Breeds of Folklore Vampires

A list of folkloric vampires from around the world (note- some may be extinct). This information was supplied by Day Walker. I don't know if it is copyrighted or not, but if it is, please just tell me and I will either remove it or give proper credit. Thank you.

Adze: A vampire spirit that dwells in tribal sorcers among the Ewe, a people inhabiting parts ofsoutheastern Ghana and southern Togo in Africa. The Adze flies around in the form of firefly but, if caught, changes into a human. It drinks blodd, palm oil and coconut water and preys on children, especially handsome ones.
Algul: An arabic vampire, which translated means horse leech, or a blodsucking jinn. This form of vampire is traditionaly a female demon that feasted upon dead babies and inhabited cemeteries.
Alp: A German vampiric spirit associated with the boogeyman and the incubus, normally tormenting the nights and dreams of women. The creatures physical manifestations can be very dangerous. Long connected with the nightmare, the alp is considered male, somtimes the spirit of a recently deceased relative, most often an actual demon. Children can become an Alp when a mother uses a horse collar to ease childbirth. During the middle ages the alp was said to appear as a cat, pig, bird or other animal, including a lechorus demon dog scene in Cologne, thus linking the werewolf in with this legend. In all its manifestations the Alp is known to wear a hat. The spirit can fly like a bird, can ride like a horse and is credited with a certain gallant attitude, rarely forcing itself on its prey. The Alp drinks blood from the nipples of men and children but prefers the milk of women. Because it is so involved in terrors of the mind and sleep the Alp is virtually impossible to kill.
Asanbosam: A vampire found in Africa, known among the Ashanti of southern Ghana and by people in areas of the Ivory Coast and Togo. The Asanbosam is belived to reside in deep forests, most often encountered there by hunters. It is of general human shape, with two exceptions: its teeth are made out of iron and its leg have hooklike appendages. Anyone walking by the tree in which it resides will be scooped up and killed.
Aswang: A vampire from the Philippines, belived to be a beautiful female by day and a fearsome flying fiend by night. The Aswang can live a normal life during daylight hours. At night however the creature is led to the houses of its victims by night birds. Its nourishment isalways blood, and it prefers to feed on children. The creature is recognized by its swollen form after feeding, it looks almost pregnant. If the Aswang licks a persons shadow it is belived that the person will die soon afterwards.
Bajang: A Malysian vampire, assumed to be male, apperaing as a cat and normally threatening children. The Bajang can be enslaved and turned into a demon servant and is often handed down from one generation to the next within a family. It is kept in a tabong(bamboo vessel) which is protected by various charms. While imprisoned it is fed with eggs and will turn on its owner if not enough food is provided. The master of such a demon can send it out to inflict harm on his/her enemy, the enemy usually dying soon after of a mysterious disease. According to traditions the Bajang came from the body of a stillborn child, coaxed out of it by various incantations.
Baobhan-sith: A Scotish vampire that normally disguised itself as a beautiful maiden and lured its victims to there deaths. In fairy lore the Baobhan-sith usually appeared dressed in green.
Bebarlangs: A tribe found in the Philippines that had members that practised a form of psychic vampirism. They apparently sent out there astral bodys and fed on the life forces and vitalty of individuals.
Bhuta: A vampire from India, normally created due to the violent death of an individual. The Bhuta are found in cemetries or in dark desolate places, eating excrement or intestines. An attack by one of these creatures usually resulted in severe sickness or death.
Brahmaparush: A vampire from India that enjoys consuming human beings. This creature would drink a victims blood through its skull, than eat the brain from the skull and finally proceed to wrap the victims intestines around its body and perform a ritual dance.
Bruxsa: A female vampire from Portugal. The Bruxsa is normally transformed into vampiric form by witchcraft. She leaves her home at night in the form of a bird and her most frequent activity is tormenting weary lost travellers. She is said to appear as a beautiful maiden and leads a normal human life by day, bearing children which in general become her regular form of food. She is said to be impossible to kill.
Chordewa: A witch found among the Oraons, cable of turning her soul into a form of vampire cat. It is said that if the cat licks a persons lips that they will die soon after.
