Vampire Mythology III

Artwork by Adam Smith

Last time, Adam illustrated five vampires from Malay folklore for me to prattle on about and tear a tiny hole in the Hollywood vampire stereotype. This time, we're doing something just a little different. These four vampires come from three different countries, and while they lack a grand unifying factor, I think you will all agree that they beat the hell out of the modern vampire cliche.

The Asasabonsam Country: Africa

Described by the Ashanti people of West Africa, this vampire was said to lurk in the darkest jungles, hanging from trees with its hands and dangling its razor-sharp, hook-like feet. When a human or animal passed underneath, it ensnared the victim in its hooks and used its solid iron teeth to eat it alive.    It is not to be confused with the Sasabonsam, which is described as a horned, bearded vampire or demon with massive bat-like wings. It, too, hangs from trees to ambush prey, but lacks the hook-feet that Asasabonsam are famous for.    Though otherwise human-like in appearance, it was sometimes said that the Asasabonsam had unnaturally long legs, sometimes long enough to reach the ground while it sat in the treetops.

The Churel Country: India

A type of vampiric ghost, the Indian Churel is usually the angry spirit of a woman who died in childbirth or while menstruating. Her first victim is usually her last lover or most cherished family member, and she may proceed in backwards order until everyone she knew has been completely drained of life. Taking on a young and beautiful disguise, she may charm the same man for many years until he ages and dies prematurely.    In her true form, the Churel is always hideous; a gruesome hag with dangling breasts, bloody claws and filthy hair. Her strangest and most apparent features are her backwards-pointing feet and her mouth. In most tales, she has jutting teeth and an unusually long, blackish tongue, but sometimes it is said that she has no mouth at all.

The Baital or Vetala Country: India

Another Indian vampire, the Baital may resemble small, bat-like humans, monstrous bats or emaciated corpses that hang upside-down. Their most noteworthy ability is to possess dead bodies, which take on a grotesque appearance, and, like the Churel, inverted limbs.    This creature is most famous for its role in "The Twenty-five Tales of the Baital", a collection of stories often compared to the Arabian Nights. In these tales, the legendary King Vikram is tasked by a great yogi to retrieve a corpse occupied by a Baital. After some struggle, the monster agrees to come with Vikram only if the King will remain silent. Unfortunately for Vikram, this vampire is a talkative one with a particular fixation on human folly. It presents twenty-five tales with twenty-five moral dilemmas, and ends each by asking the King if he can justify the character's actions.    For twenty-four tales, the King is unable to remain silent. He proudly and expertly defends human nature to the un-dead being, even knowing that he must begin the journey anew. The twenty-fifth, however, is a description of the future; a future where Vikram's own liberal way of thinking has been twisted into a world so amoral (by the standards of the time, i.e, women hold as much power as men) that he is at a loss for words.    At the end of their journey, the baital at last abandons the corpse (which reverts from an emaciated, monstrous form to that of a child) but not before revealing the yogi's plan to sacrifice our hero to his goddess, saving the King's life in return for "finally admitting" that mankind is, and always will be, inherently flawed.

The Piuchen Country: Chile

This fearsome flying creature takes on many different forms and is sometimes explained as a shape-shifter, but is consistently serpentine or serpent-tailed and emits an eerie whistling sound. Its face or upper body is alternately described in various combinations of bird, bat, human, frog, reptile or even fish-like features, and it is normally covered in feathers, hair or vegetation.    In addition to draining blood, the Piuchen is said to produce some form of fluid or powder that blisters flesh. This poison can be carried on the wind for great distances, and contaminates water.

In some parts of chile, the Piuchen is a snake that eventually matures into a large, hairy frog with blunt wings and terrifying eyes. In others, its final form is that of a rooster. Regardless of its form it remains a vampiric predator, feeding primarily on livestock.    While Piuchen has become the most common, its name doesn't actually have one recognized spelling. It also goes by Piguchen, Pitutren, Pihuenche, and Pihuychen, just to name a few.