Kuntilanak

Menurut Wikipedia: Dalam folklor Melayu, sosok kuntilanak digambarkan dalam bentuk wanita cantik yang punggungnya berlubang. Kuntilanak digambarkan senang meneror penduduk kampung untuk menuntut balas. Kuntilanak sewaktu muncul selalu diiringi harum bungakamboja . Konon laki-laki yang tidak berhati-hati bisa dibunuh sesudah kuntilanak berubah wujud menjadi penghisap darah. Kuntilanak juga senang menyantap bayi dan melukai wanita hamil.
Dalam cerita seram dan film horor di televisi, kuntilanak digambarkan membunuh mangsa dengan cara menghisap darah di bagian tengkuk, seperti vampir.

Sundel Bolong
 
Sundel bolong dalam mitos hantu Indonesia digambarkan dengan wanita berambut panjang dan bergaun panjang warna putih. Digambarkan pula terdapat bentukan bolong di bagian punggung yang sedikit tertutup rambut panjangnya sehingga organ-organ tubuh bagian perut terlihat. Dimitoskan hantu sundel bolong mati karena diperkosa dan melahirkan anaknya dari dalam kubur. Biasanya sundel bolong juga diceritakan suka mengambil bayi-bayi yang baru saja dilahirkan.

Tuyul
 
Tuyul (bahasa Jawa: thuyul) dalam mitologi Nusantara, terutama di Pulau Jawa, adalah makhluk halus berwujud anak kecil atau orang kerdil dengan kepala gundul. Penggambaran lainnya yang tidak disepakati semua orang adalah kulit berwarna keperakan, bersifat sosial (dalam pengertian memiliki masyarakat dan pemimpin), serta bersuara seperti anak ayam. Tuyul dapat dipekerjakan oleh seorang majikan manusia untuk alasan tertentu, terutama mencuri (uang). Untuk menangkal tuyul, orang memasang yuyu di sejumlah sudut rumah karena tuyul dipercaya menyukai yuyu sehingga ia lupa akan tugas yang dibebankan pemiliknya.
Kejadian tuyul dipercaya berasal dari janin orang yang keguguran atau bayi yang mati ketika lahir. Karena berasal dari bayi, karakter tuyul juga seperti anak-anak: gemar bermain (seperti laporan orang melihat sejumlah tuyul bermain pada tengah malam, dsb.).

Pocong

Penggambaran pocong bervariasi. Dikatakan, pocong memiliki wajah berwarnah hijau dengan mata yang kosong. Penggambaran lain menyatakan, pocong berwajah rata dan memiliki lubang mata berongga atau tertutup kapas dengan wajah putih pucat. Mereka yang percaya akan adanya hantu ini beranggapan, pocong merupakan bentuk protes dari si mati yang terlupa dibuka ikatan kafannya sebelum kuburnya ditutup.
Meskipun pocong dalam film sering digambarkan bergerak melompat-lompat, mitos tentang pocong malah menyatakan pocong bergerak melayang-layang. Hal ini bisa dimaklumi, sebab di film-film pemeran pocong tidak bisa menggerakkan kakinya sehingga berjalannya harus melompat-lompat. Keadaan ini pula yang menimbulkan suatu pernyataan yang biasa dipakai untuk membedakan pocong asli dan pocong palsu di masyarakat:
 "Lihat saja cara berjalannya. Bila berjalannya melompat-lompat, lempar saja dengan batu, pasti akan teriak-teriak."
Kepercayaan akan adanya hantu pocong hanya berkembang di Indonesia, terutama di Jawa dan Sumatera. Walaupun penggambarannya mengikuti tradisi muslim, umat beragama lain pun ternyata dapat mengakui eksistensi hantu ini.

