Different Types of Vampires--The A to Z of the undead.
Adze:(Africa) A vampire spirit that dwells in tribal sorcerers among the Ewe people who inhabit parts of the southeastern Ghana
and Togo regions. The adze flies around in the form of a firefly, however, if it is caught returns to its human form. It
palm oil, blood, and coconut water. It preys on children, especially handsome ones.
Algul:(Arabian) Translated it means horse-leech, aka., a bloodsucking jinn, or a demon. Is more commonly known in the west as aghoul
and is traditionally a female demon that feasted upon dead babies and lived in cemetaries.
Alp:(Germany) A vampirelike spirit associated with the boogyman and the incubus, normally tormenting the nights and dreams of women,
although men and children can also be victims. The creatures' physical manifestations can be very dangerous. Connected with the nightmare
(possibly because it can turn into a horse?) the alp is considered male, sometimes a spirit of a recently deceased individual,
most often an actual demon. Children can become an alp if its mother uses a horse's collar to ease childbirth (I don't want to know).
Click here for more on the alp.
Asanbosam:(Africa) Known among the Ashanti of the southern Ghanna and the people in the areas of the Ivory Coast and Togo, the
asanbosam is thought to live in the deep forests and is most often encountered there by hunters. It has a general human shape with
two notable exceptions: its teeth are made of iron and it has hooklike appendages on its legs. Evidently it uses these to hang from trees
from which vantage point it snatches its prey, people who happen to walk underneath it.
Aswang:(Philippines) Always believed to be a woman of considerable beauty by day, it becomes a fearsome flying fiend by night. The
aswang is a seemingly normal human woman by day, it lives in a house, can marry and raise children, but come night the creature is led
to the houses of its victims by night birds, supposedly crying Kikik or Kakak as it flies. It always drinks blood and feeds with
a long, thin, hollow tounge that it inserts through the cracks in the roof of its prey's house. It espesially feeds on children, but not on those
who sleep at the edge of mats, only upon those who sleep in the middle. It supposedly announces this as it enters the home. The aswang
appears swollen, so much so that it looks pregnant, after feeding. Come dawn it returns to human form, possibly because of the sun or because it
washes itself clean of the special ointment it uses each night to acquire it powers. If an aswang licks someone's shadow, that person will
die soon after, and it is also believed to b very unlucky to see the aswang under the house. Garlic rubbed under the armpit acts as a
repellent (one would assume that this would repell the living as well as the dead, not to mention most animals, instects...)
Bajang:(Malaysia) A demon vampire that is found in Malaysia, said to be male (the female version is called langsuir); it appears as a
mewing pole cat (wild ferrett) and normally threatens children. The bajang, like its female counterpart, can be enslaved and turned into
a kind of familiar, or demonic servant. They are often handed down from one generation to the next and become family heirlooms. If imprisoned the
bajang is kept in a vessal called a tabong, a container made out of bamboo, closed by a stopper made of certain leaves and protected
by charms. While the bajang is imprisoned it must be fed milk and eggs, otherwise it will turn on its owner if it is not given enough
sustenance. A bajang's master can send it out to inflict harm upon his enemies; the victims of these attacks soon display signs of a
mysterious, and usually fatal, illness. Children, the prefered prey of the bajang were protected from its attacks by amulets.
Baobhan-sith:(Scottland) A bloodsucking fiend that normally disguised itself as a lovely maiden dressed in green, and would lure
unsuspecting men to their deaths. The baobhan-sith are considered part of the fairy lore of the British Isles.
Bebarlangs:(Philippines) A tribe found in the Pjilippines that supposedly had members that practiced a form of psychic vampirism. They had
the ability to send out their astral bidies to prey on their fellow tribe members or on others. These psychic vampires fed upon the life force of
their prey, instead of blood.
Bhuta:(India) Also known as bhut or bhuts, names that can designate, in a broad sense, all Indian vampires or malevolent
spirits. It can also be used to signify a specific vampire species. The vampire type of bhuta is normally someone who has suffered a violent
death, by accident, excecution, or suicide. It can also represent a person who was not given proper funeral rites. The bhuta are found in
cemeteries or in dark desolate places, eating excreta (any waste excreted from the body, including sweat, urine, or feces) or intestines. An attack
by one can end in either a severe sickness, or in death. Some of these creatures, like the bhuta of Awadh. are described as tall, white, and
shining, and prefer to play jokes or impede the progress of travelers. To placate them shrines called bhandara or bhutastan are built
throughout India.
Bhandara: Small shrines for the worship of a number of vampire species which are revered as virtual gods. The bhandara are intended
to be places there the vampires can live and where sacrifices can be made to keep them placated. While teh shrines vary in shape, they are designed
to allow the vampires to rest without touching the ground. This is forbidden because the earth is considered sacred.
Bhutastan: Larger temples built to honour several bhutas, or one bhuta if it is considered important enough or great enough to
to be worshipped by an entire village. They are more impressive than their smaller counterparts and usually house bronze statues that represent the
bhuta(s) living within it. The bhutastan are also places where festivals are held; festivals inwhich the vampire is believed to speak
to the villagers through a dancer, who appears naked and painted in yellow, white, and red. Blood sacrifices are often made at the end of these
ceremonies.
Blutsauger: German, literally means "bloodsucker."
Brahmaparush:(India) A particularly cruel vampire species found in parts of northern India. The vampire drinks the blood from the skull of
the victim, eats the flesh from the skull, and then dances with the victim's intestines wrapped turban-like around its head.
Bruxsa:(Portugal) Feared female vampire species that exhibits many of the characteristics of the aswang. The bruxsa is normally
transformed into a vampire through witchcraft; she leaves her home and flies at night in the form of a large bird. One of its frequent activities
is tormenting travelers. Its sustenance, in the form of blood, is taken from its own children. There are no known ways to destroy the bruxsa