Japaneses myths: The Vampire Cat

    

                         The Vampire Cat             

            The Cat of Nebeshima..  

The Prince of Hizen a distinguished member of the Nabéshima family, lingered in the garden with O Toyo, the favorite among his ladies. When the sun set they retired to the palace, but failed to notice that they were being followed by a large cat.

O Toyo went to her room and fell asleep. At midnight she awoke and gazed about her, as if suddenly aware of some dreadful presence in the apartment. At length she saw, crouching close beside her, a gigantic cat, and before she could cry out for assistance the animal sprang upon her and strangled her. The animal then made a hole under the verandah, buried the corpse, and assumed the form of the beautiful O Toyo.

The prince, who knew nothing of what had happened, continued to love the false O Toyo, unaware that in reality he was caressing a foul beast. He noticed, little by little, that his strength failed, and it was not long before he became dangerously ill. Physicians were summoned, but they could do nothing to restore the royal patient. It was observed that he suffered most during the night, and was troubled by horrible dreams. This being so, his councilors arranged that a hundred retainers should sit with their lord and keep watch while he slept.

The watch went into the sickroom, but just before ten o'clock it was overcome by a mysterious drowsiness. When all the men were asleep the false O Toyo crept into the apartment and disturbed the prince until sunrise. Night after night the retainers came to guard their master, but always they fell asleep at the same hour, and even three loyal councilors had a similar experience.

During this time the prince grew worse, and at length a priest named Ruiten was appointed to pray on his behalf. One night, while he was engaged in his supplications, he heard a strange noise proceeding from the garden. On looking out of the window he saw a young soldier washing himself. When he had finished his ablutions he stood before an image of Buddha, and prayed most ardently for the recovery of the prince.

Ruiten, delighted to find such zeal and loyalty, invited the young man to enter his house, and when he had done so inquired his name.

"I am Ito Soda," said the young man, "and serve in the infantry of Nabéshima. I have heard of my lord's sickness and long to have the honor of nursing him; but being of low rank it is not meet that I should come into his presence. I have, nevertheless, prayed to the Buddha that my lord's life may be spared. I believe that the Prince of Hizen is bewitched, and if I might remain with him I would do my utmost to find and crush the evil power that is the cause of his illness."

Ruiten was so favorably impressed with these words that he went the next day to consult with one of the councilors, and after much discussion it was arranged that Ito Soda should keep watch with the hundred retainers.

When Ito Soda entered the royal apartment he saw that his master slept in the middle of the room, and he also observed the hundred retainers sitting in the chamber quietly chatting together in the hope that they would be able to keep off approaching drowsiness. By ten o'clock all the retainers, in spite of their efforts, had fallen asleep.

Ito Soda tried to keep his eyes open, but a heaviness was gradually overcoming him, and he realized that if he wished to keep awake he must resort to extreme measures. When he had carefully spread oil-paper over the mats he stuck his dirk into his thigh. The sharp pain he experienced warded off sleep for a time, but eventually he felt his eyes closing once more. Resolved to outwit the spell which had proved too much for the retainers, he twisted the knife in his thigh, and thus increased the pain and kept his loyal watch, while blood continually dripped upon the oil-paper.

While Ito Soda watched he saw the sliding doors drawn open and a beautiful woman creep softly into the apartment. With a smile she noticed the sleeping retainers, and was about to approach the prince when she observed Ito Soda. After she had spoken curtly to him she approached the prince and inquired how he fared, but the prince was too ill to make a reply. Ito Soda watched every movement, and believed she tried to bewitch the prince, but she was always frustrated in her evil purpose by the dauntless eyes of Ito Soda, and at last she was compelled to retire.

In the morning the retainers awoke, and were filled with shame when they learnt how Ito Soda had kept his vigil. The councilors loudly praised the young soldier for his loyalty and enterprise, and he was commanded to keep watch again that night. He did so, and once more the false O Toyo entered the sickroom, and, as on the previous night, she was compelled to retreat without being able to cast her spell over the prince.

It was discovered that immediately the faithful Soda had kept guard, the prince was able to obtain peaceful slumber, and, moreover, that he began to get better, for the false O Toyo, having been frustrated on two occasions, now kept away altogether, and the guard was not troubled with mysterious drowsiness. Soda, impressed by these strange circumstances, went to one of the councilors and informed him that the so-called O Toyo was a goblin of some kind.

