Vrykolakas - Greece
The Greek vrykolakas is an unusual hybrid between vampire and werewolf. A vrykolakas can be created when a person who lived a sacrilegious life or was buried in unsanctified ground dies and returns from the dead (Tsaliki). Unlike other revenants, the vrykolakas does not drink blood or eat flesh. Instead, it simply spreads disease by walking through the town or by knocking on doors. Some variations of the myth do state that the vrykolakas will sit on the chest of a victim while they are sleeping. (Bollinger)
The vrykolakas can be killed either by exorcism or by pinning the body to the grave by an iron spike. Most likely, the vrykolakas was used to explain periods of disease such as plague (Tsaliki).
The vrykolakas can be killed either by exorcism or by pinning the body to the grave by an iron spike. Most likely, the vrykolakas was used to explain periods of disease such as plague (Tsaliki).