA vampire.
Source: Barber, Dictionary of Fabulous Beasts, 64; Greiger, Civilization of the Eastern Iranians, 45-46; Rose, Giants, Monsters, and Dragons, 132; Turner, Dictionary of Ancient Deities, 186
Gaki are doggedly persistent vampiric spirits from Japan that are created when an exceedingly greedy person dies. They are returned to earth and forced to wander with an unquenchable thirst for blood. Gaki are described as having a cold body, hollow features, and pale skin. A gaki’s stomach is enormous but its neck is narrow. Although they can shape- shift into mist, gaki enjoy attacking people in one of the physical forms they can assume, that of an animal, a red- skinned humanoid with horns, or a specific person.
Gaki need not physically assault their prey; just being near them is enough to drain them of blood. They chatter incomprehensibly up until the point they actually attack. Once they do, the gaki enter into a feeding frenzy, completely fixated on their target.
The gaki are impervious to damage in mist form unless attacked by weapons especially designed to affect a ghost. Although such a weapon will cause harm, it will not destroy a gaki. The only way it can be destroyed is while it is in a physical form. The best chance of success is to attack while it is feeding, as it will not have the presence of mind to defend itself.
There are several species of gaki and each has a specialized diet. The most dangerous gaki consumes flesh, human blood, and souls. Another dangerous type feeds on a person’s thoughts while they meditate. Other gaki feed on samurai topknots or tattoos. Still others eat incense, paper, sweat, or tea. These less dangerous gaki can be saited by Zen monasteries making small offerings of food to them.
Source: Ashley, Complete Book of Vampires; Covey, Beasts, 96; Davis, Myths and Legends, 388; Smith, Ancestor Worship, 41
In New Guinea and the islands off the coast of northern Australia, there is a vampiric ghost known as a forso. An ENERGY VAMPIRE, the forso feeds off the emotions, life energy, and sexual energies of its victims, in addition to cursing them with bad luck and depression. Intangible and invisible, the forso seldom travels far from its gravesite but will take advantage of any opportunity to attack anyone who comes close to its grave. Charms and prayers can be used to ward off its attack but only if in life the forso was an immoral yet religious individual. Papuans consider the forso a being to be pitied, a lonely soul looking for attention. Therefore when a forso is discovered, its burial mound is located and its bones exhumed and taken into a family’s home. By adopting the forso and making it feel welcome, it no longer feels the need to feed off or curse people.
In Iceland there is a type of flesh-eating REVENANT known as a fyglia (“following spirit”) who has the odd behavior of climbing onto rooftops and kicking shingles loose when looking for its victims. To destroy this vampire it must first be captured, beheaded, and then reburied with the head positioned under its body.
Source: Dillon, Winter in Iceland, 272
Фиглья
В Исландии есть вид ревенанта, под названием фиглья («следящий дух»), который поедает плоть и обладает необычной повадкой в поисках жертв подниматься на крышу дома и пинать черепицу. Чтобы уничтожить этого вампира, его сначала нужно поймать, обезглавить, а затем перезахоронить, поместив голову под труп.
The Iroquois tribes of the northeastern United States have a vampiric creature in their folklore aptly named the flying heads. It is a large head with fiery red eyes, stringy HAIR, and rows of sharp teeth within a huge mouth that has locking jaws. It has wings where its ears should be. Flying heads glide through stormy skies, keeping aloft by the undulating of their HAIR while they look for prey. Once a suitable victim is found, the head dives down, biting into the person, its jaws locking into place.
Luring in a creature capable of flight so that it can be close enough to kill would be a difficult thing to do in the best of circumstances; fortunately, flying heads are not exceeding bright. The Iroquois would roast chestnuts over a fire made of many small coals. Then, they would eat them, making loud exclamations of how delicious the nuts tasted. The flying heads, wanting to eat something as wonderfully tasting as the nuts, would swoop down and grab up a mouthful of the red-hot coals. Once the jaws locked shut, the coals would begin to burn, and soon, the flying heads would ignite and burst into flames.
Source: Beauchamp, Iroquois Trail, 95; Canfield, Legends of the Iroquois, 125-126; McLeish, Myths and Legends, 199; Rose, Giants, Monsters and Dragons, 124; Wonderley, Oneida Iroquois Folklore, 92
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