Churel: A vengeful ghostlike vampire found in India, normally a woman that died while pregnant during the Dewali Festival. She is said to hate life with her greatest spite being kept for her relatives. The Churel is said to be vile in apperance, possessing pendant breasts, thick ugly lips, a black tounge and unkept hair.
Civatateo: A witch-vampire found among the Aztecs. Said to be a servant of various moon deities, and assummed to be noble women who died in child birth. Children were there favourite victims, dying soon after attack of a wasting disease. These vampires were said to appear with white faces, there hands covered in white chalk, and with crossbones drawn on there clothing.
Danag: A Filipino vampire held to be very aincent as a species, responsible for having planted taro on the islands long ago. The Danag worked with humans for many years but the partnership ended one day when a woman cut her finger and a Danag sucked her wound, enjoying the taste so much that it drained her body completely of blood.
Dearg-due: A dreaded creature of Ireland, whose name means "Red Blood Sucker." An aincent vampire that dates back to celtic times, it is still feared. The only way to curb its predations is to pile stones upon any grave suspected of housing such a beast. The most famous tale of the Dearg-due is the story of a beautiful woman supposedly buried in Waterford, in a small church yard near Strongbows Tree. Several times a year she risesfrom her grave, using her stunning apperance to lure man to there doom.
Doppelsauger: A German vampire found in northern regions, among the Wends (a Slavic race). The idea was that a child once weaned would become a vampire if s/he should nurse again. On its passing into a vampire the Doppelsauger will eat the fleshy parts of its breast and in so doing will draw out the lifes essence from a living relative.
Ekimmu: One of the most feared of aincent vampires, found among the Assyrians and Babylonians. It is said to be a departed spirit, the soul of a dead person unable to find peace. The creature wondered over the earth waiting to attack. There were many ways in which a person could become an Ekimmu, among these were violent/premature death, unfulfilled love and improper burial.
Empusas: A vampiric creature from Greek mythology, usually said to be in attendance to the goddess Hecate. They are described as demons which can from time to time take human form. There most common incarnation seems to have been in the form of a Phoenician woman.
Eretica: A Russian vampire, usually considered to be a heretic who has returned from the dead. It was in general said to be a woman who sold her soul in life and then returns in the form of a ragged old woman. At nightfall a group of Ereticy would gather in ravines and perform a form of sabbat. Said to be active only in spring and autumn, it was belived that seeing the eyes of such a creature would result in a slow withering death.
Estrie: A Hebrew spirit, always female and invaribly assuming the shape of a vampire. The Estrie is considered to be an incorperal spirit of evil that has taken the form of flesh and blood, and lives among humanity to satisfy its need for blood. Its favourite prey is said to be children, allthough no one is considered safe when it needs to feed.
Gayal: A vampiric spirit from India. Usually created due to the death of a man who has no one to properly perform the burial rites at his funeral. When he returns the Gayal reeks his revenge upon the sons of others and upon his on relatives. The threat of a relative returning as a Gayal usually ensures that the proper funeral rites are preformed.
Impundulu: A vampiric servant of a witch found in the eastern Cape region of Africa. It was usually passed down from mother to daughter and was used to inflict suffering on ones enemys. Itwas said to have an insatiable appetite and had to be continously let feed, it also used to take the form of a handsome man and become a lover to its mistress.
Incubus: Without doubt one of the most famous forms of vampires, the male form of the Succubus,the Imcubus used to visit women at night, make love to them and torment their dreams. It posses all the characteristic properties of the vampire, with nightly visits to its victims, draining of life and strength and extreme sexual desire. Like vampires found among Gypsyand Slavic communities it can father children.
Jaracacas: A Brazilian vampire, belived to appear in the form of a snake, it feeds on the breast of a woman, doing this by pushing the child out of the way and silencing the child by pushing its tail into the childs mouth.
Jigarkhwar: A vampiric sorceress found in the Sind region of India. She feeds by extracting a persons liver through a piercing stare and various incantations. The liver is then cooked on a fire and eaten, at which time the victim dies.
Kasha: A Japanese vampire that feeds by removing corpses from graves or prior to cremation and devouring them.
