From the movie the Exorcist, the ekimmu spirit is often the source of possessed victims.

The ekimmu shows up in Babylonian and Assyrian demonology. The name means “that which is snatched away.” This invisible spirit is not allowed into the underworld, so it wanders around on earth. Usually people that are buried improperly, or not buried at all, or dying a violent death can become ekimmu. This includes people that died in battle, murder victims, drowning, etc. They will go to their family’s house at night and cause major damage and destruction. They sometimes cause death to everyone in the house. They can also take possession on a person, which is difficult to exorcise it out. They can be destroyed with wooden swords, or any other wooden weapons.

The Anspach, a german werewolf.
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The Anspach Werewolf was a German werewolf case that happened in 1685. The werewolf was believed to be a returning dead burgomaster who wanted to raise havoc to Anspach, present-day Ansbach, Germany. They also believed he was sort of a vampire, since he came back from the dead and attacked. He killed many women, children, and domestic animals. The townspeople got together to hunt this beast down, and eventually chased the wolf into a well, its final resting place. The wolf was brought up and dressed up like the burgomaster. It had on a flesh-colored suit, mask, beard, and a wig. The wolf carcass was hung on a gibbet for all of the town to see, then was later put on display at a museum where it was titled a werewolf.

The Breslau Vampire, a spirit that would attack people at night.
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This vampire terrorized Breslau, Germany for 8 months before it was put to rest. The series of events started on September 20, 1591 after the suicide of a shoemaker. The man slit his throat with a knife for no known reason and shocked his well to do family, especially his wife, whom had just given birth. Suicides back then were a disgrace upon the whole family and was to be best kept a secret. They told the town that he died from a stroke while avoiding visitations. They hired an old woman to wash the corpse and cover up the wound on his neck. The slash was very well hidden and finally allowed the priest to visit, he didn’t suspect a thing. Three days later, he was given a proper funeral and burial.

The Secret Gets Out

Somehow the secret about the suicide leaked out of the house. Suspected to have came from her sisters or the old woman. The family, in denial, made up lies about the cut that everyone talked about. “He fell on a rock before his stroke”, they would say. Eventually the rumors were so intense that they made it all the way to the city council. The widow was scared that they would take action and move the man’s body to unhallowed ground, or worse, accuse him being a sorcerer.

The Attacks Begin

While this is going on, apparitions of the shoemaker were seen day and night terrifying people. He would even sexually assault people, cause nightmares, and make awful noises while lurking about. The harassment became worse and eventually it became so bad that his family went to the court and told the judge that the man was not resting in peace, but being abused. The spirit would appear every twilight and was often seen in different people’s bedrooms.

It was stated that he would bother people that were tired from work and were ready for bed. He would lay down in bed next to people and start to smother and squeeze them. The squeezing was so hard that it would leave visible marks on the victims. The townspeople would crowd together at night often meeting in large rooms filled with candle light. This didn’t stop the ghost from entering, often being seen by all, and harassing a few of the townspeople.

Finally after eight months of the ghost terrorizing everyone in the city, the council finally ordered to dig up the body and end this. When they opened the coffin on April 18, 1592 there was no sign of decay or damage to the corpse. He was quite plump and didn’t smell like death, except his clothes smelled a little grotesque. He was not stiff and skin was peeled away on his feet, with other skin growing which was much stronger.

The wound on his neck was still there, it was wide open and red. The corpse was under constant watch, and it was aired out during the day and stored in a house with guards by night. The townspeople would come by in the morning to take a glimpse of the man just out of curiosity. This however did not stop the vampire attacks. Because of this, they decided it was time to bury the corpse under gallows, but this only made the attacks worsen. The corpse was getting thicker everyday. Finally the widow told the truth about how her husband committed suicide and let the council take over his dead body.

The Vampires Demise

The council dug him up again on May 7th, and observed body. Still no sign of decomposition since the last time in April, so they cut off his head, arms, and legs. They opened his back, and took out his heart. They took all these parts plus the body and burnt them on a pile of wood into ashes, which were collected in a bag and poured into the river. The vampire stopped harassing the town.

The Widow Rises
The widow died shortly after he was burned, and she too began to assault victims at night. She appeared as a cat, a hen, and a goat. She once laid on a woman so heavily that the woman’s eyes began to swell up. After she was dug up and burnt her attacks ended abruptly as well.

A transformed Berserkr after a battle.
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Berserkir are from Norse lore and their name, directly translated, means “men in a bear shirt.” Their name is also the foundation of the english word berserk, meaning uncontrolled chaotic behavior.

Werewolves at Will

Berserkir were destruction-loving warriors who often wore bear or wolf skins over their armor. The animal skins were thought to give the berserkir demonic powers and also giving them the ability to transform into either a bear or a wolf. Many Norse legends of werewolves involve berserkir and their ability to transform at will.

Berserkir also had the ability to work each other up into frenzies, where they could gain demonic possession. This possession was said to make them invulnerable to fire and swords. They could, however, be destroyed by beating them with a club. After they would be done battling they would become extremely exhausted.

Facing the Berserkr

In Norway, berserkir would often challenge local farmers to fight. If the farmer declined or was killed, he had to give all of his property to the Berserkr. If they knew someone was having a gathering where a lot of food was involved, very often Berserkir would invite themselves over and make themselves at home. If anyone had a problem with them, they would split open their skull or snap their backbone. As Christianity made its way through Europe, Berserkir became less popular.

The dogmen; a human, dog hybrid.

Introduction

Dogmen are reported all over the world. They are creatures with wolf heads and seem to have unusual human characteristics as well, such as hands and can usually walk upright. Some believe they are a hybrid or a type of human being. In the past they were known as Cynocephali or Dog-heads and were feared among humans. They were considered cannibalistic and could even breathe fire. They were also feared for their huge teeth.