That night Soda planned to go to the creature's room and try to kill her, arranging that in case she should escape there should be eight retainers outside waiting to capture her and dispatch her immediately.

At the appointed hour Soda went to the creature's apartment, pretending that he bore a message from the prince.

"What is the message?" inquired the woman.

"Kindly read this letter," replied Soda, and with these words he drew his dirk and tried to kill her.

The false O Toyo seized a halberd and endeavored to strike her adversary. Blow followed blow, but at last perceiving that flight would serve her better than battle, she threw away her weapon, and in a moment the lovely maiden turned into a cat and sprang onto the roof. The eight men waiting outside in case of emergency shot at the animal, but the creature succeeded in eluding them.

The cat made all speed for the mountains, and caused trouble among the people who lived in the vicinity, but was finally killed during a hunt ordered by the Prince of Hizen.

The prince became well again, and Ito Soda received the honor and reward he so richly deserved.

“The Vampire” by Henrich August Ossenfelder:

 

 

 

🦇 “The Vampire” by Henrich August Ossenfelder:🦇

    My dear young maiden clingeth
    Unbending, fast and firm
    To all the long-held teaching
    Of a mother ever true;
    As in vampires unmortal
    Folk on the Theyse’s portal
    Heyduck-like do believe.
    But my Christine thou dost dally,
    And wilt my loving parry
    Till I myself avenging
    To a vampire’s health a-drinking
    Him toast in pale tockay.

    And as softly thou art sleeping
    To thee shall I come creeping
    And thy life’s blood drain away.
    And so shalt thou be trembling
    For thus shall I be kissing
    And death’s threshold tho’ it be crossing
    With fear, in my cold arms.
    And last shall I thee question
    Compared to such instruction
    What are a mother’s charms?

Demons of Love: the Baobhan Sith or Scottish Vampire / fairy ..

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February  is the month of love and valentines Day, so too celebrate the month of love i will be posting about the monster's  of Love and subduction ...Think of demons like  the Succubus and other's similar to her in nature...
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                         ~~~~Baobhan Sith ~~~  

                            👻☘️💕😈💕☘️👻

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The Baobhan Sith, pronounced baa’van see, also also known as the White Women of the Scottish Highlands or simply the Fairy Woman.

The Baobhan Sith is most often  depicted as  a beautiful young woman,

They are believed to be a type of fairy, though they share similarities to Succubus and Vampire's

They can be found lurking in the Highlands, waiting to seduce young travelers and drink their blood.
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Thought to be fairies. though some believe them to be a sub spices of Succubus or a type of lesser vampire... are a particularly dangerous type of vampire-spirits from the folklore of the Scottish Highlands like  the Leanan Sídhes, the Boabhan Siths are considered female but are usually temptresses who use their beauty to lure men into dance before brutally killing them


There mane concern is feeding - they will luring young hunters in by inviting them to dance until the hunter's are too tired too fight back or  overpower the Baobahn Sith.

They would then feed on their helpless victims, draining them dry of blood.




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The baobhan sith most often appears as a beautiful young woman wearing a long green dress..

She has deer hooves insted of normal human feet..

The long dress is used to conceals her  hooveed legs ..

                                      
                                             Green Dress...

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Like vampires, she drinks the blood of human victims and will leave before dawn..

She  can also transform according to some legends she may take the form of a hooded crow or raven. in other versions she will transform into a wolf..
                                      



There are numerous stories about the baobhan sith with a general theme of hunters being attacked in the wilderness at night.

                                  


                                      


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One famous legend state's that there were four men who went hunting and took shelter for the night in an old cabin.

One of the men supplied vocal music while the others began dancing.

The men wished there were woman present  to dance with, and soon after that four women entered the hut.

Three of them danced while the fourth sat beside as the vocalist.

He then noticed drops of blood falling from his companions and fled from the hut, taking refuge among the horses. His blood thusty  guests chased him but were unable to catch him, and when daylight came the woman all disappeared.

Later the man went back inside and found all three of his friends dead and  completely drained of blood.

