This creature is a type of Albanian vampiric witch. It can be both male or female. In this legend, it is said that a person is not born evil but is made evil, usually through a woman being infertile or her children being killed.
As legend says, a shtriga feeds on the life essence of a person and can feed on anyone, however they prefer the young. Only a shtriga can save a person that it has feed on, if they are not freed from the shtriga's grasp then they will inevitably waste away and die.
The only way to kill a shtriga is to trap it on Easter with a cross made of pigs bone placed in the threshold of a church. The shtriga will be trapped and can then be killed as it attempts to exit the church.
During day, a Shtriga has a normal human form. To become one you have to follow a manual of 1000 rules. After following all the rules and giving yourself to the dark forces, your teeth will start growing. They look like vampires teeth, but shorter. Shtriga is excellent in physics and chemistry. She doesn't break the laws of nature, she uses them. There are still living Shtrigas.
ReplyDeleteThe main reason why there are not so much shtrigas is because following the rules is really difficult. Shtriga works alone, not in groups with other Shtrigas...
Shtriga is not always evil. She is somebody who has suffered a lot.
Don't depict them as bad
I couldn't follow all the rules, that's why I'm not one of them.
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DeleteThank you for your input. I was just writing what I'd found in my research, so having more information is always welcomed.
ReplyDeleteI hope I did not offend you by anything I put in this blog or post, it is mostly a way to satisfy my own curiosity and have a legitimate reason for researching such topics. And I always hope I can help others does over more as well.
Again, thank you for your input and for visiting my site
Does over was meant to say discover... Auto correct
DeleteI thank you for your research Ms. Hill, however as a reply to "Anonymous" ...as it seems he's sad he or she can't suck the life essence out of the young, as your research has shown, aside from 1000 ways and means to becoming a Striga, I'd say that it would be unfortunate to loose a son or daughter or any loved one, but...if turning yourself into something other than human so that they are able to feed off the young and are only to be trapped with a pig-bone cross at the threshold of a Church on Easter (however, since there are "a thousand rules to become a Striga" I figure there is some wiggle-room here, and it can be assumed that any holy ground's threshold site would do--a Mosque, a Temple, etc.,--and in it's attempt to leave the Holy Ground, for the EXPRESS purpose of being able to kill it all this was done...I would have to say it was evil. With only rudimentary theological practices as a paradigm using any religion, should someone burst into flames when entering Temple or can only be 'caught' on Holy Ground, but mainly becoming cannibalistic in whatever way, therefore, a direct threats to the human race--again, only Holy Ground can kill it, catch it, or they must avoid Holy Grounds all-together...that thing is most likely evil. To sum it up: Sorry about your kids...but you don't get to kill by sucking the life out of other kids because you're sad. That would make you Evil; in fact that is pretty much a test for what's evil. Are we talking about homogenous humans? No. We're talking about heterogenous mutations of homo sapiens and the mystical/supernatural Lore of various places and times in the world.
ReplyDeleteSo please Alyssa do keep up the great work, I find the Supernatural Lore of the World both enlightening as to the culture and people of a given place that gave rise to that Lore as well as the sheer enjoyment of the Lore itself.
--Matt Hammer
The shtriga - miswritten striga - is described as an Albanian witch, but with legends about them going back to ancient Rome. It feeds on the spiritus vitae, or life essence, of others - mainly from children. This leaves the children comatose and with a weakened immune system, which leaves them vulnerable to illnesses like pneumonia that can kill them. It tends to work their way through the siblings in a family. Shtriga are very difficult to kill, as they can only be harmed while in a vulnerable position (feeding), and when shot with consecrated iron rounds. If not exposed and unaware of impending danger, the rounds will have no affect on it. Once a shtriga is killed, all those currently affected by it will return to full health.
ReplyDeleteyep thats precisely what supernatural says!! im a die hard fan too! but i was actually here to find out more about the creatures (other than the info provided by spn) :P but thanks anyway
DeleteI know this is an older page but it's irritating to me when people share information almost verbatim and make it seem as if they compiled it or pass it off as their own.
DeleteA LOT of people watch Supernatural. It is very likely someone looking up this being has watched the Shtriga episode of Supernatural or some other possibly popular show. Either way, I think finding and compiling your own research is far better than regurgitating someone else's words....
so Trinity, you watch Supernatural! me too!
ReplyDeleteyou can only kill it when it is eating because it is bearable to any weapon during the day but at night you can kill it with buckshot or rolling bullets.
ReplyDeletei too watched supernatural but can't believe to the fact that they really do exist.if they existed there might be a single trace of them
ReplyDeleteAnonymous is correct in saying they 'shtriga' aren't evil they are just bad news for humans because they hunt them like owls prey on mice. They have two halves/ souls and they appear to be loners by choice in human form yet they are not human but share human traits/ characteristics.
ReplyDeleteI heard about Strigas from the tv show Supernatural. They have 1 that is disguised as a doctor who is taking the life essence from children
ReplyDeleteThe rules are tough to follow, but if you live a solitary existence as I do, it becomes much easier.
ReplyDeleteIncidentally, I am Czech not Albanian
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone have a link to any source for these "1000 rules"? I am very curious.
ReplyDeletehonestly now im confused... I've heard many legends about shtriga including it feeding on infants blood and it feeding on "spiritus vitae" which directly translates to "spirit of life" from Latin. so now i have to figure out whats true and whats not... that's gonna be fun.
ReplyDelete