During Halloween Week I make 1-2 posts a day for the week leading up to Halloween talking about all sorts of scary monsters and mythical subjects.

Definition: In Malaysian and Indonesian mythology, Pontianak is the ghost of a woman who died during childbirth.

Characteristics: a woman with pale skin, white dress covered in blood, long black hair, red eyes.

Definition: In Orcadian mythology, a Nuckelavee is a demon that is half horse and half man, similar to a centaur.

Characteristics: the torso of a man attached to the back of a horse. The horse head had a single eye, and the creature has no skin.

Definition: Ankou is the personification of death in Celtic folklore.

Characteristics: a man or sometimes a skeleton wearing a cloak with a large hat that covers his face, and he carries a scythe. Also, he is sometimes seen driving a large coach pulled by 4 black horses with 2 ghosts walking beside it.Definition: Ankou is the personification of death in Celtic folklore.

Characteristics: a man or sometimes a skeleton wearing a cloak with a large hat that covers his face, and he carries a scythe. Also, he is sometimes seen driving a large coach pulled by 4 black horses with 2 ghosts walking beside it.

Background: He is said to protect graveyards and the souls inhabiting them. The last person to die each year becomes the Ankou next year. It is said that as he travels, his head constantly rotates in a circle so that no death will go unknown from him. Along with horses pulling his cart, he is accompanied by two ghostly figures that help him put the souls of the dead into his cart. When someone is about to die, Ankou knocks on the door of that person's house and sometimes emits a wail similar to a Banshee. Some people who are about to die are said to hear the creaking wheels of the cart that Ankou drives. 

He will wait in new houses and claim the life of the first person to enter it, for this reason, people sacrifice a rooster and spread its blood on the foundation when it's being built.

He has been known to spare the lives of those who help him. There is a story about 3 brothers that were walking home one night after a party and when the cart came into view, they started throwing rocks at it which broke an axel on one of the wheels. Two of the brothers ran off after this but the third one stayed behind and helped fix the wheel by placing a stick in the spot of the broken axle and gave Ankou his shoelaces to keep the stick in place. The next morning, the 2 brothers that had run away were dead and the other one only had his hair turned white.

Background: He is said to protect graveyards and the souls inhabiting them. The last person to die each year becomes the Ankou next year. It is said that as he travels, his head constantly rotates in a circle so that no death will go unknown from him. Along with horses pulling his cart, he is accompanied by two ghostly figures that help him put the souls of the dead into his cart. When someone is about to die, Ankou knocks on the door of that person's house and sometimes emits a wail similar to a Banshee. Some people who are about to die are said to hear the creaking wheels of the cart that Ankou drives. 

He will wait in new houses and claim the life of the first person to enter it, for this reason, people sacrifice a rooster and spread its blood on the foundation when it's being built.

He has been known to spare the lives of those who help him. There is a story about 3 brothers that were walking home one night after a party and when the cart came into view, they started throwing rocks at it which broke an axel on one of the wheels. Two of the brothers ran off after this but the third one stayed behind and helped fix the wheel by placing a stick in the spot of the broken axle and gave Ankou his shoelaces to keep the stick in place. The next morning, the 2 brothers that had run away were dead and the other one only had his hair turned white.

Definition: In Slavic folklore, Baba Yaga (also called the bony one) is a supernatural being in the form of a witch. Some stories say that there are 3 sisters all with the same name.

Background: She flies around in a mortar holding a pestle; and she lives in a house that stands on chicken legs. The definition of her name varies, it is said that Baba means either grandmother or old woman; and Yaga means either snake or wicked. Baba Yaga’s nose is so long that when she sleeps her nose touches the ceiling of her house. Inside her house, there is a giant stove that stretches to both ends of the house that she also uses as her bed; people that go to her and fail the tasks she gives them will be cooked in the stove and eaten. Despite all the people she eats she stays very skinny and that is why she is also called Bony One.

