Ala

This Turkish vampire can look like a regular human or a giant eagle.

In human form it can drink boiled milk, wine, vodka, and blood.

In its eagle form a thunderstorm follows lt, lightening and hail included. During this strom the Ala swoops down into a vineyard and eats all the grapes off the vine.
Alas cause crops to be ruined

It can be killed by being shoot repeatedly with bullets made of equal parts gold, lead, silver and steel.

The Greeks and Serbians believed the Ala would eat the sun and the moon.

Images are from Bing search of Harpy Eagale

Becoming a Werewolf

As I prepare this post there’s 2 hours until Moonrise of the Blood Moon. Two hours and counting until some of you change from a human into a werewolf.

Here’s some info for the rest of my non shape-shifting readers.

It’s been long believed that there are two ways of becoming a werewolf. Voluntary and involuntary.

The ancient Greeks believed that magic could change a person into a werewolf. Long complicated rituals were preformed.
One ritual required a special brew and the calling of the “Dark One” if the wannabe wasn’t scared away by the dark one’s shrieks then he’ll take the form of a half man-half monster (could this be the reason behind the ½ man ½ wolf monster most known as the werewolf?) The Dark One would give the requester the ability to shape shift whenever he wore a lion pelt.

The involuntary ways include, a curse for evil actions, being the victim of a sorcerer’s Witchcraft or being scratched or bitten by a werewolf.

One other involuntary method is to be born on Christmas Eve. This blasphemous act takes attention from Jesus; one has to be pure in all thoughts, words, and deeds throughout their life to be linked to Jesus.

Come back on the next full moon, for a quick lesson on another type of werewolf, the spiritual werewolf known as a skin-walker.

Asema

This one is strange. Ready?

The Asema comes to us from the Republic of Suriname. A vampire witch, looking like a regular old man or woman, but they have red eyes and their toes point downwards.

Before hunting, the Asema removes its skin, folds it neatly, and hides it. –Seems a little OCD to me.—

After it gets its skin hidden away safely it shape-shifts into a ball of blue light and flies around looking for its prey. It can slip in and out of the smallest cracks in walls and foundations.

The Asema is very meticulous in its blood drinking as it avoids anyone whose blood is bitter tasting. When someone with blood he finds tasty is found he drinks nightly form hat person until the person dies.
A sign of an Asema attack are large red and blue spots at the bite site. You can keep the asema away by eating garlic or other herbs or foods that would make the blood taste bitter.

A handful of sesame seeds or rice mixed with pieces of owl talons kept behind the door will help too, as the Asema has to count or pick each grain or seed. When he comes to the pieces of talons he hast to start counting all over again, tossing out the piece of talon. With any luck, this will keep it busy until sunrise. The Asema can’t be in the sunlight without its skin. If it hasn’t fled before dawn, it will die.

If you can find where it’s hidden its skin, rubbing it with salt will make it useless. The Asema will die in the sunlight.

Abchanchu

In Bolivia, there is a type of vampire who hunts humans.

He shapeshifts to appear as a kind old man who is lost.

If you offer help and survive the attack, and if you don’t contract a fatal disease afterwards.

The Abchanchu (your own attacker or another of his kind) will find you and drain you fully.

Photo Credit: http://www.creepyhollows.com/faq/index.php?action=artikel&cat=10&id=752&artlang=en

The Earl of Desmond

Vampire Wednesday.
I have another Irish vampire for you.

The Earl of Desmond lived in Limerick County Ireland, there once stood a castle over looking Lough Gur (Loch Gair in Irish) A count who said he was a scholar and used magic lived there. He always kept his magical ceremonies secret. He never let anyone see him as he practiced his art. His wife would beg to watch, he finally gave in, but under one condition. She couldn’t make a sound no matter what she saw. Only after she vowed to obey did he start his ritual. He began to shape-shift into various forms soon taking a shape so horrible she couldn’t hold her scream any longer.
As the scream came out of her mouth the castle began to tremble and sink into the nearby Lough Gur. NO ONE escaped!

I’m sorry I have to say it. . . I don’t want to but I have to. . . Sometimes a man is right. There I said it.

The Earl is now a vampire revenant, sometimes he leaves his watery home and travels around the surrounding countryside looking for young adults he can find and bring to the castle. He drains them of their energy through sexual intercourse.
The Earl is forced to exist in this manner until the time comes for him to “restore all to as it was.”

He’s also been called..Gearoid Larla Fitzgerald