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Azeman; South American Vampire

holiday — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 22:17:12 +0000

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.

Fireball Vampire

Moonlight — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 13:00:02 +0000

When you picture the Caribbean you think of white sandy beaches, warm weather and, uh… Johnny Depp. But I bet you didn’t picture a giant blood drinking fireball! If you did then you either have a very strange mind or you know of the Trinidad vampire, the soucouyant.

The soucouyant is a nasty and unique supernatural creature that falls into the class of evil spirits/demons known as Jumbies. What makes this vamp so different that others is that she is actually an old women that sheds her skin at night. Yes, she slips her skin off like a suit of flesh. Ew.

This skinless phantom then flies into the night in the form of a big fireball. In this form she is able to enter the house of victims through a keyhole or a crack. Once she is inside she drains the sleeping residents of their blood. It is said by some that if she drains too much blood her victims may become a soucouyant themselves.

The soucouyant is said to hide her skin under a stone mortar, the very same one she uses to grind her normal food. When she is out and feeding she must be back home to slip back into her skin before the sunrise and the cock crows, otherwise she will never be able to get back into it again.

If one would like to control a soucouyant for whatever reason they must get their hands on her empty skin, then with the use of Obeah magic they are able to control the creature (Obeah is the kind of folk magic used in this area, it is somewhat similar to Voodoo, Hoodoo, Santeria and Palo).

If someone doesn’t want to control her but instead keep her away or destroy her there are a few things they can do. She can be stopped by scattering rice at the front of the doorway. Like many other vampire species around the world she will be forced to stop and count all the grains. If there is a large enough amount she will spend the entire night counting each one, not paying attention to the rising sun she will be taken by surprise and will be destroyed. Another method of destruction is to sneak into her home and sprinkle salt onto her skin. When she puts the skin back on she will burn to death.

- Moonlight

Safety from Vampires!

holiday — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:21:29 +0000

It’s so reassuring to me that in legends, vampires cannot enter your home unless you invite them! That makes them almost safer than humans! Humans who bear you ill will can smash in through a window, charge through your wall with a chainsaw, and such. Vampires can’t touch you if you’re safe and cozy inside. If a vampire’s standing outside waiting to do you harm, too bad for them! You can even stand right up at the doorway or window and stick your tongue out at the vampire, or bite your thumb at it! You can dance a little jig and insult its vampire prowess all you want, and there’s nothing it can do as long as you don’t step outside or invite it in. You can just bring out some garlic, have yourself a cup of tea, and sleep peacefully inside until sunrise!
There are lots of ways to protect yourself from vampires. Hang garlic cloves all around your house. Hang up bells. Throw some poppy seeds across your porch. Pour some unbroken lines of salt across entryways, and sleep in a circle of salt. Wrap silver chains around your doors! Hang up a crucifix. Keep some holy water handy.
Why do these things work? Salt is a common protective tool against demons and evil beings of all sorts. It was held as important from even ancient times. It’s essential to humans, has been used in rituals, and used as a preserver, of course. It could keep things from decaying, or at least slow the process. It was soon ascribed with magical powers; the ability to keep evil away.
Garlic was used in many cultures, and much folklore has garlic protecting against all sorts of evil, including werewolves.
Other sorts of plants and leaves like holly and juniper would protect against vampires. Beliefs about different substances that warded off evil were applied to vampire creatures as well. Also, vampires are said to be unable to cross a thicket of wild rose or hawthorn. These are protecting plants against evil, from unknown origins.
Many cultures, including Greek and Chinese, have myths about spirits that cannot cross moving bodies of water. This has been applied to the vampire as well, over time.
Holy water and crucifixes come, of course, from the Christian mythologies about protection from devils and demons. Water blessed by a priest would be destructive to any agent of evil. Crucifixes, the symbol of sacrifice and God’s love, would surely protect from any creature of Satan. Silver may also have some religious connections, but the origin of the silver myth is uncertain.
Mirrors are also stem from religious superstition. Mirrors are supposed to be the reflection of the soul; pure mirrors, backed in silver. Vampires have no soul.
Why bells? Why poppy seeds? Well, demons of all sort had an aversion to the ringing of bells. The sound of bells was loathsome to evil spirits, and so vampires are equally repelled. Poppy seeds, or any sort of small seeds, or anything of that sort, were useful, according to myth, because vampires would have to stop and count every single seed before they could continue. And the hope would be that the vampire would get stuck counting seeds and not notice the time, and then the sun would rise and destroy the creature.

