Azeman; South American Vampire

The azeman vampire is a magical creature of Surinam, a country in South America just north of Brazil. The azeman is a vampire that can magically transform itself into the form of a bat, and some myths claims that the creature can shapeshift into many forms, including that of a wolf.
The azeman is a type of living vampire almost always described as being a woman, and in the daytime she can walk about just like any normal human. She is indistinguishable from other humans, and there are no telling signs that at night she turns into a bat and hunts for blood.
Though this creature exists in the mythology of South America, it is very likely that the European settlers had a tremendous impact on the vampire lore. There are many similarities between the azeman and the European vampires, even the concept of the vampire transforming into a bat.
Another similarity can be found in the myths of the ways that people can protect themselves against the azeman. Much like some European vampire myths, the azeman is obsessed with counting. If one places a broom across a door, the azeman will typically not be able to enter as it will be forced to count all of the bristles on the broom before it can move on. An easy way to protect oneself is to throw seeds on the ground, in the way of the vampire’s path. The azeman will be compelled to count each seed before going any further. This can buy a person enough time to get to a safe place, and if enough seeds are spilled, the azeman might be preoccupied with counting until sunrise, when it will return to its daytime form of a human female. This will reveal the identity of the azeman, and by killing the human, the azeman is no more.

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