Vlokolak
A vlokolak is in West Slavic lore, a WEREWOLF. A folktale tells about a vlokolak who has nine daughters, and grows weary of supporting them all. He goes out into the forest to chop wood. His daughters come one by one, starting with the oldest, to bring him food. He throws them into a pit, kills them, and roasts their heads.
The youngest—and most beautiful—daughter knows he is a werewolf. She is the last to arrive and inquires about her sisters. He leads her to the pit and tells her to undress, for she is about to die. The girl asks her father to turn around while she undresses. She seizes the moment and pushes him into the pit, but he climbs out and chases her, howling in rage. She throws her kerchief behind her and says he cannot catch her until he tears the kerchief to pieces, unravels them, spins them, weaves them, and stitches them anew. This the werewolf does in half an hour. The chase resumes. The girl casts off her skirt, dress, vest, and blouse, and the werewolf does the same to them as he did to the kerchief. Finally, the girl hides herself in a small haystack. The werewolf tears all the haystacks up but cannot find his daughter. He goes away howling in a furious rage.
Three days later, a king comes along, hunting in the forest. His dog finds the girl, and the king marries her. Her one condition is that no beggar ever be allowed to spend the night in their castle. They have two sons and are very happy.
Several years later, the werewolf comes to the castle disguised as a beggar and convinces the staff to let him inside to sleep under a broom. In the middle of the night, he slits the throats of the sons with his daughter’s knife, which he lays upon them. He escapes.
The king drives away his wife, but lets her bind the necks of his sons. She wanders until she finds a hermit, who directs her to a lizard who has a curative herb in its mouth. With this she restores the dead sons to life. The king takes her back.
Once again the werewolf comes to the castle and tries to get in for the night. He is recognized by the servants and taken before the king. The werewolf confesses to slaying the sons. The king has the werewolf bound to a wagon and pushed over a cliff into the sea. The werewolf breaks his neck and perishes. The king, his wife, and sons live happily ever after.
Further Reading:
- Perkowski, Jan L. The Darkling: A Treatise on Slavic Vampirism. Columbus, Ohio: Slavica Publishers, 1989.
From: the Encyclopedia of Vampires, Werewolves, and Other Monsters – Written by Rosemary Ellen Guiley -a leading expert on the paranormal -Copyright © 2005 by Visionary Living, Inc.