Genderuwo
 
Genderuwo adalah makhluk halus yang berwujud manusia bertubuh besar dan kekar dengan rambut lebat menutupi tubuh. Genderuwo terutama dikenal dalam masyarakat di Pulau Jawa (orang Sunda menyebutnya “gandaruwo” dan orang Jawa menyebutnya “gendruwo”). Habitat hunian kegemarannya adalah pohon besar teduh atau sudut-sudut yang lembab dan gelap. Makhluk ini dilaporkan dapat berkomunikasi dengan manusia dan juga bisa menyukai manusia. Cerita-cerita misteri menyebutkan kalau genderuwo dapat mengubah penampakan dirinya mengikuti wujud fisik seseorang. Menurut cerita pula, genderuwo hanyalah berkelamin pria dan dapat menghamili perempuan, bahkan menghasilkan keturunan dari hubungan itu.
Asal-usul genderuwo dikatakan berasal dari arwah orang meninggal yang belum mau naik ke akhirat.
Genderuwo tidak dapat dilihat oleh orang biasa tapi pada saat tertentu dia dapat menampakkan dirinya bila merasa terganggu.

Kemangmang

Istilah Kemangmang mungkin sudah tercetus sejak berabad-abad silam. Dia dipercaya sebagai makhluk yang berada dalam lingkup alam gaib. Termasuk bangsa jin.
Berbeda dengan jenis jin lain yang punya karakter dan bentuk penampakkannya menyerupai fisik manusia, Kemangmang wujud penampakkan fisiknya disebutkan berupa sosok katak air dalam ukuran jumbo. Setidaknya, kepercayaan semacam ini tumbuh subur di kalangan masyarakat Pantura, Jawa Barat, khususnya di daerah Indramayu dan sekitarnya.
Selain ukurannya ratusan kali lipat dari ukuran katak air atau Bangkong biasa yang hanya sekepalan tangan orang dewasa, pada bagian antara kepala dengan punggung, atau persisnya di sekitar tengkuk Kemangmang, akan muncul api yang berkobar-kobar.
Api pada tengkuk Kemangmang ini bukan halusinasi ataupun hanya api fatamorgana, melainkan api yang sanggup membakar kayu-kayu kering. Konon dengan sebab ini, di sejumlah lokasi rawa-rawa dan pertambakan di wilayah Pantai Utara Jawa Barat, kerap terjadi insiden kebakaran hutan mangrove (bakau) yang, Banyak yang menduga kebakaran ini akibat ulah Kemangmang.

Wewe
 
Wewe Gombel adalah sebuah istilah dalam tradisi Jawa yang berarti roh jahat atau hantu yang suka mencuri anak-anak, tapi tidak mencelakainya. Konon anak yang dicuri biasanya anak-anak yang ditelantarkan dan diabaikan oleh orang tuanya. Wewe Gombel biasanya akan menakut-nakuti orang tua si anak atas sikap dan perlakuannya kepada anaknya sampai mereka bila mereka telah sadar, Wewe Gombel akan mengembalikan anaknya.
Menurut cerita, Wewe Gombel adalah roh dari seorang wanita yang meninggal bunuh diri lantaran dikejar masyarakat karena telah membunuh suaminya.Peristiwa itu terjadi setelah suami dari wanita itu berselingkuh dengan wanita lain. Sang suami melakukan hal itu karena istrinya tak bisa memberikan anak yang sangat diharapkannya. Akhirnya ia dijauhi dan dibenci suaminya lalu dikucilkan sampai menjadi gila dan gembel. disebut Wewe gombel karena kejadian ini terjadi di daerah Semarang. Jika kita berkendaraan dari arah jatingaleh ke arah banyumanik, maka akan terlihat bekas iklan bir bintang. Di situlah konon letak lokasi wewe gombel berada. Beberapa orang menyebutkan bahwa lokasi tersebut adalah lokasi kerajaan hantu. Menurut cerita itu pula, hal itu yang menyebabkan sebuah hotel yang terletak di dalam lokasi bukit gombel menjadi bangkrut.