The Romanian Strigoii

Moonlight — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 16:00:32 +0000

Alright boys and gals, grab your thick cloaks, your wooden stakes and crosses for it’s time to go back to the traditional land of the vampire, Romania. This time to learn of the most common vampire species in the country, the Strigoii.

The strigoii are a breed of undead vampire (compared to the Romanian living vampire, the moroii). The ways to become a strigoii is like most traditional vampires: you got suicide, witchcraft, criminal acts, blasphemy, being the seventh son, death at the hand of another vampire, being born with caul, having a cat jump over one’s corpse, having a vampire stare at a baby still in the womb, or dying unmarried with an unrequited love. Whew, that is quite the list. When it comes to looks a strigoii is said to have red hair and blue eyes. They also move very slowly, with their right eye closed but they left eye always open. In one version of the myth the left eye was always blood red, not blue. Sometimes the vampire would look bloated with blood.

The strigoii drank blood like most vampires but it could also eat normal human food. It is said to also be able to draw energies from people, leaving them weak, sickly and helpless. Other than attacking people the strigoii would also spread disease. It would travel house to house spreading death and desolation.

Now, when it came to tracking down a strigoii to destroy the beast there were an assortment of methods. One of these was to look for a blue flame, like a candle. It was said this blue flame would burn a little above the ground where a strigoii is buried. Another method was to take a 7-year-old boy, dress him in white, set him on a white horse and let the animal loose in a graveyard. Wherever the horse stopped is where the vampire lay. And finally, it was thought that a vampire needed to breathe in its grave, so it would poke holes in the earth to air it out. So if you see a grave with holes, there may be a strigoii underneath your feet.

When it comes to destroying the fiend or simply protecting yourself from it there are many things to do. Wine! Yes, wine; drink it if you want protection from this vampire. Wine is said to be a powerful shield against the vamp, especially cheap wine for it tainted the blood making you undesirable to the strigoii, eating onions was also said to taint your blood. Other means of protection is to scatter the grave of a strigoii with poppy seeds. Like many other vampire species the strigoii are thought to be incredibly obsessive and if you leave poppy seeds (or mustard seeds or many other kinds of things) at its grave then it will have to stop and count each one before it can move on. Counting all the tiny little seeds will take it all night which leaves the humans safe from its wrath. As for killing it, cutting off its head and stuffing the mouth with herbs would do the trick. Exposing a strigoii to sunlight would also kill it.

And there you go, Romania’s most famous vampire species.

- Moonlight

How to Kill or Defend Against Vampires

veritas — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 09:29:38 +0000

As long as there have been legends of vampires, there have been methods by which to either kill them, or protect oneself and family from them. Before there was Christianity, however, there was still legends of vampires; what then of the use of holy symbols and idols to stave off the visits of a hungry undead individual? Before Christianity it was believed among the Balkans, Slavs, and other cultures indigenous to Europe that vampires were practically obsessive compulsive in their need for order. Some ways to deter vampires would be hanging a tangled net on a gatepost, or sprinkling tiny seeds, or grain outside the doorway. It was believed that the vampire would become so busy counting the seeds of untangling the net, that he’d forget his pray and become fixed on completing his or her task.

Other non-religious ways to fend off vampires is of course, garlic; either wearing it, or spraying a thin mist mixed with water in the air, keeping it near for the scent, over doorways, etc. Keeping holly placed around the house is another technique, as is also keeping a log of juniper in a home. Ringing bells are even said to keep vampires away, as well as placing mirrors around a home or on doors, and also crossing over running water. Holy water, the consecrated sacrament, crosses, eating blood bread, drinking blood brandy, or even burying wine nearby are also supposed to be protection against vampires.

Killing a vampire was accomplished by touching lead items to the gravestone of the walking corpse, beheading it, and/or hammering a stake through its heart. Cremating a vampire is also a surefire way to kill it, or piercing it with a blessed sword. Some Asian beliefs dictate that one can trap a vampire in its grave by sprinkling red peas, rice, roses, garlic, stones over where the body would lay in its grave. Others believe that immersing the vampire’s body in water will destroy it. Dhampirs, -the children of a vampire and human union, –are believed to have the ability to cast out a vampire, by simply commanding it, as well as having the ability to see them when they’re invisible.

Vampires » seeds

Azeman; South American Vampire

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