Vapir
(Va-PEER)
Variations: VEPIR, Vipir
In Bulgaria there is a vampiric REVENANT called a vapir. It is created when a body is not given its proper burial rites, such as being given one final bath, or if a cat, dog, or shadow crosses over the corpse before it can be buried. Drunkards, murderers, thieves, witches, and those who had been excommunicated from the church in life are all likely candidates to rise from the dead as vapirs, either of their own volition or because they had no one to prepare their bodies and give them a proper burial.
The only way to destroy a vapir is to hire a VAMPIRDZHIJA. He will kill the vampire either by using the BOTTLING technique or by staking it with a wooden stake.
Sources:
- Indiana University, Journal of Slavic Linguistics, 25758, 265;
- Mac Dermott, Bulgarian Folk Customs, 66, 67;
- Summers, Werewolf in Lore and Legend, 15
SOURCE:
Encyclopedia of Vampire Mythology Written by :Theresa Bane ©2010 Theresa Bane. All rights reserved