Orang Bunian
 
Orang bunian adalah sejenis makhluk halus yang dikenal di wilayah Minangkabau, Sumatera Barat. Bentuknya menyerupai manusia, tinggal di tempat-tempat sepi, di rumah-rumah kosong yang telah ditinggal penghuninya.
Istilah ini dikenal di wilayah Istilah orang bunian juga terkadang dikaitkan dengan istilah dewa di Minangkabau, pengertian dewa dalam hal ini sedikit berbeda dengan pengertian dewa dalam agama-agama Hindu maupun Buddha. Dewa dalam istilah Minangkabau berarti sebangsa makhluk halus yang tinggal di hutan atau di rimba, di pinggir bukit, di dekat pekuburan. Biasanya bila hari menjelang maghrib di pinggir bukit akan tercium sebuah aroma yang biasa dikenal dengan nama masakan dewa atau samba dewa. aromanya mirip bau kentang goreng. Hal ini boleh ditanyakan langsung kepada masyarakat Minangkabau. Satu hal lagi, dewa lebih dikonotasikan bergender perempuan, yang cantik rupawan, bukan laki-laki seperti persepsi yang umum di agama lain. Selain itu,masyarakat juga meyakini bahwa ada peristiwa orang hilang disembunyikan dewa; ada juga istilah orang dipelihara dewa, yang semenjak bayi sudah dilarikan oleh dewa. cerita ini masih masyhur sampai sekarang.

Siluman
 
Siluman dalam folklor Indonesia merupakan makhluk halus yang tinggal dalam komunitas dan menempati suatu tempat. Mereka melakukan aktivitas kehidupan sehari-hari layaknya manusia biasa. Mereka juga mengenal peradaban. Siluman dapat berasal dari manusia biasa yang kemudian meninggalkan alam kasar atau setelah orang meninggal ruhnya masuk dalam masyarakat itu, atau memang sudah merupakan makhluk halus sejak awalnya. Pertemuan antara manusia dengan siluman seringkali menjadi bagian dari cerita-cerita misteri yang digemari. Siluman dikenal pula sebagai orang bunian dalam tradisi masyarakat Sumatera. Mitos tentang Kanjeng Ratu Kidul merupakan satu mitos tentang masyarakat siluman yang sangat dikenal suku-suku di Jawa, bahkan digunakan sebagai legitimasi kekuasaan raja-raja pewaris Mataram.
Beberapa mitos tentang siluman lain:
* Siluman Rawa Lakbok
* Moksanya Prabu Siliwangi dan pengikut-pengikutnya di Gunung Gede
* Masyarakat penghuni Gunung Merapi (konon dipimpin oleh Sunan Merapi) dan Gunung Lawu (konon dipimpin oleh Sunan Lawu)

Leyak
 
Dalam mitologi Bali, Leak adalah penyihir jahat. Le artinya penyihir dan ak artinya jahat. Leak hanya bisa dilihat di malam hari oleh para dukun pemburu leak. Di siang hari ia tampak seperti manusia biasa, sedangkan pada malam hari ia berada di kuburan untuk mencari organ-organ dalam tubuh manusia yang digunakannya untuk membuat ramuan sihir. Ramuan sihir itu dapat mengubah bentuk leak menjadi seekor harimau, kera, babi atau menjadi seperti Rangda. Bila perlu ia juga dapat mengambil organ dari orang hidup.
Kepercayaan
Diceritakan juga bahwa Leak dapat berupa kepala manusia dengan organ-organ yang masih menggantung di kepala tersebut. Leak dikatakan dapat terbang untuk mencari wanita hamil, untuk kemudian menghisap darah si bayi yang masih di kandungan. Ada tiga leak yang terkenal. Dua di antaranya perempuan dan satu laki-laki.
Menurut kepercayaan orang Bali, Leak adalah manusia biasa yang mempraktekkan sihir jahat dan membutuhkan darah embrio agar dapat hidup. Dikatakan juga bahwa Leak dapat mengubah diri menjadi babi atau bola api, sedangkan bentuk Leyak yang sesungguhnya memiliki lidah yang panjang dan gigi yang tajam. Beberapa orang mengatakan bahwa sihir Leak hanya berfungsi di pulau Bali, sehingga Leak hanya ditemukan di Bali.
Apabila seseorang menusuk leher Leak dari bawah ke arah kepala pada saat kepalanya terpisah dari tubuhnya, maka Leak tidak dapat bersatu kembali dengan tubuhnya. Jika kepala tersebut terpisah pada jangka waktu tertentu, maka Leak akan mati.
Topeng leak dengan gigi yang tajam dan lidah yang panjang juga terkadang digunakan sebagai hiasan rumah.

