List of vampiric creatures in folklore - Wikipedia

Cross-posted from !wikipedia@lemmy.world

I was looking for something else and came across this. I'd heard of Japanese Kappas and the Mexican La Llorona before....

But were you aware of Empusa? Turns out she "is a shape-shifting female being in Greek mythology, said to possess a single leg of copper" who "feasted on blood by seducing young men as they slept (see sleep paralysis), before drinking their blood and eating their flesh". Then one day she tried that on Zeus who was in disguise as a normie and... well it turned out like you'd expect.

Then there are the Nepalese Kichkandi who are "a spirit of a woman[1] that is latched to an uncremated part of her dead body, usually a bone". Apparently they appear as "an alluring and young female, who lures a lonely male traveler[2] and saps their life force."

Anyway that's just a couple, check out the full list: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_vampiric_creatures_in_folklore