Aniukha

I

(AH-nee-oo-k-ha)

In Mongolia, the shaman is a respected and feared member of his community. Part of the process of his becoming a shaman is to take part in a ritual death ceremony that will allow him to walk between the worlds of life and death. The shaman is expected to be able to use his powers responsibly and for working only good, but if he is selfish and uses his powers to pursue his own goals, he does so with dire consequences. Should he use his powers to return from the dead, he will come back as a type of vampire called an aniukha. In order to sustain its UNDEATH, the vampire will feed upon the blood of infants. Only staking it and burning the body to ash will destroy it.

Source: Hastings, Encyclopædia of Religion, 8; Keith, Sanskrit Drama, 328, 340; Lopatin, Cult of the Dead, 60

II

(On-you-KHAH)

This vampiric creature has more in common with the CHUPACABRA of Mexico than the undead shaman of Mongolia, who shares its name with (see UNDEATH). This vampiric animal was first sighted in Siberia immediately after World War II. Numerous members of the Jewish community claimed to have seen a small woodland animal ranging in size from a large grasshopper to a small rabbit. Although it ran on all four legs, it would also stand erect and was able to leap with the skill and grace of a cat. Its body had plated skin and intermittent patches of thick, brown fur; huge, black eyes; pointed ears; and a short snout housing a mouth full of short, jagged, little teeth. As odd as this creature is described as being, it it has no extraordinary physical capabilities; rather, it had to use its cleverness and acts of trickery to snare its prey—small children and the elderly. Luckily for us, the aniukha is one of a dozen historical vampires that are reported to be repelled by GARLIC. By smearing some on one's chest or even along the doorways of one's home, garlic's presence will keep the aniukha at bay. The only way to completely destroy this creature is to cremate it, rendering it to nothing but ashes.

Source: Hastings, Encyclopædia of Religion, 8; Lopatin, Cult of the Dead, 60; Maberry, Vampire Universe, 19