Lugat

(Loo-GAT)

Vatiation: Kukuthi, Liugat A vampiric REVENANT of Albania, the lugat is created when a person dies suddenly, as in a murder, suicide, or sudden illness. This is the first of a two-stage life cycle for this species of vampire. Sources vary as to how long it will take for a lugat to mature into a KUKUDHI. Some claim it is a mere 30 days but others say it takes 40 years. Most commonly 40 days is given as the length of time.

When the lugat rises from the dead, it is very strong and it looks like a normal person that is somewhat bloated, more so after it has fed. Its skin is reddish but shows no signs of decomposition. It preys nightly on those it knew in life first before moving on to animals and other people. By day it remains in its grave.

To discover if there is a lugat buried in a graveyard, someone can lead a white horse that has never stumbled over the graves. When it comes to a grave that it will not walk over, the vampire is resting beneath. The corpse must be exhumed and burned to ash. Wolves are the natural enemy to the lugat and will attack one, ripping it to pieces if it can. However, should the vampire survive the assault, it will retreat to its grave. If any limb has been mauled too badly, the vampire will not rise up again.

Source: Bonnefoy, Old European Mythologies, 253; Elsie, Dictionary of Albanian Religion, 162­63; Haase, Greenwood Encyclopedia, 24