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Vampires stand out as perhaps the most iconic mythological monsters globally. They embody both human and monstrous traits. Their lore is flexible enough to match nearly any narrative, whether it's of aristocrats preying on the poor or misunderstood teens with a sparkly twist.
Yet, vampires are merely the most renowned bloodthirsty beings. Countless cultures boast their own tales of creatures that feast on human blood. Below are ten of the most unusual bloodsuckers.
10. Mandurugo
Have you ever experienced a relationship go wrong? In the Philippines, there exists a group of ethereal women with wings called kinnari. These gentle beings are known for their unwavering loyalty to the human men they fall for. But if that man foolishly breaks a kinnara’s heart, this once-docile lover transforms into a fearsome mandurugo.
The mandurugo maintains her beauty by day, but when night falls, she seeks out an unfortunate man. Using a sharp, hollow, barbed tongue, she strikes at his neck, draining his blood. In some versions of the myth, the mandurugo may marry several times, with each husband mysteriously wasting away as she secretly feeds on his blood during the night. In these stories, a wise man who suspects his bride to be a mandurugo may sleep with a knife at the ready. If he feels the touch of her tongue, he stabs her heart. It's easy to imagine that such a myth might lead to a rather disastrous honeymoon.
9. Impundulu
Known also as the lightning bird, the impundulu is a witch's loyal companion from Southern Africa with an unquenchable thirst for blood. The witch who bonds with an impundulu faces a stark choice: Send it to slay others or allow it to drain her own life to satisfy its hunger. The fact that impundulu (yes, that’s the plural) were often handed down to witches’ daughters in their later years suggests that most witches found it an easy decision to make.
Occasionally taking the guise of a handsome young man or woman, the impundulu, or 'lightning bird' as its alternative name suggests, can also manifest as a bird. The sound of its wings flapping creates thunder, and the flash of lightning occurs when it dives toward the Earth to lay its eggs. It is the job of skilled shamans to locate these eggs to prevent the world from being overrun by lightning birds.
The impundulu has a preference for human blood but is also said to feed on cattle. When it consumes a person's breath, it is believed to cause tuberculosis. In dire circumstances, it will drink milk, and one method of slaying an impundulu involves offering it poisoned milk.
8. Yara-Ma-Yha-Who
Australia is renowned for housing some particularly dangerous animals. One that often goes unnoticed is the yara-ma-yha-who. This peculiar vampire stands out because it prefers to hunt during the day. If you're hoping to catch a glimpse of a yara-ma-yha-who, simply pause under a fig tree in Australia.
The yara-ma-yha-who stands at 1.2 meters (4 feet) tall. It hides in trees, waiting for someone to wander beneath it before pouncing. Lacking teeth, it uses the suckers on its hands to drain almost all the blood from its victim. Once the person is nearly lifeless, the yara-ma-yha-who swallows them whole. However, it isn't satisfied with just one meal—later, it will vomit the person back up, perhaps to feast on them again.
The person attacked in this manner by the yara-ma-yha-who emerges from the ordeal weak but mostly unscathed. They may notice that they are slightly shorter and bear a subtle red hue. If attacked repeatedly by the yara-ma-yha-who, there's a chance they could transform into one themselves.
7. Kappa
The kappa is a Japanese monster known for its disturbing behavior. Not only does it attempt to drain the blood from a person, but it is also said to extract the person's soul through their anus.
The kappa is a creature that resides in water, often depicted in art as a terrifying turtle. Its long, powerful limbs extend from a reptilian body with a hard shell on its back. These strong limbs allow the kappa to drag both humans and animals beneath the surface of the water, where it proceeds to drain their blood. Its head is monkey-like, but with a depression atop the skull. This hollow contains a liquid that grants the kappa its strength. To defeat this creature, which is surprisingly polite aside from its violent tendencies, one must bow. If the kappa bows in return, the life-giving fluid will drain from its head, leading to its death.
Another thing to watch out for with kappas is their other method of attack. They are believed to reach into swimmers and steal their livers. To do this, the kappa must first remove the shirikodama from the victim’s anus. In Japanese folklore, the shirikodama is said to be a ball that holds the soul. So, while bowing might save you from one attack, don’t bow too low.
6. Jiangshi
Jiangshi are vampiric creatures in Chinese mythology, also known as “hopping vampires.” These creatures rise from their graves as reanimated corpses, often after a violent death or suicide. Some believe that any unburied body may return as a jiangshi, or that the jump of a cat over the corpse can cause it to reanimate.
Like their Western vampire counterparts, the jiangshi are undeniably dead. However, unlike Western vampires, they suffer from rigor mortis and are unable to walk in the usual manner, forcing them to hop after their prey. To repel these hopping fiends, methods include using mirrors, peach tree wood, the urine of a virgin boy, and the call of a rooster.
