Azeman

Azeman is an enchanted vampire creature of the Republic of Suriname, a country located at the South of Brazil.  The Azeman has the ability to take the form of a bat and sometimes to shape shift in form of a wolf.  The Azeman might be a vampire but it is not an undead creature, it is a living vampire that maintains a normal life during daytime.  It is said that there is no way that one can distinguish an Azeman from a normal human since there are no clear evidence that one has the ability to turn into a bat and feed on the blood.

This creature contains striking similarity with the vampires of the Europe such as their ability to transform into a bat.  Some says that the story of Azeman could’ve been influenced by the European settlers even though the stories of Azeman can only be found in the Suriname legends.  Another similarity that can be point out with the European vampire and the Azeman is its addiction to counting.  European vampires would be killed by spreading grains in the crossroads, they will be forced to count those grains until the breaking of dawn, and eventually the sunrise would kill them.

One can protect himself from Azeman by spreading broom on the doorway.  They believe that the Azeman would be tempted to count all the bristles of the broom that would delay her attacks.  You can also throw seed on the path that the vampire will take because it will be compelled to count them before proceeding on the hunt.  The victim can buy enough time for him to search for a safe place; they also believe that if enough seeds are thrown into the ground, the azeman would be pre occupied until sunrise.  The azeman would return to her original form, this time the azeman could be killed since she is known to be vulnerable during daytime.