Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 10, 1899.djvu/201

 Folklore from the Southern Sporades. I'j^i

II. — Vroiikdlakas and Kalikdzari. The Vroukolakas, or Vampire, is familiar to all students of modern Greek life. Persons guilty of abominable crimes, those who die under a parent's curse, or who die excommu- nicate, all children conceived on one of the great festivals of the Church (when abstinence is ordained) become Vam- pires. They arise from the tomb any night except Saturday, and live by sucking the blood of living men, especially of their own nearest and dearest. You may know the Vampire if when his grave is opened — which should be done of course on the Saturday night only, as the creature then cannot get out — the body is found whole and undecayed, the hair and nails perfect. To lay the Vampire requires different methods according to the cause of his being such.i

a kind of demon like a man divided longitudinally : this gruesome creature runs with amazing speed and is very cruel and dangerous."

The same account of the Shikk is given by Hughes, " Dictionary of Islam," 137. The Nasnas is a similar beast, the offspring of a Shikk and a human being.

The Hadal, a Bombay demon, is plump in front, a skeleton behind. So the Ellekone of Denmark is captivating to look at in front, hollow behind like a kneading trough. (Grimm, Teut. Myth., vol. ii, p. 449.)

The Daitya of North India is beautiful in front, behind only a mere husk without a backbone. (Crooke, Populai- Hel., vol. ii. p. 255.)

' The following passages describe the common practice. MS. III. of the Canons (1560), fol. 59 : —

yivwaKerai Trept rovrov on 7/ ^ej' evpeOr] aw^a uKaipeoi' [ctve- puioyj tv Tw Tu(poi KciL rpi^cis reXlas va ^irjSej' e^?;, elycii a^<pi(io\ia ^Is ToiiTO y cKpopicrfj.eyoi' e'lvai 7) ov'yji, ofiws kiijivt} xpeia va evyuXovy TO Xei^aroy cKeli'oy e'£w utto top rtKpov ottov evpiaKerai, va to jjuX- Xovv els aXXov Tcifov Trapdevov Kai o~av irepatrr] tcaipos iKavos, el fie v evpedfj TO VLKepaiov eKeTvo aw/ua XeXvfxevov, ybrj KaXov, el be Kat elpedfj aXvTOv yivioartceTai oti etvai afiopitTfJievov Kal becTai eruy^w pi'iaews, 'iva XvBfj tov cKpujpirrfxov.

Same, fol. 254. Some foolish men say ttCjs fiepiKi) avOpLJiroi orav a-KeQevovv, ei, avTwv Tives avKovuvTai kui yivovTai KaTa-)(d6vioi, Toiis OTToiovs Xeyovv ftovXKoXuKovs, Kal avTol Xeyovv davaTtJvovy tovs

ZbiVTUt'Ovs aixk cKelvoi oirov TrXavutvTai Kal Kaiovv tovs abeX-

(0vs TOVS KaKov TO fTTadav. The name here, it will Ijc noticed, is given as Voulkolakos.