In Japanese mythology, Jikininki are ghouls that eat dead bodies. They are forever hungry and do not enjoy eating human flesh but it is the only thing that temporarily relieves their hunger. They mostly live in villages near old temples or ruins. Jikininki are born from a few different ways: from a person who performs evil deeds which corrupts the soul, from corrupt priests who didn't pass on property, or from people who developed a taste for human flesh.

Santa Muerte (A.K.A. Nuestra Señora de la Santa Muerte) is a female deity in folk Catholicism and is condemned by the Catholic church. She is celebrated yearly during the Day of the Dead on November 2nd. Her following has expanded from South America into Central and North America as well and has been on the rise since the early 2000's. It is estimated that there now around 10-20 million people who follow her. She is known to give protection against assault, gun violence, violent death, and witchcraft to name a few. A lot of her followers are people struggling with social hardship and lacking resources in their lives. Others are thieves, drug traffickers, and people who commit economic crimes out of desperation. There have been a few cases of people who have even performed human sacrifice to Santa Muerte. There's a show on Netflix called Dark Tourist that mentions her briefly if you want to check that out also.

Possible Origins: It is thought that Santa Muerte could have been adopted from Mictecacihuatl (Aztec goddess of Death) sometime after the Spanish Conquest of the Aztec Empire.

Worship of Skeletal figures was common in Europe during times of hardship and were usually dressed in crowns and in thrones.

In Haitian Vodou, Baron Samadi is a loa (spirit) of the dead. He has other incarnations too, such as: Baron Cimetière, Baron La Croix, and Baron Kriminal. Along with being the loa of death, he is also the loa of sex and life and he is the only one who can take people to the land of the dead and digs their graves.

His style that he wears is representative to a Haitian corpse when buried: Top hat, black tuxedo, cotton plugs in the nostrils, dark glasses, and skull face paint.

In Zulu mythology, a Tokoloshe is an undead, dwarf-like creature. It is made by a Shaman that takes a corpse, removes its eyes and tongue and then puts a hot rod through its skull to melt its brain and shrink the corpse to a small size. The Tokoloshi is also invisible when it drinks water. Tokoloshe are only harmful towards adults and will not hurt children. They are reported to have a very large pp to the point where they can sling it over their shoulder. They have been known to sexually harass men and women sometimes while they sleep and bites off their toes. The only way to prevent a Tokoloshe from getting you at night is to have your bed raised with bricks under each of the beds legs.

In Germanic folklore, a Nachzehrer is a vampire. It's name means something like "after living off" which means that its living after dying. A person can become a Nachzehrer if they either commit suicide, die accidentally, or the first person to die in a plague will become one. After turning into a Nachzehrer, they will begin to eat their burial shroud and then their flesh. If you wish to kill a Nachzehrer, they are easy to identify while in their coffin. It will have its left eye open and will be holding its thumb in its other hand. One way that you can then kill it is by decapitation. Another way is to put a stone or spike through its mouth.

Unlike other vampires however, a Nachzehrer cannot turn a human into one of them. Also, instead of turning into bats it is said that they can transform into pigs.

In Philippine mythology, a Manananggal is a vampire-like monster that is a man eater and sucks people's blood. During the night their bodies split in half and the upper torso sprouts wings and they fly around looking for their prey. Manananggal preferably prey on pregnant women while they are sleeping and use their long tongue to suck out the hearts of the fetus; or to suck the victim's blood. While the top half flies away, the bottom half remains standing still and vulnerable. If one were to put salt or garlic on it, it would prevent the top half from reconnecting which will kill it by sunrise. 

In Hinduism, Rakshasa are maneating demigods. They were created by the god Brahma's breath. When they were born they were filled with such bloodlust that they started to eat Brahma. Brahma then shouted out "Rakshama" which means "protect me", at that point, Vishnu came and banished them to earth. Rakshama are described as having 2 fangs that protrude from its mouth, claw-like fingernails, flaming hair and red eyes. They also have the power of flight can smell human flesh, and when they kill them they sometimes drink the blood directly from the skull. Along with flight, they have the ability to shapeshift and the power of illusion.

