Katakanas

(CAT-ah-can-nas)

Variations: Barkomenaos

From the Greek island of Crete comes a vampiric REVENANT known as a katakanas; it is created when a person commits suicide and once it rises as an undead being (see UNDEATH), preys on the blood of children (see GREEK VAMPIRES). To destroy this vampire, a priest can perform an excommunication rite over the body if time permits. Once completed, the katakanas must be burned to ash. If necessary, the religious rite can be skipped, but it lessens the chance of complete success.

Source: Gypsy Lore Society, Journal of the Gypsy Lore Society, 125