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.

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.

Definition: Coined by Charles Richet and popularized in the movie the Ghost Busters, ectoplasms are often described as gooey masses that may accumulate because of the presence of ghosts.

Aliases: Ghost matter

Slimer from Ghostbusters, said to be made from ectoplasm.

Most ghosts have been described as metaphysical, having no connection with the real world. They can make a breeze or other metaphysical activities, yet they have no real affect on the world. But other spirits can incarnate themselves into to the physical world, or leave waste from their presence. It is often very gooey, not unlike rubber cement. Its color can vary, but it is most often green or yellow. It has been found in several places mysteriously, from barns to houses and to wooded areas.

Definition: An invisible energy, given off by all life forms and spirits.

Aliases: Wisp, Spirit, Guardian Angel

Man sitting with dead wife standing next to him

Auras are energy fields emitted by all living organisms. It defines who they are and how they interact with the world. But could this apply to the unliving as well? Have you ever taken a photograph and there are weird circle like shapes, varying in color? This could be due to an unworldly creature being a the presence of the photographer.

Auras can be captured in video, photograph, and many animals can see or sense them. There are even some people that can see them on a regular basis, and they usually describe them as a halo of light, varying in color. They say that by the color of the aura and the pattern that it produces, you can determine what kind of energy it is.

Definition: A ghost that always appears at a certain time or on a certain event.

Aliases: Birthday Ghosts, Holiday Ghosts, Troubled Spirit

Similar to: Wisps

Anniversary ghosts are those that appear on a certain day or period of time because of a significant event. Usually the time period would be related to their death; but not always. There have been recordings of ghosts that come back to wish their loved ones a happy birthday, ones that come back to celebrate a holiday or some even theorize that ghosts might only come back after they were buried. Maybe there was a significant moment in their life when they could have changed the path they were on. They could be reliving it on the same day for all eternity.

The Black Dahlia, supposedly an anniversary ghost.

One very famous anniversary ghost is the Black Dahlia. Elizabeth Short, aka the Black Dahlia, was an aspiring actress in the 40’s. She was found dead in a field, her body mutilated. Several suspects were named but no one was ever charged. It is said that she was tortured for 3 days before she died. Her body was found in pieces, and hardly recognizable except for finger prints. She was said to have multiple lovers, and in various ghost stories she is said to haunt old hotels where she hanged out or in other unscrupulous areas in order to seduce unsuspecting men.

The Green Lady

Another famous anniversary ghost is the Green Lady of Crathes Castle in Scotland. She is said to have had a child with the a servant of the castle and fled. Many years later though a renovation of the castle uncovered two skeletons, one of a child and another of the Green Lady, in a location near where the Green Lady would often appear. Queen Victoria herself supposedly even saw her. Spotting the Green Lady is supposed to be an omen of death, though no reported sightings have occurred recently.