The  baobhan sith was unable to catch the fourth man because liker other fairy's she has a weakness to iron., (iron being a traditional fairy  vulnerability.)

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In a similar tale one of the men noticed that the women had deer hooves instead of feet and fled from them. He returned the next morning to find that the other hunters had their "throats cut and chests laid open"<sup>.

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In a third story the hunters took refuge in a cave.

Each of the men said he wished his own sweetheart were there that night, but one of them, named Macphee, who was accompanied by his black dog, said he preferred his wife to remain at home.

 At that moment a group of young women entered the cave, and the men who had wished for their sweethearts were killed. Macphee was protected by his dog who drove the women from the cave^.

 
One recurring motif in these stories is that the baobhan sith appear almost immediately after the hunters express their desire for female companionship.

This is connected with a traditional Scottish belief that if one were to make a wish at night without also invoking God's protection, then that wish would be granted in some terrible manner..
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Mercy Brown: American Vampire

The Vampire of New England....

The brown family of Exeter, Rhode Island


So many cases of tuberculosis  occurred in the  Brown family that  Friends and neighbors believed this was due to the possible  influence of the undead.

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George and Mary Brown's family suffered  from tuberculosis infections hitting several family members.

Tuberculosis infections  in the later 19th century was rampant it was also called "consumption" at the time, and was a very devastating disease.

The mother, Mary Eliza, was the first to die of the disease, followed in 1886 by their eldest daughter, Mary Olive.

In 1891, Mercy and her brother  Edwin also contracted the disease.

Mercy died 1n  January 1892 at the age of 19.

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The locals  believed that one of the deceased family members was actually a vampire that had caused the rest of the family's  illness.

This belief was based on folklore  that speaks of a link between multiple members of a family dying and it's link to the  visitation by a vampire.

Tuberculosis was a poorly understood disease at the time and was followed by a lot of  superstition.


After much persuasion George Brown eventually gave  permission to exhume  several bodies of his  now deceased family members.
 ==============================

This was a big event in the area drawing in  Villagers, the local doctor, and even  a newspaper reporter  to witness  the body's being exhumed  on March 17, 1892.

 The bodies of both Mary and Mary Olive showed the expected level of decomposition you would expect given the amount of time they where in the ground  so they were apparently cleared of suspicion in the vampire case....

 However, the body of a Mercy, showed almost no decomposition, and still had blood  in the heart.

The locals took this as a sign that the she was in fact undead and by that extension the cause  Edwin's current poor condition.

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Her lack of decomposition was most likely due to her body being stored in freezer-like conditions in an above-ground crypt during the first two months after her death.

An old Romanian superstition says that to cure the sickness brought by  undead, the vampires heart and  or liver must be burned, and the ashes mixed with water to create a tonic.

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Dr. Harold Metcalf, who had raised his objection to the entire affair, assured everyone that the lack of decomposition of Mercy’s body was perfectly consistent with the fact that she had been dead for less than two months. Knowing that medicine had done nothing to save the Browns, the people of Exeter ignored the doctor’s proclamations and took the presence of fresh blood in Mercy’s heart as a sign that she was undead.

They gathered firewood and kindled a bonfire on a pile of nearby rocks. Then they cut out Mercy’s heart and lungs and cremated them on the pyre.
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This was not the first time the old remedy of burning the organs of the dead and mixing the ashes into an tonic for the sick had been tried in Rhode Island, even in Exeter.

In 1799, the townspeople exhumed the body of Sarah Tillinghast, suspecting her of being a vampire. Author Diana Ross McCain reports there were 18 documented instances of the exhumation of family members in suspected vampire cases throughout New England in the 18th and 19th century, but the case of Mercy Brown would be the last.


After removing and burning her heart, Mercy Brown was re buried at the Chestnut Hill Cemetery where she now rests in peace.

Unfortunately Edwin died  just two months later<sup>.
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                      Mercy Browns Grave</sup>

Visitation is possible  look for a small white Baptist church off of Ten Rod Road, a couple of miles from I-95. A path goes directly through the center of the cemetery, about halfway down on the left is the Brown family plot.


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 Further reading......
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Bram Stoker  and H.P. Lovecraft drew inspiration from this case for there respective works..

