In Romania, people are careful not to say the true name of this vampiric REVENANT aloud. The cel-rău (“the bad”) is easily summoned; as it has amazing hearing, it can hear its name uttered from any distance. The cel-rău will appear near the person who has said it within moments.
Source: Cremene, Mythologie du Vampire en Roumanie
В Румынии люди стараются не произносить вслух истинное имя этого вампирического ревенанта. Чель-рэу («Плохой») легко призвать; поскольку у него удивительный слух, он может услышать свое имя на любом расстоянии. Перед человеком, назвавшим его, чел-рэу появится через несколько минут.
Источник: Cremene, «Mythologie du Vampire en Roumanie»
Cauchemar is the French word for “nightmare”, and it is also the name of this species of vampiric demon or witch.
At night the cauchemar shape-shifts into either an INCUBUS or a SUCCUBUS and slips into the bed of what it perceives to be an evil person. Then it has sexual relations with him, enslaving the person to its will and draining him of some of his life and sexual energy (see ENERGY VAMPIRE). In the morning, the victim will awake with drool descending from either side of his mouth and with evidence of having experienced a nocturnal emission. Other signs include feeling overly tired and suffering leg cramps.
To prevent the cauchemar from attacking, a person can place some SALT under his pillow or dried beans or stones under his bed every night. A broom propped in the corner will offer protection, as will sleeping on one’s stomach. Saying prayers before going to bed and keeping religious items in the room will prevent it from entering. If all else fails, one can put screens on the windows.
If the cauchemar cannot be prevented from entering the room and attacking, it is vital that no one ever so much as touches the victim during one of the assaults. To do so can cause the cauchemar to kill the victim as it flees.
Source: The Living Age, vol.4, 495; Mackay, Gaelic Etymology, 305; Masters, Eros and Evil, 181; Rose, Spirits, Fairies, Gnomes, 212
Catacano (Cat-ah-CO-no)
Variations: Catacani, Catakano, Kathakano, “The Happy Vampire”
On the Greek isles of Crete and Rhodes there is a vampiric REVENANT that smiles all the time, showing off its teeth. It is known as the catacano (see GREEK VAMPIRES). Strong and fast, it is able to instill trust in its human prey, making it arrogant by nature. The catacano has a singularly unique way of creating more of its own kind — it spits regurgitated blood on people. Should this sticky and burning discharge hit the intended target, that person will become a vampire.
The catacano can be killed in a number of ways: decapitating and boiling its head in vinegar, trapping it and isolating it behind saltwater (see SALT), or by burning its nails off.
Source: Haining, Dictionary of Vampires, 50; Volta, The Vampire, 150
Today, Carrickaphouka Castle (“the rock of the pooka”) in Ireland stands in ruins, but its reputation of being haunted remains. Back in 1601,
it was widely believed that a pooka (a type of fairy creature) haunted the grounds. It lived within one of the large boulders that were on the land that was then used to build McCarthy Castle. Like many of the fay, pooka can shape-shift, and this one preferred the forms of an eagle, a large horse, and a wild goat.
After the Battle of Kinsale in 1601, Cormac Mór MacDermot Tadhg McCarthy, Lord of Muskerry, was made High Sheriff of Cork County. The new ruling English were having trouble bringing the defeated Irish lords under control and McCarthy was tasked with the duty of rounding up those who opposed English rule. One of these “rebel lords” was a popular man by the name of James Fitzgerald. He had a very large following, most of whom were displaced nobility themselves. Under the pretense of making peace, the High Sheriff invited Fitzgerald to McCarthy Castle.
The meal that was served to Fitzgerald was poisoned, but death of a rebel was not enough for the High Sheriff, who sought to impress the English. McCarthy had the body drained of blood and then cooked. Much to the horror of his English masters, he then set about the act of cannibalism in front of them, eating the flesh and drinking the blood.
In ancient Peru there existed a class of devilworshipers called canchus. They believed that by drinking the blood of children, they would retain their youth and bolster their own life-energy (see ENERGY VAMPIRE). Oftentimes, they would sacrifice the children to the devils that they worshiped.
