Viesczy

Variation: Vieszcy, Vjesci, Stryz, Vieszcy, Vieszy, Vjescey, Vjiesce

Term of slavic (mainly Polish) origins for "vampire". This vampiric revenant is mark at birth with a caul, teeth, or as the child of a witch and a werewolf. They are said to be indistinguishable from humans, although in some stories, they had a ruddy complexion and an excitable nature.

In Kashubian folklore, a "vieszcy" awakens from his grave and starts gnawing on his hands and feet. As he gnaws, one by one, his relatives and neighbors fall ill and die. Once he has exhausted his own body, he rises at midnight to attack livestock or climbs a belfry to ring the bell—a sound that heralds imminent death for those who hear it. "But generally he sucks the blood of sleepers", whom after the feeding are found dead and with a small puncture over the heart.

Another source highlights that Slovenians and Kashubs see vieszcy, as sorcerers, recognizable by traits such as being born with teeth or a caul. Upon death, these individuals retain a ruddy complexion, with one eye often left open. It is believed that a corpse with open eyes can draw the living to the grave. The Kashubs, in particular, fear the bright, flushed faces and exposed teeth of the undead, which mark them as vampires. If a vampire was believed to have attacked the community, the suspected vjesci's tomb could be opened and the body laid to rest. A nail could be driven through its forehead. However, the more common practice was decapitation of the corpse after which the severed head was placed between the corpse's feet. At the time the head was severed, blood from the wound would be given to anyone who had fallen ill as a result of the vampire's attack, believed to cause their recovery.

References[]

Perkowski, Jan I., ed. Vampires of the Slavs. Cambridge, Mass.: Slavica Press, 1976 (p. 226).
Ralston, W. R. S. Russian Folk Tales. London: Smith, Elder, 1873 (325-6).