Bram Stokers character Lucy Westernra and H.P. Lovecrafts character Mercy Dexter..
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 Mercy Brown's story was also  the inspiration for the young adult novel Mercy: The Last New England Vampire by Sarah L. Thomson.

There's also an account of the events as told by the remaining descendants of Mercy is available in Michael E. Bell's Food for the Dead: On the Trail of New England's Vampires.

Cryptids and Myths: Vampiers..

                     Hotel Transylvania Mavis 2 by alecyl on Deviantart  Mavis Dracula art by alecyl
                                 

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Human history is filled with unexplained event's and creatures beyond imagination.

From childhood and onward we go through our lives in fear what lurks within the shadow just out of sight, from the monster under the bed, to the boogeyman and every-other monster imaginable whether real or imagined in ancient times this was an advantageous means of survival against very real threats wolves bears ext. This survival  mechanism has been deeply ingrained into our psyche

But what may be hiding in the darkness just out of sight waiting for you..

Vampires....The immortal undead with an unsavory taste for human blood.

There have been many famous monsters through  out human history, but none so recognizable as the Vampire. Through classic Myth, Legend and folklore to modern  TV, Movies,  Dramas and more this creature of the night has haunted our imaginations since time immemorial..

Every culture around the world has legends regarding the Vampire in one form or another..




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============ European  Vampire =======
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The vampire is a reanimated corpse that feeds on the blood of the living to prevent its body from decomposing.

 The slender  pale-skinned vampire we know of to today is a relatively new interpretation of this creature that started around the  early 19th century with the publication of (The Vampyre ) — a short story by John Polidori  in 1819.

In the original vampire legend from  Eastern Europe the creature was described as a bloated corpse  with  dark or ruddy skin as a result from feeding on blood. 



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=Somewhat Graphic Description ahead==
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When the body of a suspected vampire was disinterred (dug up), it would sometimes look as if it  hadn't decomposed at all, often the   hair, teeth and fingernails appear too have grow longer.

Other times the body would look, bloated with blood seeping from the nose and mouth.

Today we know now this is just common  decomposition with the  rate of decomposition   varying  slightly  depending  on number of different factors.

Normally temperature and soil composition; decrease or accelerate the rate dead flesh loses fluids, which in turn causes it to pull back exposing  the roots of hair, teeth and nails; and that gases from decomposition build up in the torso, making the body look bloated and forcing blood to ooze from the nose and mouth.

Common beliefs about vampires include that they are most active at night, but not necessarily vulnerable to sunlight. Garlic, crucifixes and holy water were common devices for warding off vampire attacks .

 It was believed that driving a wooden stake into the body would somehow release the evil spirit, with decapitation also being a way to hasten the evil soul's departure. in some areas they would piece the heart with a pin before burial others would drive a stake through the heart regardless of vampire sighting in the area as a sort of preventative measure.
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======Russian and East Europe===============================
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The Russian upir and the Greek vrykolakas. In these traditions, sinners, unbaptized babies and other people outside the Christian faith were more likely to be reanimated after death.

Those who practiced witchcraft were particularly susceptible because they had already given their soul to the devil in life. Once the undead corpses rose from the grave, they would terrorize the community, feeding on the living.

Western Europe, has the vampir, or vampyr,  Russian upir and Romania the Strigoi.

                                        
                                                      -`-`-`-`-`-` Strigoi-`-`-`-``-`-


Vampires in Moldavia, Wallachia and Transylvania (now modern  Romania) were called strigoi.

Strigoi were almost always human spirits who had returned from the dead.

Unlike the upir or vrykolakas, the strigoi would pass through different stages after rising from the grave. Initially, a strigo might be a poltergeist like being tormenting its former family members by moving furniture around. After some time, it would eventually  become visible, looking just  the way it  did in life.

After returning to physical form , the strigo would return to its family once more, and torment them in various ways such as  stealing cattle, begging for food and bringing disease. Strigoi would feed on humans, first their family members and then anyone else they happened to come across. In some accounts, the strigoi would suck their victims' blood directly from the heart.


Initially, a strigo needed to return to the grave regularly, just like an upir.