Source: Florescu, Dracula: A Biography, 164; Hickey, Sex Crimes and Paraphilia, 123; McNally, In Search of Dracula, 117; Trumbull, Blood Covenant, 115
В древнем Перу был класс дьяволопоклонников, называемый канчусы. Они полагали, что выпивая кровь детей, сохраняют свою молодость и поддерживают собственную жизненную энергию (смотри «Энергетические вампиры»). Зачастую они жертвовали детей дьяволам, которым поклонялись.
Источники: Florescu, «Dracula: A Biography», 164; Hickey, «Sex Crimes and Paraphilia», 123; McNally, «In Search of Dracula», 117; Trumbull, «Blood Covenant», 115
In post-medieval Europe, belief in INCUBUS and SUCCUBUS attacks were commonly accepted. Naturally, it stands to reason that if a human is having sexual relations with a demon, willfully or not, there is bound to eventually be offspring from such an unholy union. These demonic hybrid progeny were called cambion and for the most part, developed as normally as any other child would. Typically, a child born with a physical defect was suspected of being a demonic halfbreed, especially twins. Unfortunately for the poor cambion child, it was not considered to be a living being until it reached the age of seven years. Until that time, it was perfectly acceptable for a witch hunter to kill one without any fear of repercussion whatsoever. A common test that was performed to see if a child were a cambion or not was to have a holy man simply touch it. Being demonic, a cambion would cry out in pain. Naturally, should it survive, a cambion adult was oftentimes prejudiced against because of its lineage.
Incredibly dense and weighing more than it looks like it would, a cambion grows into a tall and well-muscled individual who may have an apparent physical defect of some description. Its nature is to be arrogant, bold, and wicked and will have some sort of supernatural ability; most develop a talent for using magic spells and go on to become sorcerers.
Camazotz, a greatly feared blood drinker, was the vampiric bat god of the ancient Mayan people of Central America, the Quiche Maya of Guatemala around 100 B.C., and the Zapotec Indians of Oaxaca, Mexico. His name translates in a number of befitting nomenclatures, such as “black man”, “death bat”, “neckcutter”, “the sudden bloodletter” and “Snatch Bat”. In art he is depicted as a large man-bat creature sporting a knife in one hand and a human sacrifice in the other.
In chapter three of the Popol Vuh, the Mayan’s sacred book, it was Camazotz who slew the first race of man; in chapter ten it was he who beheaded the hero Hunahpú. Ultimately, Camazotz was defeated in the battle between the gods and man.
Each year, the planting of the corn is timed with Camazotz’s descent into Xilbalba, the Mayan equivalent of hell. He is feared by the Zotzil people of Chiapas, Mexico, to this day.
Source: Allardice, Myths, Gods and Fantasy, 50; Nicholson, Mexican and Central American Mythology, 37; Spence, Myths of Mexico and Peru, 172, 226, 344-345; Stefoff, Vampires, Zombies, and Shape-Shifters, 17
The callicantzaro is different from the other vampires that hunt the Greek islands, most obviously in its method of creation (see GREEK VAMPIRES). It does not matter how good a life someone lived or even if he was a devout Christian — all that matters is when he was born. Any child who had the misfortune of being born between Christmas Day (December 25) and the Feast of the Twelfth Night (January 5) will rise from its grave as a callicantzaro when it eventually dies. These children are called “Feast Blasted” and are pitied by all who know the circumstances of their birth. The only method of saving the child of its UNDEATH fate is to hold the newborn’s feet over a fire until its toenails burn and blacken. If this is not done, there is no chance of later salvation.
If the child was not saved from its fate and returns after death as a callicantzaro, it can only survive in our world on the days between Christmas and either New Year’s Day (January 1) or the Feast of the Epiphany (January 6). It is an old belief that the callicantzaro can only live on earth these few days of the year, going back to the times of antiquity. With that in mind, it seems obvious that these dates are Christianized and the original times that the vampire would have been allowed back to roam the earth was probably something along the lines of from winter solstice to the next full moon.
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