Kozlak: A Dalamtian vampire about whom very little is known. Prevalent among Croat beliefs
Kuang-shi: A Chinese vampire, caused by the demonic poession of a recently deceased corpse. Said to have a terrifying apperance, as it matures it gains new skills with the older among them rumoured to have the ability to fly.
Lamia: A Libyian vampire. According to legend Lamia was a Queen of Libya and all of her children were slain by the goddess Hera, and who in revenge still roams the earth feeding on infants. She is also said to entice men into sex and then devours them in a gruesome fashion.
Langsuir: A Malysian vampire, said always to take the form of a beautiful woman. A woman can become such a creature if she dies in childbirth. She is said to have extremely long nails, dress in green robes and have black hair which hangs down to her ankles. She generally feeds on the blood of children.
Leanhaum-shee: An Irish fairy mistress, not actually a vampire but engaging in vampiric activities. She used her incredible beauty to lure men to her side and then used her charms to place them under her spell. The victim would then waste away as she slowly drained away his lifes essence through exhaustive love making.
Lobishomen: A Brazilian vampire, that preys mainly on women. It does not actually kill its victims preferring instead to draw small amounts of blood. After its attack the woman begins to display nymphomanical tendencies.
Loogaroo: A West Indian vampire said to go to a "Devil Tree" each night and remove its skin. It then flies off in search of its victims, in the form of a sulfurous ball.
Lugat: A form of Albanian vampire, said to be reasonably harmless, only feeding briefly on its victims, not actually killing them.
Mara: A Slavic vampire, also found in the legends of the Kashube people of Canada. Said to be the spirit of an unbaptized dead girl, she is considered to be a terrible night visitor who crushes and oppresses her victims. In the Slavic legend once the Mara drinks the blood of a man she will fall in love with him and will return to plauge his slumbers till his death. She is also said to be fond of feeding on the blood of children.
Masan: A vampire from India, said to be usually the ghost of a child, that delights in tormenting and killing children. The Masan is said to be able to curse a child that walks in its shadow. It will also follow a woman home should she allow her gown drag on the ground over his shadow.
Masani: A female vampire from India, she is said to be the spirit of burial grounds. She is black in apperance. Her hunts are conducted by night, starting as she emerges from a funeral pyre. Anyone passing the burial site will be attacked.
Mormo: A vampire from Greek mythology, said to be a servant of the goddess Hecate. Considered to be a terrible denzien of the underworld.
Moroii: A living Romanian vampire. It can be either male or female, and exhibits most of the characteristics of a Strigoii.
Muroni: A kind of vampire found in the Wallachia region of Romania. It is said to have the ability to change itself into a variety of different animal forms. While in one of these incarnations the Muroni can kill easily, with misleading signs of attack being left.
Nachzeher: A vampire found among the Kashubes of northern Europe. This vampire has the ability to kill its relatives by psychic means. While in its grave the vampire will begin to devour its shroud and then pieces of its owm flesh. This causes living relatives to begin to waste away.
Nelapsi: A Slovak vampire, which can cause serious harm to the living. The Nelapsi is said to be able to massacre entire villages in a single visit. It also has the ability to kill with a single glance.
Neuntoter: A German vampire, considered to be a great carrier of plagues and pestilence, traditionally only seen in times of great epidemics.
Nosferatu: A Romanian species of vampire, said to be the illegitimate child of parents who were illegitimate. Soon after its burial the Nosferatu embarks on a long career of destruction. It delights in tormenting and engaging in wild orgies with the living. The male can father children. The vampire hates newly married couples due to its own illegitmatcy and wreaks its revenge on such couples by making the groom impotent and the bride barren.
Obayifo: A living vampire found among the Ashanti people of the Gold Coast in Africa. It is said to be a male or female human which leaves its human body at night and feeds. Said to be particualarly fond of young children, it can also cause blight in crops.
Ohyn: A vampire from Poland, caused by the presence of teeth and a caul at birth.
Pacu Pati: A powerful vampire from India. The creature is deemed lord of all beings of mischief. It is seem at night in cemetries and palces of execution.
Pelesit: A Malaysian spirit vampire. It invades a persons body, causing illness and death. Victims will rant and rave while under its poession.
Penanggalan: A Malysian vampire, which flies at night with only the head and neck of its body complete and with its intestines dangling beneath them. The creature is always female and generally feeds on children or women in labour.