Rangda
 
Rangda adalah ratu dari para leak dalam mitologi Bali. Makhluk yang menakutkan ini diceritakan sering menculik dan memakan anak kecil serta memimpin pasukan nenek sihir jahat melawan Barong, yang merupakan simbol kekuatan baik.
Diceritakan bahwa kemungkinan besar Rangda berasal dari ratu Manendradatta yang hidup di pulau Jawa pada abad yang ke-11. Ia diasingkan oleh raja Dharmodayana karena dituduh melakukan perbuatan sihir terhadap permaisuri kedua raja tersebut. Menurut legenda ia membalas dendam dengan membunuh setengah kerajaan tersebut, yang kemudian menjadi miliknya serta milik putra Dharmodayana, Erlangga. Kemudian ia digantikan oleh seseorang yang bijak. Nama Rangda berarti juga janda.
Rangda sangatlah penting bagi mitologi Bali. Pertempurannya melawan Barong atau melawan Erlangga sering ditampilkan dalam tari-tarian. Tari ini sangatlah populer dan merupakan warisan penting dalam tradisi Bali. Rangda digambarkan sebagai seorang wanita dengan rambut panjang yang acak-acakan serta memiliki kuku panjang. Wajahnya menakutkan dan memiliki gigi yang tajam.

Babi Ngepet
 

Babi ngepet adalah mahluk dalam legenda masyarakat Indonesia yang bercerita tentang siluman babi. Beberapa mitos menceritakan tentang babi ngepet yang merupakan orang yang ingin kaya dengan cara mengambil pesugihan babi. Saat akan “beraksi”, si tuan harus mengenakan jubah hitam untuk menutupi tubuhnya. Dan nanti, secara ajaib, si tuan akan berubah menjadi babi. Orang yang satu lagi harus menjaga lilin agar tidak goyang apinya. Apabila api lilin sudah mulai goyang, artinya orang yang menjadi babi itu mulai dalam bahaya. Tugas si penjaga lilin adalah mematikan lilinnya agar si babi dapat berubah kembali menjadi manusia biasa. Babi ngepet biasanya mengambil uang dengan cara menggesek-gesekkan tubuhnya di pintu lemari, dsb.

Lucifer adalah nama yang seringkali diberikan kepada Setan dalam keyakinan Kristen karena penafsiran tertentu atas sebuah ayat dalam Kitab Yesaya. Secara lebih khusus, diyakini bahwa inilah nama Setan sebelum ia diusir dari surga.