In Japanese mythology, Jorōgumo is a yokai that takes on the form of a spider of the same name or sometimes a beautiful woman. The name means either "Entangling Bride" or "Whore Spider". It is said that when a Jorōgumo reaches 400 years of age it will develop magical powers and can begin to feed on humans instead of things like insects and birds. Jorōgumo will find men and invite them to her home to later feed on. She can spin silk that is strong enough to trap any man and their venom slowly weakens then over time so she can stretch out their death and make them suffer as she feeds on them. It is said that Jorōgumo can even control other spiders, such as fire-breathing ones and have them go and burn down the homes of people who become suspicious of her.

In Malay mythology, Pananggalan is a vampire-like creature. Its name means "detach" or "remove". During the daytime, it looks like a normal female but at night it detaches its head from its body and as its head flies away, it carries with it its stomach and entrails. The Pananggalan is said to gain her ability through the use of black magic, a curse, or other paranormal means. 

While the Pananggalan's head is out flying around it is looking for pregnant women and young children. It usually sits on the roof of houses of women who are in labor and screeches as the baby is born. Pananggalan will then insert its long and invisible tongue in the house to drink up the blood of the mother. After contact with the tongue, the victim will contract a wasting disease (a disease that causes muscles and tissue to waste away) which is almost always fatal. Even the Pananggalan's entrails can cause open sores if someone is touched by them that can only be healed by a Bomoh (Malay Shaman).

when it comes back home to its body it will have a vat of vinegar that it uses to shrink its entrails so that they can fit back in her body. 

In Mochica mythology (Northern Peru), Ai Apaec (sometimes known as Headsman) is a creator or sky God. He is the son of a mountain God. Ai Apaec is described as a man with fangs, a jaguar headdress, and snake earnings. The Mochica people would decapitate prisoners and sacrifice the heads to this God.

I only found one source that claimed him to be a crab God and one statue of him with crab appendages (picture below) and another of him on top of a crab as he is fighting it on his journey through the underworld.

Another description of the deity says he is an anthropomorphic spider with jaguar fangs. Pictured below is (possibly) a mural of Ai Apaec found in a Mochica Temple in Peru.

In Korean mythology, Gwishin are a type of ghost. They are people who have died but their spirit remains on earth until they finish what they were unable to in life. Sometimes they stay to get revenge, they just want to be on earth longer, revenge for someone else. The longer a Gwishin stays on earth the more powerful it can become and can eventually touch and grab things/move objects etc. There are different types of Gwishin, one of which is called Dalgyal Gwishin which means "Egg ghost" because their face has no features. Another type is called Mul Gwishin which is a water ghost. These Gwishin are in places such as lakes, oceans, and even bathtubs. They will drag people under the water and drown them.

In Japanese Mythology, Umi Nyōbō is a Yokai that lives in the ocean and looks like a woman with fish features such as scaley skin, sharp teeth, webbed toes and fingers. They are believed to be the spirits of women who drowned at sea. Umi Nyōbō spend a majority of their time in the ocean but can survive on land for a few days at a time in which they eat humans. These yokai are also unable to talk. 

In Aztec mythology, Xipe Totec, also known as the "Our Lord the Flayed One" is the God of agriculture, disease, rebirth, vegetation, and seasons. In order for humanity to have food, Xipe Totec flayed himself. Among the things listed above, he is also the God that invented war and his insignia are a pointed cap and a rattle staff. If a person is suffering from a disease such as smallpox, eye diseases, blisters or other things they would make an offering to him.

In Gascon mythology (France), Lou Carcolh is a creature that is a combination of a serpent and mollusk. It is described as having a long body with a giant shell on its back. Its mouth has several hairy and slimey tentacles that can stretch out for miles in search of prey. This creature is said to live underground and anything it catches in its slimey tentacles it would grab, drag back to its lair and swallow whole.

