Kukudhi

Kukudhi is a part of the Albanian culture especially on the mountainous northern area of Albania.  They believe this is a final form to transform into a vampire.  The tribe believes that it will take at least 30 years to achieve the perfect form of a vampire.  During those 30 years, a vampire would learn his skills and magnify his strength to be able to become a complete kukudhi.  When a vampire reaches the stage of the kukudhi, he is no longer vulnerable to sunlight plus he no longer needs to return to his grave.  Some of them were believed to live a normal life as a merchant who constantly victimized people for their blood and some has started a family of their own.

Kukudhi is also called as Kukuthi, Lugat or Kukuth.  The only time that one can kill a kukudhi is before it reaches its final transformation.  One should stake the heart of the vampire cut its limbs behind the ham stringing and turn into ashes.  They can also perform traditional methods of vampire exorcism which are mentioned in the history like using hawthorn or burning the internal organs of the suspected vampire.

It is known in the legend of Armenia that a vampire who was able to reach the final stage can only be killed by a wolf.  They believe that the strong teeth of the wolf would be able to penetrate the strong skin of the vampire.  If it was successful in tearing a leg of the kukudhi, the vampire would return to its grave and will never rise again.

The legend of the Armenia about Kukudhi might be where the rivalry between the vampire and werewolf began.