The origin of the jiangshi myth might trace back to the practice of transporting corpses suspended from poles, appearing as though the body was standing. The movement of the poles could have given the illusion that the body was hopping on its own.
5. Asanbosam And Sasabonsam
The asanbosam, a vampire residing in the trees of Togo and Ghana, waits in the branches, secured by its curved legs. Anyone unlucky enough to walk beneath will fall into its grip, where the asanbosam will use its sharp iron teeth to tear out their throat and drink their blood.
With its human-like form but curved legs, the asanbosam shares a close kinship with another vampire species called the sasabonsam. The sasabonsam also hides in trees, preying on the unsuspecting, but it is less humanoid in appearance. Resembling more of a bat, the sasabonsam's face may be human-like except for its iron fangs, and its arms are tiny compared to its expansive wings. Often described as extremely thin, the sasabonsam feeds by draining the blood of humans.
4. Asema
The asema from Suriname seems to impart a lesson: “Never trust the elderly.” By day, it appears as a harmless old person, but by night, the asema sheds its wrinkled skin and becomes a bloodthirsty creature. Unlike the demonic forms of many vampires, the asema transforms into a glowing blue orb.
This blue ball vampire then zooms through the air in search of a victim. Being nothing more than light, it can pass through even the tightest of closed doors. Once it finds a sleeping victim, the asema drains their blood. Depending on how delicious the blood is, it may completely drain the person or only take enough to leave them weakened.
To protect yourself from the asema, you can hang garlic, a traditional vampire repellent, around your home. For extra protection, you could consume herbs that make your blood bitter, deterring the asema from finishing you off. The asema is also said to be obsessed with counting objects. By scattering seeds mixed with owl talons around your house, you can confuse it into counting the seeds. If it mistakes an owl’s claw for a seed, it will have to start counting all over again, allowing you a peaceful night’s sleep.
3. Penanggalan
The penanggalan is a unique Southeast Asian vampire, often appearing as a beautiful young woman during the day. However, at night, her head detaches from her body, trailing her intestines and other organs. This head now moves on its own, seeking out its favored victims: pregnant women and newborn babies.
The penanggalan lands on the roof of a house where a baby is about to be born. Using an invisible, elongated tongue, it drinks the blood spilled during childbirth. Once the child is born, the penanggalan lets out a piercing scream. Those from whom the vampire feeds quickly fall ill and are nearly always doomed to die. When satisfied, the penanggalan returns home, soaking her engorged intestines in vinegar to shrink them enough to fit back into her body.
To protect a pregnant woman from a penanggalan, it is customary to scatter thorny leaves on the ground to repel the vampire’s probing tongue. To destroy the creature, one must locate its body while the head is detached. Broken glass can then be stuffed into the neck, ensuring that the penanggalan tears her insides apart in an attempt to reattach her head.
2. Strigoi
Originating in Romania, the strigoi are often considered the ancestors of all Western vampires, including the infamous Dracula. Strigoi are the restless spirits of those who died prematurely. Unable to pass into the afterlife, they rise from their graves. Some other ways to become a strigoi include a cat jumping over the deceased's body, being born with hair, or being the seventh child of your parents.
During the first 40 days after death, the strigoi may rise from their grave to seek blood. They often appear as they did in life, blending in with their family members, only to later attack them. Alternatively, they may show up as a beast or a ghostly apparition. After this period, the strigoi can transform into a moroi—a walking corpse that directly assaults the living.
In 2003, a Romanian man named Petre Toma passed away. Shortly after, his niece fell ill, claiming to have had nightly dreams of her deceased uncle visiting her. Recognizing this as a typical sign of a strigoi attack, Petre’s brother took action. With the help of five others, he exhumed Petre’s body, removed the heart, and burned it. The ash was then fed to the sick niece, and she miraculously recovered.
1. Soucouyant
The soucouyant, a creature from the Caribbean, shares similarities with the asema. In the soucouyant’s case, an elderly woman transforms into a flying ball of fire at night by shedding her skin. This fireball demon sneaks into homes through cracks or keyholes, draining the blood of anyone it finds sleeping.
Once the soucouyant has quenched her thirst, she returns to her discarded skin and resumes her human form. This is when hunters have their opportunity to strike. If you find a pile of skin left behind, sprinkle it generously with salt. When the soucouyant attempts to put it back on, the salt will cause intense itching, driving her mad.
In Haiti, the soucouyant is also referred to as the loogaroo. Rather than feeding on blood herself, the loogaroo collects it for her master. After a night of gathering blood, she returns to present it to the Devil.