If the town people suspected someone of being a strigo, they would exhume the body and burn it, or run spikes through it. But after seven years, if a strigo was still around, it could live wherever it pleased. It was said that strigoi would travel to distant towns to begin new lives as ordinary people, and that these secret vampires would meet with each other in weekly gatherings. similar to a witches gathering....


In the middle-ages people that lost  there lives to  the Black Plague where thought to be victims of vampire attacks.

Much like the Witch hunts and werewolf hunts that proceeded it Vampire hysteria was running rampant  Europe during the 17th and 18th century.

People would often  reported seeing their dead relatives walking around and attacking the living. This got so bad that authorities began digging up  graves, burning and staking the corpses.

Word of the vampire scare eventually  spread to western Europe, leading to  academic speculations on the creatures, as well as vampire poems and paintings. These works in turn inspired an Irishman named Bram Stoker to write his vampire novel, "Dracula."

                                                     Bela Lugosi as Dracula




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When you mention the word Vampire most people automatically think of Dracula.

Based on Vlad The Impaler , though not actually a vampire was none the less just as feared by his enemies .

Vlad III Dracula, Also known as Vlad the Impaler or Vlad Dracula, He is considered one of the most important rulers in Wallachian (Modern Romania)  history and a national hero of Romania.
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The Count St Germain was said to possibly be a vampire...

Germain was a European adventurer and traveler, with an interest in alchemy and science.

He associated with several members of European high society  in the mid-1700s.

It was said that Prince Charles of Hesse-Kassel considered him to be "one of the greatest philosophers who ever lived".

 St. Germain used a variety of names and titles, an accepted practice among royalty and nobility at the time. These include the Marquis de Montferrat, Comte Bellamarre, Chevalier Schoening, Count Weldon, Comte Soltikoff, Graf Tzarogy, and Prinz Ragoczy. In order to deflect inquiries

 ......Germains life across the pond...

Vampires, werewolf's (Loupgaru) witch craft and voodoo can all be found in New Orleans

But was Jacque St. Germain an alchemic genius that discovered the secret too immortality or was he in fact a vampire?

St Germains or at least a man claiming too be him moved into a  home located at 1039 Royal Street in New Orleans.

                                                        ...Germains house..


St. Germain was  lady’s man, often seen with a beautiful woman on his arm while strolling through the French Quarter, or clubbing in elegant locales late into the night.

 He would in throwing dinner parties for the members of the city’s high society   .

His parties were highly anticipated due to their lavish cuisine, fine wine, and entertainment. St. Germain fascinated his guests with stories of France, Italy, Africa, and many other places

 During dinner he would tell tales his guests tales of his adventures around the world.

However he seemed to have an odd habit of not eating  at his own party's, choosing only to drink presumably wine from a chalice instead,  this coupled with his uncanny resemblance to the Comte St. Germain portrait that hung in his home, had many in the city suggesting (Jokingly at first) that perhaps the mysterious man was in fact a vampire.

 
These rumors would soon take dark turn,.

One night the police were called to St. Germain’s home to investigate  a woman who had seemingly fallen from his balcony on the second floor.

His guest, that night was a woman who was rumored to have been a prostitute, had in fact leapt from his balcony, rather than fallen, as bystanders had originally recounted .

While she survived the fall, she was terrified.  People on the street surrounded her and tended to her needs while help was called .

 Hysterical, the woman ranted that she had jumped to escape St. Germain, who had bitten her neck. She screamed and sobbed out her story, claiming she was only able to escape when her assailant was briefly distracted by aloud knocking on his door.

Police at first did not believe her as Germain was a well respected member of the community after all.

However he soon completely vanished from the city..

After witch according too legends The police went too investigate   and on the second floor of the house they discovered a series of open but corked wine bottles. filled with a  mixture of wine and large quantities of human blood.

Jacque St. Germain was allegedly never seen in New Orleans again...
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;;;;;;;ON A SIDE NOTE;;;;;;;
Saint Germain-Wine bar is located at  3054 St Claude Ave. Opens at 5.00PM  :)
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                                                        ~~~~~'St Germain`~~~~
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======= Asian Vampire===
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China

Jiangshi or Hopping Vampire

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Korea -Gangsi

	Hangul  -  강시
	Hanja -   殭屍

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Japan - Kyonshi
Kana キョンシー
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             =======Jiangshi== The Hopping Vampire=====


 A jiangshi, is also known as a Chinese "hopping vampire" but it's more like a type of zombie.

