Name: Shtriga
Location/Origin: Albania (with regional parallels in the Balkans and parts of Eastern Europe)
Powers: Drains life force through magical means—often by sucking blood or energy while the victim sleeps; can shapeshift into animals like owls or insects to travel unnoticedControl over storms and wind, shapeshifting into dark clouds, summoning lightning
Appearance: Usually depicted as a haggard old woman with pale skin, sunken eyes, and sharp features; in her animal form, often resembles a nocturnal bird
Specific Danger: Attacks children in their sleep and causes unexplained illnesses or death; nearly impossible to kill unless caught in animal form and destroyed
Evolution: originally rooted in ancient fears of witches and plague-bringers; over time, Shtriga merged folkloric themes of vampirism and sorcery, becoming a symbol of malevolent female power and societal anxieties around illness and death
The Shtriga is said to be a woman who, after leading a cursed or malicious life, rises again as an undead witch. By day, she looks like an ordinary—if slightly reclusive—elderly woman. But by night, she transforms into a creature of death. Slipping through keyholes or flying in through open windows in the form of a moth or owl, the Shtriga seeks out sleeping victims, most often children, and drains their life force. The unlucky ones fall ill with mysterious symptoms that no doctor can explain.
In some tales, a Shtriga can be temporarily warded off by scattering salt or hanging garlic, but these are weak defenses. The only true way to stop her is to catch her in animal form and kill her—an act that must be done before dawn, or she will vanish into human skin once more. Locals say that if you suspect someone is a Shtriga, you should follow them at night. If they vanish and an owl appears? You’ve found her.
Warning to Travelers:
If you wake up weak, with no wound but a pounding heart and bloodless lips — she's already fed. The Shtriga walks by night, cloaked as a withered woman or an owl in flight. She drinks your life in silence and leaves nothing but fatigue and fever behind.Don't speak ill of old women in unfamiliar villages. Don’t leave cradles unattended at dusk.
And if you must walk alone after dark, wear something inside out. It won’t stop her… but it might confuse her long enough to survive the night.
Symbolism of Shtriga:
The Shtriga embodies deep-rooted fears about disease, death, and those who live outside of societal norms—especially older women who don’t follow traditional roles. Often interpreted as a hybrid between vampire, witch, and plague spirit, she symbolizes suspicion and scapegoating during times of hardship. Her link to sickness and child death made her an explanation for misfortune in eras before modern medicine, and her ability to live unnoticed among people reflects the anxiety that evil might wear a familiar face.