Ekimmu
In the Mesopotamian Empire, there were these creatures called Ekimmu. Ekimmu means "snatched away". Mesopotamians dreaded the Ekimmu, and prayed that they themselves were not one day turned into an angry bitter spirit banished to roam the earth in search of peace.
The Ekimmu are said to appear as a demon phantom-like creature that searches for victims to feed its misery. The Mesopotamians also called the Ekimmu "evil wind gusts". Now, unlike stereotypical vampires, the Ekimmu does not drink blood in order to live; instead it feeds off of the life forces of plants, animals, elements, and humans by tapping into their aura.
Mesopotamians believe that you could become one of these evil wind gusts by:
-dying violently from murder
-dying young
-death from a battle/war
-death before finding love
-improper burial, or no burial at all
-dying during pregnancy
-dying from drowning
-dying from starvation
-improper offerings to the Gods
If an Ekimmu were to show up on your doorstep, it would not be a good sign. Usually, within a few days, the inhabitants of the household that the Ekimmu invaded would die. An Ekimmu could can also make the living behave criminally or could inflict disease upon them.
Legends about the Ekimmu still exisit today. Modern Ekimmu are believed to wander the earth among the homeless, living in sewers, tunnels, and abandoned buildings. They tend to stay in run-down urban areas.
The Ekimmu are said to appear as a demon phantom-like creature that searches for victims to feed its misery. The Mesopotamians also called the Ekimmu "evil wind gusts". Now, unlike stereotypical vampires, the Ekimmu does not drink blood in order to live; instead it feeds off of the life forces of plants, animals, elements, and humans by tapping into their aura.
Mesopotamians believe that you could become one of these evil wind gusts by:
-dying violently from murder
-dying young
-death from a battle/war
-death before finding love
-improper burial, or no burial at all
-dying during pregnancy
-dying from drowning
-dying from starvation
-improper offerings to the Gods
If an Ekimmu were to show up on your doorstep, it would not be a good sign. Usually, within a few days, the inhabitants of the household that the Ekimmu invaded would die. An Ekimmu could can also make the living behave criminally or could inflict disease upon them.
Legends about the Ekimmu still exisit today. Modern Ekimmu are believed to wander the earth among the homeless, living in sewers, tunnels, and abandoned buildings. They tend to stay in run-down urban areas.
Uruku/utukku
The translation of Uruku/Utukku means "vampire that attack's man." By simply looking into the eyes of a Uruku/Utukku a human can be injured. It is said that the Uruku/Utukku haunt deserted places such as graveyards, mountains, and the seas. Uruku/Utukku are said to be similar to Ekimmu in their appearance (phantom, demon-like creatures).
Succubi/Incubi
These vampires are said to use sexual seduction to trap their victims, and then prey on them as they sleep. Both the succubi and incubi manifest mainly in dreams. Succubi is a female, incubi is a male. The church considered these vampires to be part of Satan's army.
Seven demons
The Seven Demons are mentioned in various Mesopotamian religious texts and incarnations. The Seven Demons share characteristics with what we think of today as a vampire. The Seven Demons avoided the temples of the Gods and fed on human blood.
Lamashtu
Lamashtu, in Mesopotamian religion, was the daughter of the sun-god Anu. Lamashtu was said to be the most terrible of all female demons. Lamashtu was also know by about 7 other names and was described as the 7 witches (see above, 7 demons). Lamashtu was said to have killed children, and drank the blood and eat the flesh of men. She also brought nightmare upon her victims, killed nature, contaminated water supplies, and caused miscarriages for pregnant women.
Lilith
The legend of Lilith is rooted in Babylonian demonology. It is also argued that Lilith is a dark demigoddess similar to Hectate. As legend goes, Lilith is the 1st wife of Adam (the story of Adam and Eve). She disobeys her husband and is forever doomed to wander the earth as a demon. Lilith can shape shift and often hunts in the form of an owl. Her victims of choice were newborn children and pregnant women. Mesopotamian society also blamed Lilith for putting erotic dreams into the minds of men. Eventually, the Church added Lilith to the daemonic army of incubi and succubi who seduce and feed upon innocent, unknowing victims.
Vryolakas
The vryolakas are corpses of a person who is possessed by a demon. They rise from their graves at night and knock on people's front doors calling their names. If the person answered the door, they were doomed to die the next day. However, the vyrolakas could only call a person's name one time. Many avoided death by waiting until someone called their name a second time to answer the door. Unlike stereotypical vampires, the vryolakas do not suck blood; when someone answered the door, the vryolaka condemned them to die with disease. This particular vampire legend was more prevalent in ancient Greece.