In Choctaw mythology (Native American tribe), Nalusa Falaya, whose name means "long black being" is shadow-like being. It moves around by slithering like a snake, can melt into shadows and can bewitch hunters.

In Sumerian mythology, Edimmu is the ghost of a person who was not buried properly and are vengeful towards humans. They can cause diseases and make people perform criminal behavior. They are also said to be wind-like spirits that suck the life out people while they're sleeping.

In Latin American mythology, La Llorona (the Weeping Woman) was a beautiful woman named Maria. One day a wealthy man came through her village and was stopped in his tracks by her beauty. He proposed to her on the spot and she agreed. The man's father was not happy that his son married a poor woman so the man built a house in her village so they could be together there away from him. They eventually had a boy and a girl. The husband was always away travelling and when he was home he would only pay attention to the kids and less so of his wife because she was getting too old.

One day the man came home with a new girlfriend and said goodbye to his kids. Maria, in outrage, took her kids to the river and drowned them. After that she panicked and tried searching for them but they had disappeared as they floated down the river. In her mourning, she drowned herself. When she appeared at the gates of heaven she was told that she would not be allowed in until she found her children. Now she is stuck on earth constantly looking for them and crying a lot. If you hear her cries you better run the opposite way because hearing them could bring you misfortune or death. At night, if she finds children out she will kidnap them and drown them mistaking them for her own children and begging the heavens for forgiveness.

In Greek mythology, the Erinyes (Furies) were three goddesses of retribution, vengeance and punished men who committed crimes that we're against the natural order. They are the daughters of Gaea (Earth) and the blood of Ouranos (Sky). The Erinyes are known to induce torture on people who commit Patricide or Matricide (killing someone's father or mother). They can suffer from things like illness or disease. The Erinyes' wrath can only be stopped by ritual purification or completion of a task necessary for righting their wrongs. They are also servants of Hades and Persephone in the underworld (also called Hades) where they oversaw the torture of criminals in the Dungeons of the Damned (located in Tartarus).

The Erinyes are described as ugly women with wings and had serpents entwining their arms and legs. The wielded whips and wore the long black robes of mourners. 

In South American mythology, Patasola is a one-legged female monster. She only lives in the jungle and will appear as a beautiful woman to seduce men while they're thinking about women. Once she lures them away, she reveals her true form which is a one-legged woman with a cow hoof, one breast, bulging eyes, a hooked nose, big lips, and fangs. After she lures the men away and reveals her true form, she will either eat them or suck their blood. Patasola had been known to take on other forms such as that of a black dog or a cow. When she is done with the men, she climbs to the top of either a tree or mountain and sings out: 

"I'm more than the siren /
I live alone in the world: /
and no one can resist me /
because I am the Patasola. /
On the road, at home, /
on the mountain and the river, /
in the air and in the clouds /
all that exists is mine."

A woman can become a Patasola in a few different ways. One way is to murder her own son and then be banished to the woods as punishment. Another is because she was a wicked temptress who was mean to both men and women and because of this people mutilated her by chopping off her leg and throwing it into a fire. After she died her ghost would roam forests and mountain ranges.

In Navajo mythology (Native American tribe), a Skinwalker which is called Yee Naaldlooshii which means "with it, he goes on all fours" is a medicine man who has obtained the highest level of priesthood in a tribe. The Medicine man then uses his power for evil by inflicting pain and suffering onto others. In order for this medicine man to become a Skinwalker, he must take the life of one of his family members. After they do that they then possess the power of turning into any animal they wear the pelt of. For this reason, it is seen as a taboo among the Navajo people to wear the skin of animals except for sheepskin and buckskin which are used for ceremonies. The most common forms Skinwalkers take on is that of a coyote, owl, fox, crow, or wolf.

It is said that Skinwalkers can use charms on the people that they want to harm by using a bead made out of human bone that they inject into your skin by using a blow dart. It is said to be embedded just below the skins surface without even leaving a mark. Another way they can harm people is by taking their victim's hair and wrapping it around a pot shard and putting it into a tarantula's den.