Dalam bahasa Latin, kata "Lucifer" yang berarti "Pembawa Cahaya" (dari lux, lucis, "cahaya", dan "ferre", "membawa"), adalah sebuah nama untuk "Bintang Fajar" (planet Venus ketika muncul pada dini hari). Versi Vulgata Alkitab dalam bahasa Lain menggunakan kata ini dua kali untuk merujuk kepada Bintang Fajar: sekali dalam 2 Petrus 1:19 untuk menerjemahkan kata bahasa Yunani "Φωσφόρος" (Fosforos), yang mempunyai arti harafiah yang persis sama dengan "Pembawa Cahaya" yang dimiliki "Lucifer" dalam bahasa Lain; dan sekali dalam Yesaya 14:12 untuk menerjemahkan "הילל" (Hêlēl), yang juga berarti "Bintang Fajar". Dalam ayat yang belakangan nama "Bintang Fajar" diberikan kepada raja Babilonia yang tirani, yang dikatakan oleh nabi akan jatuh. Ayat ini belakangan diberikan kepada raja iblis, dan dengan demikian nama "Lucifer" kemudian digunakan untuk Setan, dan dipopulerkan dalam karya-karya seperti "Inferno" oleh Dante dan Paradise Lost oleh Milton, tetapi bagi para pengguna bahasa Inggris, pengaruhnya yang terbesar disebabkan karena nama ini digunakan dalam Alkitab Versi Raja James, sementara versi-versi bahasa Inggris lainnya menerjemahkannya dengan "Bintang Fajar" atau "Bintang Siang".

Sebuah nas serupa dalam Kitab Yehezkiel 28:11-19 mengenai raja Tirus juga diberikan kepada Setan, sehingga menambahkan gambaran lain kepada gambaran Setan dan kejatuhannya yang tradisional. Image of lucifer

American Indians: limikkin or skin walkers.

Argentina: A fox-like werewolf lobizón or lobisón as well as werejaguars know as runa-uturungu.

Brazil: lobisomem. There are also boto, a river dolphin that transforms into a boy, and a uirapuru - a small brown bird that transforms into a boy.

Bulgaria: vrkolak.

Canada: bearwalker.

Chili: The chonchon shapeshifter is a witch that transforms into a vulture.

China: Lang Ren.

Ethiopia, Morocco and Tanzania: The boudas is a sorcerer/blacksmith that changes into a werehyena. It often wears an ornament from its human form by which it may be recognized.

France: loup-garou is prevalent in France with the Beast of Gevaudan being the most famous documented case. Then there is the bisclavret which is a werewolf that cannot return to human form unless it can put its clothing back on.

Finland: ihmissusi.

Greece: vrykolaka is a catchall word for werewolf, vampire or sorcerer. The word lycanthropy, from the ancient werewolf-king Lycaeon, originated here.

Haiti: loup-garou can change into anything, both plant and animal.

Iceland: A hamrammr (from old Icelandic literature) is a werecreature that shifts into the form of the animal it has most recently eaten. Its strength increases with each animal that it consumes. The current (and more correct) word for werewolf is varulfur.

India: rakshasa or raghosh is a shifter who can change into any animal it wants and is characterized by its large size and color of hair (red or blond).

Indonesia (Bali): layak(Leak) is a spirit that shapeshifts into humans, animals or objects and will cause mishaps, illnesses or even death.

Ireland & Scotland: The selkies are seals that take off their skins to become human. Dark-haired Celts may have their geneology explained via the selkies. Selkies are helpful creatures who watch over fishermen.

Italy: lupo mannero or licantropo s an Italian werewolf. The "Benandanti' were werewolves that left their physical bodies behind to become wolves at which point they would go to the underworld to fight witches.

Japan: The most popular werecreatures in Japanese folklore is the kitsune (fox) and the tanuki or mijina (raccoon dog or badger). The kitsune is usually a female, and the tanuki, a male. Collectively, shapeshifters are called henge.

Kenya, Africa: The ilimu is a man- eating shapeshifter that starts out as an animal, but can shift into the form of a man.

Latvia: vilkacis, meaning "wolf eyes" or "werewolf," is a shapeshifter that is usually evil, but occasionally offers treasures.

Lithuania: vilkatas is the Lithuanian version of the werewolf.

Mexico: nahaul is a werecreature that can turn into a wolf, large cat, eagle or bull.

Native Americans: Many different types of "skin walkers such as the Navajo Indians' skinwalkers, the Mai-Coh and the. Mohawk Indians limikkin.

