Creatures of the Night by J.C. Kelley (ap literature book list txt) 📖

Shtriga

SHTRIGA

In Albanian folklore the shtriga is a vampiric witch which sucks the blood of infants during the night. After she had had her fill, she would then turn into a small flying insect (moth, bee, fly, etc.) and make her escape. She would also sometimes take adult victims by sucking out their “spiritus vitae” (life force) while they slept.

She prefers to drink from infants and young children because their life force is stronger. 

The victims of a shtriga will get extremely sick, go into comas, and then die. 

The shtriga was typically seen as a woman who lived in secret within the community. A common telltale sign was a young girl whose hair was turning white. Others believe that the shtriga is a flying demon who would only attack at night. 

Often said to be vulnerable when eating, but only with iron-wrought rounds. 

Said to take on the appearance of an old woman (hag) during the day.

Would carry around an inverted cross. 

 

The Fates

THE FATES 

Have the power of deciding a man’s destiny. They decide whether he is good or evil. They decide how long he lives, how he lives, and what happens along the way.

There are three Fates:

1. Clotho, who spins the Thread of Life

2. Lachesis, who chooses the lot in life one will have

3. Atropos, who at death with her shears, cuts the Thread of Life

At the birth of a man, the Fates spin out the thread of his future life, follow his steps, and direct the consequences of his actions according to the counsel of the gods.

Zeus, if he chose, had the power to save even those who were on the brink of death. 

They were prophetic deities, whose ministers were all the soothsayers and oracles. They were described as ugly women, who were severe, inflexible and stern.

Clotho carried a spindle or a roll (the book of fate), Lachesis a staff with which she pointed to the horoscope on a globe, and Atropos a scroll, a wax tablet, a sundial, a pair of scales, or a cutting instrument.

At the birth of each man they appeared spinning, measuring, and cutting the thread of life.

In Roman mythology they were known as Nona, Decuma, and Morta. 

They wielded the power to bring death even to the gods, and so were feared by Zeus himself. Zeus, Apollo, etc. would occasionally persuade the Fates to let certain people live a little longer, sometimes out of kindness, sometimes because of a need for revenge.

Countless mortals prayed to the Fates for a long life, the healthy birth of a child, and a good harvest. 

 

Basilisk

BASILISK 

Comes from the Greek basileus, meaning king. The basilisk is the King of the Snakes and is the most poisonous creature on Earth. 

The golden basilisk poisoned everything by his mere look.

The evil-eye basilisk terrorized and killed every creature by his third eye on the top of a golden head.

The sanguineness basilisk sting made the flesh fall off the bones of his victim. 

Said to be endowed with a crest upon its head, constituting a crown. 

"He does not impel his body, like other serpents, by a multiplied flexion, but advances lofty and upright. He kills the shrubs, not only by contact, but by breathing on them, and splits the rocks, such power of evil is there in him." – The Roman naturalist Pliny.

No agreed upon image, but often described as having the head and feet of a rooster, the tail of a great serpent, and the body of an eagle, with wings sometimes covered in scales.

When other snakes heard the basilisk coming, they slithered away as fast as they could, no matter what they were doing before, even if they had been eating the most tasteful of meals.

It was generally believed that if a man on horseback killed a basilisk with a spear, the poison would run up the weapon and kill not only the rider, but the horse as well. 

One particularly effective way to kill a basilisk was to show it a mirror, and in a sort of poetic justice, let its own deadly gaze take its life. 

 

Djinn

DJINN

Known as “genies” in English, Djinn have deep roots in Arab culture. They were first mentioned in stories told by Indian, Persian, and Arabian storytellers, gaining international fame when they were featured throughout the tales Scheherezade told in The Thousand and One Nights.

Many believe that they are angry spirits born from smokeless fire—man was born of the earth itself.

Although the djinn does inhabit the earth, its dimension makes it somewhat separate and distinct from the normal human realm. 

Known for their illusion casting. Can manifest into any form and travel anywhere instantly. Known to live in ruins. Said to avoid salt and steel. 

There are five different types of djinn: The least powerful is the Jann, next is the Djinn, and then the Sheytans (devils). The Afrits are very powerful, but the Marids are the most dangerous of all. 

Djinn are believed to be responsible for illness and mishaps. It is said that the great and wise King Solomon shut misbehaving Djinn in lead-stoppered bottles and threw them into the sea. 

The Djinn would often gruesomely punish anyone who wronged them, even unintentionally.

Wraith

WRAITH

Apparition of a living person. Usually an omen of dead. Can alter the perceptions of those they appear in front of, causing hallucinations.

 Queen Elizabeth I, Catherine of Russia, and the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley claimed to have seen this omen. After seeing her own double, Catherine ordered her guards to fire upon it.

 In Scotland, it was believed that the wraith of one about to die would appear wrapped in a shroud; The higher the shroud reached, the closer one was to death.

 A wraith's true form is revealed in a mirror. Contact with silver can weaken—or in severe cases, burn—a wraith, while piercing its heart with silver will effectively kill it.  

Mermaid/Merman

MERMAID/MERMAN

An underwater creature with the upper body of a human and the tail of a fish.

In the earliest lore, the goddess Atargatis transformed herself into a mermaid after accidentally killing her human lover. Mermaids have since been known to easily fall in love with humans.

Associated with dangerous events, such as shipwrecks, drowning, storms, floods, etc. They are associated with sirens, of the Greek myth, due to their similar habitats and tales of bewitching sailors and dragging to the bottom of the sea, drowning them.  

Mare/Mara

MARE/MARA (NIGHTMARE)

An evil spirit, which originated in Scandinavian folklore, and was known for sitting atop a person's chest while he slept, causing bad dreams.

A mara could take the form of a beautiful woman and visit men in their dreams, torturing them with desire and dragging the life out of them.

In Serbia, the mare (mora) entered a bedroom through the keyhole, sat on a sleeping man's chest, and strangled him in his sleep. Children were advised to place an upside-down broom next to the bedroom door at night, and sleep facing the window. Others would say an elaborate prayer poem.