In order to end the life of a Skinwalker, you must know its full name. If you know it then you must say it out loud to them and it will cause them to get sick and die. Another way to kill it is to dip your bullets into white ash before shooting it otherwise it will have no effect. 

In Estonian mythology, Külmking (whose name means "cold shoe"?!?!!!?!), is the ghost of the unholy dead that appears as a beast. Külmking roams the woods and will eat children alive if they bother the spirits living there. It is said that if the Külmking were to go through someone that person would become evil. 

Topielce: In Polish mythology, Topielce, sometimes called Utopce, is a water spirit. These spirits are of the people who drowned in the waters that they now haunt. Topielce are described as being deformed with scales and fingered that are covered in membranes. It is said that before they would pull their victims underwater they would ask them a riddle, on which their life would depend.

In the myths of the Wabanaki tribe, Skadegamutc is a ghost witch. One can be created by the death of an evil magician who refuses to stay dead. They come alive at night to attack people, eat, and curse those who are unfortunate enough to come across them. The only way to end a Skadegamutc is by fire. 

In Maya mythology, Camazotz, whose name means "death bat" is the God of night, death, sacrifice, and bats. Camazotz also has a house in Xibalba (underworld) called the House of Bats. Here, monsters that are also called Camazotz, decapitated the Maya hero Hunahpu and used his head as a ball for their next ballgame.

In Philippines mythology, the Mambabarang is a type of sorcerer that uses insects and spirits to attack a person they hate using black magic. The Mambabarang will take their enemy's hair and tie it to the bug that they will use to attack them. The Mambabarang keep their bugs inside either a bottle or section of Bamboo and feeds them ginger root. When the sorcerer wants to finally attack their enemy they will perform a prayer ritual and tell the bugs instructions and tell them who the victim is. The bugs are then set free and when they reach the victim they will enter through all orifices they can find. Depending on where they enter it will cause a different problem: hemorrhoids if entered through the anus, earaches if through the ears, etc. In the end, it will result in the victims' death and the bugs will only leave then. 

In Sumerian mythology, Asag is a demon who is so hideous that his mere presence causes fish to boil alive in rivers. Whenever he goes to war he is accompanied by an army of rock demons who are the offspring he had with the mountains. Asag was eventually defeated by the God Ninurta using his enchanted talking mace called Sharur.

In Bengali mythology, the Nishi Daak is a spirit that will lure its victims to a secluded area by using the voice of someone they know. They only do this during the night and whoever hears them will fall into a hypnotic state and follow the voice, never to be seen again. It is said that some Tantrics (sort of like  will conjure Nishi Daak to harm someone out of revenge.

In Hindu mythology, Pishachas are flesh-eating demons. They are described as having protruding red eyes and bulging veins. Pishachas are known to haunt cremation grounds. They can also take on any form at will including being invisible. As well as the flesh of humans, the Pishachas also feed on their energy. This can cause people to go insane but there are mantras that will help drive it away.

Many evil spirits are roaming around in the world that seeks to cause harm to people. Some are here because they are seeking revenge on those who wronged them. But there are some spirits out there that are so evil that they are banned from entering either heaven or hell and forced to wander the earth for eternity. 

Stingy Jack - Stingy Jack tricked the Devil himself multiple times to prolong his own life and keep himself out of Hell. The Devil, keeping his word to Jack from earlier, did not let him into Hell after he died. Jack was also not allowed into heaven because of his evil and devious ways. However, the Devil gave him an ember to light his way. Jack put this inside a hollowed-out turnip. This is also where we get the term Jack O' Lantern.

Corpo Seco - Corpo Seco, which means, Dried Corpse, was a man that was so evil that he was not allowed to enter heaven or hell, and even the earth itself would reject his body, pushing him up out of the ground. He attacks people at night and drains them of their blood.