Normandy, France: lubins or lupins look like wolves, but can speak and are very shy.

Norway and Sweden: eigi einhamir (not of one skin) has the ability to change into a wolf by wearing a wolfskin.

Panama: Tula Vieja has been and continues to be sighted in Panama on a regular basis. The creature takes the form of a very, very old woman or witch (bruja) with a crow's foot for a right hand. This child-eating shifter haunts all places dark and dismal, waiting to take anyone back to Hell with her that she can get her claw/hand on.

Persia: The Persians have a creature similar to the Indian rakshasa that pretends to be a harmless animal. It often attacks travelers.

Philippines: The aswang is a vampire-werewolf who transforms from a human to a canine form at night, and eats human flesh. The aswang also manifests itself as a decaying corpse that has been severed at the waist (in other words...it has nothing from the waist down)... with batwings. They are very closely related to the Berbalang ghouls of legend.

Portugal: The bruxsa or cucubuth is a vampire-werewolf that consumes both flesh and blood. The lobh omen would be your everyday werewolf.

Russia: The wawkalak is a werewolf who has been transformed as a punishment of the Devil. Not considered frightening by friends and neighbors.

Russia, Central: The bodark is a Russian name for the werewolf.

Scandinavia: The varulv much prefers beer to human flesh. Scandinavia is also home to the berserker (bearskin). There is also the ulfheobar (wolfskin), which is usually lumped in with berserker.

Serbia: The wurdalak is a werewolf that died and became a vampire.

Slovakia: The vlkodlak is transformed into a werewolf by the sorcery of another. It usually shies away from people.

South America: Kanima, a jaguar-shaped spirit that seeks and kills murderers.

Spain: The Spanish werewolf, or lob hombre, prefers pretty gemstones to human flesh.

United States: Native Americans have many different types of "skin walkers" (see above). There are wererats that are particularly rampant around Pennsylvania. The wererat skulks around at night, and prefers carrots with ranch dressing to human flesh.

A werewolf or werwolf, also known as a lycanthrope (from the Greek λυκάνθρωπος: λύκος, lukos, "wolf", and άνθρωπος, anthrōpos, man), is a mythological or folkloric human with the ability to shapeshift into a wolf or an anthropomorphic wolf-like creature, either purposely, by being bitten or scratched by another werewolf, or after being placed under a curse. This transformation is often associated with the appearance of the full moon, as popularly noted by the medieval chronicler Gervase of Tilbury, and perhaps in earlier times among the ancient Greeks through the writings of Petronius.

Werewolves are often attributed super-human strength and senses, far beyond those of both wolves or men. The werewolf is generally held as a European character, although its lore spread through the world in later times. Shape-shifters, similar to werewolves, are common in tales from all over the world, most notably amongst the Native Americans, though most of them involve animal forms other than wolves.

Werewolves are a frequent subject of modern fictional books, although fictional werewolves have been attributed traits distinct from those of original folklore, most notably vulnerability to silver bullets. Werewolves continue to endure in modern culture and fiction, with books, films and television shows cementing the werewolf's stance as a dominant figure in horror.

How to Spot a Werewolf

As with witches, finding a werewolf largely seems to be a matter of looking hard enough. Some of the warning signs, according to the world's myths, are:

• Red hair
• Born on the 25th of December
• Eyebrows join in the middle
• Index and middle fingers are of the same length
• Love of rare or raw meat
• Hairs on the palms of the hands
• Hair on the inside of the skin (that seems like a tough one to check!)
• Will change back to a human if you throw a piece of iron or steel over its head when in animal form.

