Palis: Foot-Licking Vampire

Palis literally means foot –licker.  It is a type of vampire that sneaks upon those sleeping and attacks them by licking the sole of their feet until all their blood has been drained out.  This creature is a part of the Persian lore.

There is a popular tale that depicts that the creature is not an intelligent vampire.  The tale is about two drivers of a caravan who were able to outwit the scary creature.  Apparently the two caravan drivers placed the sole of their feet on the soles of another.  When the Palis arrived on the scene to suck the blood out of the two caravan drivers, he was so enraged because he was unable to find the soles.  The Palis supposedly cried out and said that he has travelled a long way just to see man with two heads.

The legends also tell a way to repel the presence of a Palis.  They said that a salt is an effective way to drive away evil spirit and that includes Palis.  Though there is no direct was explaining how to use the salt in defense against Palis.  A good guess would be to rub the salt on the soles of your feet or to disperse salt particles on the entrance of your house.

Palis usually lived on the desert regions.  The image below is taken from Muḥammad al-Qazwīnī‘s “Marvels of Things Created and Miraculous Aspects of Things Existing”.

Palis