La Llorona - La Llorona or "The Weeping Woman" was originally a beautiful woman who had 2 kids with her husband, a rich conquistador. She later finds her husband with another woman and drowns her children in a river out of blind rage. Once she realizes what she's done she regrets it immediately and drowns herself as well. However, when she gets to the gates of heaven she is rejected and told that she cannot rest until she finds her children. She is from then on wandering the earth, snatching up children in the hopes that they are hers so that she may rest.

The Flying Dutchman - The Flying Dutchman is a ghost ship whose sighting of it is an omen of doom. The crew of the Flying Dutchman once tried to make port at the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa. But the weather at the time caused the ship to crash with no surviving crew members. They are now stuck out at sea constantly trying to make port. Other versions say that he was punished by God and forced to sail the seas until Doomsday.

Will Smith - Will Smith was a Blacksmith who was given a second chance at life by Saint Peter in the hopes that he would go to heaven when he died. But Will abused this gift and continued to live a life of sin. He was rejected at Saint Peter's gates and the gates of hell. But the Devil gave him a piece of burning coal which he used to lure unsuspecting people into the marshes. This story is where we get the name Will-O'-The-Wisp.

El Silbón, also known as The Whistler was once a boy who was spoiled as a child and always demanded to get what he wanted. One day he had his father go and hunt deer for him to eat for dinner. However, his father returned from the hunt empty-handed. In anger, the son kills his father, cuts out his heart and liver, and has his mom cook it up for them.

The mother suspects something is wrong when the meat doesn't taste right and finds out what her son did, she puts a curse on him that will last for an eternity. His grandfather then has him tied to a post in the countryside and lashes his back to shreds. He was then released and given a bag with his father's bones and had two rabid dogs chasing him.

When El Silbón's whistling sounds close, you should not be worried because he is far away. When the whistling sounds far away however it means that he is near. His whistling is an omen of death for whoever hears it. The only thing that can save someone in this situation is the sound of a dog barking, as that is what he fears. El Silbón mainly attacks womanizers, whose bones he will put into the bag along with his fathers. But he will also attack drunks and other random victims.

In Arabian mythology, the Qutrub is thought to be a ghoul or werewolf-like djinn that haunts graveyards and eats the corpses. Its name is the Arabic term for Lycanthropy.

In Japanese mythology, Shitanaga uba is a yokai. These yokai look like elderly women and they have a tongue that can get to over 5 feet long. They live in hovels in the mountains and will feed on lost travelers by inviting them inside and licking the flesh and blood off of them while they sleep.

In Greek mythology, Eurynomos is a daimon (spirit) of the underworld that feeds on the flesh of the rotting corpses, leaving only their bones behind. He has bluish-black skin, like that of meat flies and he sits on the skin of a vulture.

In Chinese mythology, Jiangshi is a hopping vampire. This type of vampire is very stiff and gets around by hopping with its arms out in front of it. They do decay however which means some of them are hopping around with their flesh rotting off. It also has greenish skin which could be from mold or fungi growing on it. At night it goes around and sucks out people's qi or "life force". During the day it will be in its coffin or hiding in dark places.

Iku-Turso, also known as Meritursas or Tursas, is a giant sea monster. It lacks a consistent description but has epithets such as thousand-headed, thousand-horned, and even "the one who lives on the brink". Iku-Turso lives in Pohjala which is home to all evil things. He is the father of all diseases with Loviatar, the daughter of Tuoni, god of the dead, and ruler of the underworld called Tuonela.

In Caribbean folklore, the Soucouyant is a Vampyric monster that looks like an old woman by day, and by night she takes off her skin, and puts it in a mortar, taking on the form of a fireball. The Soucouyant can enter through any sized hole or crack, once inside, it will drain the victim of their blood, which will either end their life or turn them into a Soucouyant. After draining their blood, they will trade it with a demon called Bazil for evil powers.

To stop the Soucouyant you need to put rice around your house or at a crossroads as this monster will have the compulsion to stop and count every grain ( a disorder known as Arithmomania). If you want to destroy them you have to find the mortar that holds their skin and pour coarse salt into it which will make it so it can't be put back on.