Description (Part 1)

Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence (generally in the form of blood) of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person. Although vampiric entities have been recorded in many cultures and according to speculation by literary historian Brian Frost that the "belief in vampires and bloodsucking demons is as old as man himself", and may go back to "prehistoric times", the term vampire was not popularized until the early 18th century, after an influx of vampire superstition into Western Europe from areas where vampire legends were frequent, such as the Balkans and Eastern Europe, although local variants were also known by different names, such as vampir (вампир) in Serbia and Bulgaria, vrykolakas in Greece and strigoi in Romania. This increased level of vampire superstition in Europe led to mass hysteria and in some cases resulted in corpses actually being staked and people being accused of vampirism.

While even folkloric vampires of the Balkans and Eastern Europe had a wide range of appearance ranging from nearly human to bloated rotting corpses, it was the success of John Polidori's 1819 The Vampyre that established the charismatic and sophisticated vampire of fiction as it is arguably the most influential vampire work of the early 19th century inspiring such works as Varney the Vampire and eventually Dracula.

Description (Part 2)

Vampirism has been around as long as humanity itself, and some vampires are a few thousand years old. They are not evil, or at least not any more so than they were as ordinary humans before being turned. Their most important law, truthfully perhaps their only law, is that no human is ever turned without his or her willing consent. There have been renegades who disregarded this law, but they are hunted and destroyed by other vampires when discovered.

 Like normals, vampires socialize according to personal preference; some prefer solitude and sometimes make their own fledglings believe that being alone is inherent to the vampiric state. Others enjoy close ties with others of their kind and some with humans as well. The strongest bond, and one that is usually unbreakable, is between sire and fledgling. Part of that is due to ties usually developed before the fledgling is turned and part from the mental ties between them.

 Vampires do have a variety of powers including the ability to read a human's mind if they concentrate on it and to mesmerize a human and also to cause him or her to forget something that happened, either completely or faded to a dream. Mental communication between vampires is as easy as verbal speech if neither party is shielding himself. While they don't have the ability to turn into bats or wolves--and curse Bram Stoker for his dramatization of them!--they can turn to mist. Or rather, they can thin themselves to near transparency, more to the point of seeming to be mist, or still more until their very molecules are so diffuse that they can pass through solid objects. All of these powers are inherent to the vampire and grow as they age and become more powerful, so an older vampire is usually going to be stronger in all of his abilities than a younger; however, the stronger the sire, the stronger the fledgling as well, so some new vampires, if their makers were old and/or powerful, are as strong as or stronger than others centuries old who had younger, weaker makers.

 While they are sensitive to sunlight, it does not incinerate them. A new vampire can be seriously burned by exposure to direct sunlight, but as with their other abilities, their tolerance for sunlight increases relative to their age and strength. Older vampires can easily lie out on a sunny beach and tan, without humans' worries about skin cancer, as can fledglings created after they reached that state. The initial sensitivity does make most of them prefer the night, at least at first, but vampires can function quite well during the day. They require very little rest and usually make do with catnaps, preferably with their mate if they're lucky enough to have one.

 Their saliva contains a powerful healing agent, so after feeding on an unaware human, a few licks completely heal the bite marks, leaving no trace. It can also heal other wounds and bruising, giving vampires a true healing touch. They are completely immune to all human diseases, including those of the blood, though a healthy human tastes better to them.

 While they can subsist for long periods of time without feeding, especially when older, or on another vampire's blood, they do require at least occasional human blood and will enjoy it even daily if it's freely available. They can consume ordinary food and drink, which still tastes the same to them, though not in excess; however, they gain no nutrition from it.

 Religious objects have no effect whatsoever on vampires, aside from possible reverence if they happen to be symbols of the specific vampire's own beliefs. Admittedly, some vampires, particularly those sired in the last century, believe otherwise, but that is a result of not being properly taught about their new state by their sires. Older vampires try to correct the situation whenever they run into one of these uninformed youngsters, but if the young vampire is a danger to humans, they will regretfully destroy him.

 Vampire sexuality is much freer than that of most humans. They are as accepting of same-sex partnerships and permanent trios or more, as of heterosexual couples. Obviously, the preferences a vampire had before being turned carry over, but even the most rigid heterosexual has been known to become more open over time.