Historic Perspective

Unlike werewolves, they couldn’t shape-shift. They are known to break into houses and attack people and animals. They cause massive destruction, they claw, bite, and even leave their teeth marks on doors. One of the oldest descriptions of Dogmen was written by a philosopher, writer, and historian, Artaxerxes from Persia in 400BC. He described a race of dog-headed men in India that would eat raw meat. He described them as having no language, instead they barked at each other. They understand the Indian language but cannot respond, they can make signs with their hands. The Indians referred to them as Calystrains, which means dog-headed in Indian. They were said to be black and very hairy, they had massive teeth and claws bigger than those of real dogs. Their estimated population at the time was around 129,000. They also appear in Egyptian lore, when Queen Hepshepsut sent out sailors to modern day Somalia, they reported seeing Dogmen who they described as being “fierce fighters.”

In Christianity, The Theodore Psalter shows a picture of Jesus preaching to men with dog heads. Some claim it’s symbolic for him preaching to heathens, others disagree. A giant Dogman named Abominable appears in “Contendings of the Apostles.” Sightings of Dogmen continue until this day. Many sightings have been reported in northern Michigan beginning in the late 19th century, they were described by lumberjacks as large black dogs that walked on their hind legs.

The Conventry Street Vampire, thought to be a spirit of a previously deceased vampire.
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Introduction

The Coventry Street Vampire was a vampire case that took place in London in April 1922. The vampire was thought to have been a spirit from another vampire who drank the blood from a woman and killed her back in 1890. Several people witnessed a tall black creature with wings (similar to Mothman) flying around a church.They say that it went into the church cemeteries and ran around the graves. Two policemen chased it and it let out an awful scream and flew away.

The Encounters

The first attack happened at 6 A.M. on April 16th, when a man went walking down Coventry Street claimed that an invisible force attacked him. He felt as though someone had bitten his neck and sucked his blood out, and felt a bit dizzy. He woke up in a hospital where the doctors told him he had been stabbed with some type of thin tube. Later that evening two other victims were brought to the same hospital and suffered the same wounds and had the same experience. There was a rumor that the police hired a vampire hunter, where he chased the being and stabbed him in the heart with a stake. Soon after the attacks stopped.

In the movie Blade, Wesley Snipes plays the role of a Dhampir.

Introduction

The dhampir is a vampire that appears in Slavic lore. It can only be produced by a widow and her vampire (dead) husband. The dhampir is always male and has a special gift, he can destroy all of the vampires in the world. He is considered a magician, and the “devil’s partner”, yet he protects the living from evil. This makes him feared among many and also highly respected.

Spotting the Vampires

Many people that suffered from vampire problems would hire a dhampir to get rid of it. He would be able to see the vampire when others can’t, and he can smell them. He would take off his shirt and use his sleeve as a telescope, which would enable normal people without the ability to look through the sleeve and see the vampire. He was given a gun and ordered the people to take the cattle to flowing water to protect them against the vampire. The others are not allowed to speak until he kills the vampire. Many times the dhampir would hide behind a cow and ring the bell to bring the vampire over, since vampires like to strangle cows, then jump out and kill him. The hunt could take a few hours or even several days, so the townspeople must be patient and follow and obey the dhampir. Once he claims the vampire is killed, the townspeople ask him to give a description of the man so they know he is not lying. In some traditions, at the end of the vampire killing, one must pour a bucket of water where the vampire was thought to be killed.

Destroying the Vampires

After he succeeded, the Dhampir would be rewarded with money, food, livestock, clothing, or whatever he wanted. If for some reason he cannot kill the vampire, he can send it away to a different town. Some people believe that the dhampires can pass on their skills to their sons. Dhampires have even been reported in rural areas in modern times.

The dodo often takes the shape of a snake.
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The dodo, from West African lore, is known as a spirit of a dead man that attacks and preys upon the living. The dodo lives in the forests where they wait to attack humans. They can shape-shift into any animal, but mostly takes the shape of a snake for a sharper sense of smell. They also appear as a giant covered in hair. One can escape the dodo by crossing some sort of running water, even a small creek. The dodo will be repelled, unable to follow.

A seemily innocent Baobhan Sith.
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The Baobhan Sith is a term to describe a type of Scottish vampiric fairy. The term comes from a Highland word for banshee, and they are also associated with evil succubi. They would appear as young beautiful women and dressed in green. They would seek out men who were who were outside at night, such as hunters. These “women” would dance with men until the men were tired and then feed on them. It was said that you could kill them with cold Iron.

The Story

In one Scottish folktale, it talks about four men who went hunting and decided to spend the night in an empty sheep grazing shelter. They were having a good old time making music with their mouth, laughing, and dancing. One of the men wished that they had some dancing partners to liven the party. All of a sudden four beautiful young women appeared. Three of them danced with the men and the fourth one stood by the hunter making the music. The music maker, all of a sudden, noticed the drops of blood everywhere coming from his friends. He was scared out of his mind and left immediately and ran toward the horses. The iron on the horses shoes kept him safe. The vampires kept circling him but couldn’t get him. They finally gave up when the sun started to come up. The hunter returned to the shelter later that day to find all of his friends dead and bloodless.

The Dachnavar, patrolling its habitat in the Armenian Mountains.
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The Dachnavar (also known as the Dakhanavar) is a vampire from Armenian lore that lives in the mountains of Ultmish Alto-tem. The vampire does not like intruders in his habitat, and attacks anyone who enters his domain. He kills his victims by sucking blood from their toes. But there is a way you can trick the vampire. The trick takes two or more people, and each person must sleep side by side with their feet under the other person’s head, confusing the Dachnavar.