Jiangshi" is read geung-si in Cantonese, Phi Dip Chin in Thai, cương thi in Vietnamese, gangsi in Korean, kyonshī in Japanese, and "hantu pocong" in Malay and Indonesia.

It is usually described as a stiff corpse dressed in official garments  from the Qing Dynasty and it moves around by hopping, with its arms outstretched. It kills living creatures to absorb their qi/chi, or "life force", usually at night, during the day, it rests in a coffin or hides in dark places abandon buildings caves etc.

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A Jiangshi's appearance can range from somewhat normal  (Someone that was just recently buried to horrifying (rotting flesh  and / or full rigor mortise typical of corpses that has been in the ground for an extended piriod of time.

. The Chinese character for "jiang" (僵) in "jiangshi" literally means "hard" or "stiff". It is believed that the jiangshi is so stiff that it cannot bend its limbs and body, so it has to move around by hopping while keeping its arms stretched out for mobility.

Jiangshi are depicted in popular culture to have a paper Talisman (with a sealing spell) attached to and hanging off the forehead in portrait orientation, and wear a coat-like robe and round-top tall rimmed hat characteristic of a mandarin  (Chinese official from the Qing dynasty).

Its is often described as having a  greenish-white skin; one theory is that this greenish color comes from mold or fungus on the deceased body

 It is also  said to have long white hair  and may behave like an animal.

 The influence of western vampire stories brought the blood-sucking aspect to the Chinese myth in more modern times also sometimes combined with the story's of the hungry ghost.

However in traditional versions of the creature  they only feed on the qi (Lfe Force) of the  living  in order to grow more powerful.


Jiangshi are also sad to be terrified d of there own reflections.


Jiangshi in modern media

These creatures though not as prevalent in media as there western counterpart have been in many Anime, games and moves of the years..


Anime Yozakura Quartet and   Rosario+ Vampire

                           ==========Rin Azuma from Yozakura Quartet======

                           and below is LingLing from Rosario+ Vampire
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Vampires like most monsters can be found on every continent so don't stay out too late and  maybe cary some garlic just in case lol

.......

Fairy Myth : Leanansidhe - the vampier fairy

                                          ~~Irish Myths and Legends...The Leanansidhe~~




The Leanansidhe

Leanansidhe (Lhiannanshee) Leanan Sidhe: The Lhiannan Shee of the Isle of Man is said to be a vampir like  fairy who attached herself to one man, to whom she appeared irresistibly beautiful, but invisible to everyone else. If he yielded to her, he was ruined body and soul.

She is both a muse and a demon of sorts,  In Celtic lore the Leanan Sidhe is one of Ireland’s mythological vampires.

The fairy was a beautiful woman who was said to give inspiration to poets and musicians – but at the price of their lives.




She can often be found around wells or natural springs.

According to some legends she would make an artist her lover, sharing with them her intelligence, creativity and magic, but when she left, the men would be so depressed, they'd die. Leanan Sidhe would then take her dead lovers back to her lair.


Rather than directly suck the blood of her victims, Leanan Sidhe got creative, and collected their blood in a giant red cauldron, which was the source of her beauty, youth and artistic inspiration.

In other versions of this myth she takes is energy, like a type of energy vampier, ether way he die's..

As with Dearg-due, to prevent the undead Leanan Sidhe from rising, one must put a cairn of stones over her resting place.


The Irish Leanan Sidhe is known as the inspiration of poets and minstrels. She would roam the night, searching for romantic men to inspire with eloquence of word and beautiful music while in her embrace, and would draw from their life force until he would die.

Both names mean "fairy Sweetheart". In Scotland, the Leannan Sith was a term used to denote a fairy lover of either sex. In fact, the translators of the Bible into Scots Gaelic used this term, and the Scots took this as Biblical proof of the existence of fairies.

The Lhiannan Shee of Ballfletcher was the tutrelary fairy of the Fletchers, and gave them the fairy cup, which was drank from every Christmas in her honor.