 For the most part, vampires are very like the humans they once were, with the added wisdom of years or even millennia of experience and the pleasures of a perpetually youthful body.

Identifying vampires

Many elaborate rituals were used to identify a vampire. One method of finding a vampire's grave involved leading a virgin boy through a graveyard or church grounds on a virgin stallion—the horse would supposedly balk at the grave in question. Generally a black horse was required, though in Albania it should be white. Holes appearing in the earth over a grave were taken as a sign of vampirism.

Corpses thought to be vampires were generally described as having a healthier appearance than expected, plump and showing little or no signs of decomposition. In some cases, when suspected graves were opened, villagers even described the corpse as having fresh blood from a victim all over its face. Evidence that a vampire was active in a given locality included death of cattle, sheep, relatives or neighbours. Folkloric vampires could also make their presence felt by engaging in minor poltergeist-like activity, such as hurling stones on roofs or moving household objects, and pressing on people in their sleep.

Protection

Apotropaics, items able to ward off revenants, are common in vampire folklore. Garlic is a common example, a branch of wild rose and hawthorn plant are said to harm vampires, and in Europe, sprinkling mustard seeds on the roof of a house was said to keep them away. Other apotropaics include sacred items, for example a crucifix, rosary, or holy water. Vampires are said to be unable to walk on consecrated ground, such as those of churches or temples, or cross running water. Although not traditionally regarded as an apotropaic, mirrors have been used to ward off vampires when placed facing outwards on a door (in some cultures, vampires do not have a reflection and sometimes do not cast a shadow, perhaps as a manifestation of the vampire's lack of a soul). This attribute, although not universal (the Greek vrykolakas/tympanios was capable of both reflection and shadow), was used by Bram Stoker in Dracula and has remained popular with subsequent authors and filmmakers. Though folkloric vampires were believed to be more active at night, they were not generally considered vulnerable to sunlight. Some traditions also hold that a vampire cannot enter a house unless invited by the owner, although after the first invitation they can come and go as they please.

 Methods of destroying suspected vampires varied, with staking the most commonly cited method, particularly in southern Slavic cultures. Ash was the preferred wood in Russia and the Baltic states, or hawthorn in Serbia, with a record of oak in Silesia. Potential vampires were most often staked though the heart, though the mouth was targeted in Russia and northern Germany and the stomach in north-eastern Serbia. Piercing the skin of the chest was a way of "deflating" the bloated vampire; this is similar to the act of burying sharp objects, such as sickles, in with the corpse, so that they may penetrate the skin if the body bloats sufficiently while transforming into a revenant. Decapitation was the preferred method in German and western Slavic areas, with the head buried between the feet, behind the buttocks or away from the body. This act was seen as a way of hastening the departure of the soul, which in some cultures, was said to linger in the corpse. The vampire's head, body, or clothes could also be spiked and pinned to the earth to prevent rising. Gypsies drove steel or iron needles into a corpse's heart and placed bits of steel in the mouth, over the eyes, ears and between the fingers at the time of burial. They also placed hawthorn in the corpse's sock or drove a hawthorn stake through the legs. In a 16th-century burial near Venice, a brick forced into the mouth of a female corpse has been interpreted as a vampire-slaying ritual by the archaeologists who discovered it in 2006. Further measures included pouring boiling water over the grave or complete incineration of the body. In the Balkans a vampire could also be killed by being shot or drowned, by repeating the funeral service, by sprinkling holy water on the body, or by exorcism. In Romania garlic could be placed in the mouth, and as recently as the 19th century, the precaution of shooting a bullet through the coffin was taken. For resistant cases, the body was dismembered and the pieces burned, mixed with water, and administered to family members as a cure. In Saxon regions of Germany, a lemon was placed in the mouth of suspected vampires.