Varacolaci: Vampire of Romania

The Varacolaci, a vampire revenant in Romania, is created when an unbaptized baby dies or if a person committed suicide.  However, in some instances, being a Romanian varacolaci becomes inherited or passed down from generation to generation.

 

How the Romanian Varacolaci Attacks Its Victim?

 

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If a varacolaci was created after his death, the person who turned into this undead would look precisely the same. Perhaps the only difference is that they tend to look pale and with dried-out skin.  The Romanian varacolaci hunts its prey all year round, but it is particularly active during St. Andrew’s Day and St. George’s Day.  This creature is also said to be one of the most dangerous types of vampire since it was considered the strongest type of vampire in the folklore of Romania. A varacolaci, like any vampire, drains the blood of its victim, but it does not leave any bite marks. 

 

What Are the Abilities of Varacolaci Vampire?

 

Varacolaci can shapeshift into any animal, but it usually takes the form of a flea, cat, spider, frog, or dog.  It is also said to be responsible for causing lunar and solar eclipse by putting itself into a trance. The varacolaci also has the ability of “midnight spinning,” a sort of astral projection that allows them to travel safely at night anywhere they wish to go.  While they were on astral projection, the creature seemed to look like a dragon or a beast with several mouths.  However, if one manages to find a varacolaci in this state, the beast would be unable to return to its body, causing it to sleep forever and leaving its soul to wander around eternally.

 

How to Defeat a Varacolaci?

 

Traditionally, those corpses suspected of becoming a Romanian varacolaci, can be prevented from rising from its grave by planting a thorny plant on its grave.  If in an instance that a person dies by committing suicide, the only way to prevent him from being a varacolaci is to throw his body into a river immediately.

 

An intricate ritual needs to be performed to defeat the Varacolaci vampire being ultimately. First, the vampire must rise from its grave and must be captured.  In the case of a male varacolaci, their heart must be ripped off and cut in half.  A nail should be punctured into its forehead, and whole garlic cloves must be placed inside its mouth.  The corpse is then filled with pig fat from a pig slaughtered on St. Ignatius Day.  Afterward, a burial shroud is dipped into holy water and wrapped on the corpse.  The body will then be reburied into an isolated area far from the community.  In the case of a female varacolaci, an iron fork must be driven into its eyes and heart, and the body buried into a deep grave.