Pijavica: A Slovenian vampire. It is created as a result of evils perpetrated during a persons mortal life, particularly incest which is guaranteed to cause ones return as a member of the undead. It generally feeds on relatives or descendents.
Pisacha: A vampire from India, said to be a creature created by humanitys vices. While it is in general an evil deity, its favourite past time being the consumption of fresh corpses, it can also cure diseases if enticed too.
Polong: A vampiric imp from Malaysia, created by bottleing the blood of a murdered man and performing certain archaic rituals over the bottle, a bond is made between the creator of the Polong and itself by allowing it to feed briefly each day on a finger. It is closely associated with Pelesit
Rakshasa: A vampire from India, whose name translates as "the injurer". The female assumes the form of a beautiful woman, luring man to their death. In the newer legends the Rakhassa is said to live in trees and induces vomiting and indegestion in people who stray into its territory. A child will be transformed into such a creature if he can be induced to eat human brains.
Ramanga: A living vampire found in Madagascar. A servant of the tribal elders the Ramanga would consume the nail clippings and spilled blood of a noble member of the tribe.
Stregoni benefici: An Italian vampire, said to be on the side of goodness, and a mortal enemy of all evil vampires.
Striges: A female witch-vampire which could transforn into a crow and would then drink the blood of humans. Classified among the living vampires.
Strigoii: The infamous Romanian dead vampire. There numerous ways to become a Strigoii, including being a seventh son and suicide. Generally said to be friendly towards Gypsys.
Succubus: A female vampire, a fiend that visits men in there sleep to torment their dreams and engage them in sex. The Succubus could render a victim totally exhausted in its pursuit of carnal pleasure.
Talamaur: A living vampire found in Australia. This creature could communicate with the spirit world, making one of these spirits its servant which it could then send among the living. One version of the Talamaur could send out its soul to drain the remaining life essence from a fresh corpse.
Tlaciques: Vampiric witches found among the Nahuatl Indians of Mexico. They can turn into a ball of flame or into a turkey, in which form they can feed unnoticed.
Ubour: A Bulgarian vampire, created when a person dies violently or the spirit refuses to leave the body. The corpse remains buried for forty days and then arises to cause mischief. It generally won't drink blood until its other sources of nourishment are gone, and as these include regular food the attacking of humans rarely occurs. The Ubour is said to create sparks by its movement.
Upier: A Polish vampire that is unusual in the fact that it rises at mid day and returns to sleep atmidnight. It is said to have a barbed tounge and consumes vast quantities of blood. This creatures fascination with blood goes much further than normal vampires as it sleeps in blood as well.
Upir: A vampire found in the Ukraine, that is noted for its desire to eat large amounts of fish.
Upyr: A Russian vampire, considered to be extremely vicious. It will first attack children and then continue on to kill the parents. As with the Upier the Upyr rises during the day and sleeps at night, and in doing so has a fairly human appearance.
Ustrel: A Bulgarian vampire that preyed exclusively on cattle. Thought to be the spirit of an unbaptisied child that has recently died.
Utukku: A Babylonian vampire spirit, sometimes viewed as a demon. Generally belived to be the spirit of a recently deceased person that has returned from the grave for some unknown reason.
Varacolaci: A Romanian vampire that ranks among the most powerfull of all the undead. It is said to have the ability to cause both lunar and solar eclipses. They may appear as pale humans with dry skin. They can travel on an astral thread, the midnight spinning, travelling as far as need as long as the thread remains unbroken.
Volkodlak: A species of vampire found in Slovenia, linked in some ways to various werewolf legends.
Vourdalak: A Russian vampire, considered in Russian folklore to be a beautiful but evil woman.
Vrykolakas: A species of vampire found in the Adriatic and Agean regions. It is created by various means including an immoral life. It travels in the dark and knocks upon doors, calling out the name of someone inside, if the person responds they will die soon after. It gains further powers as it grows older.
Vrykolatios: A vampire species found on the island of Santorini. They are described as fiends which banquet on the living.
Zmeu: A vampiric figure found in Moldavia. It took the form of a flame and entered the room of a young girl or widow. Once inside the flame became a man who seduced her.