Stryges

Stryges are a class of legendary nocturnal beings found in European folklore and later fantasy fiction. In traditional sources they are typically depicted as owl-like demons or witches that prey on sleeping people, especially infants, and are associated with misfortune or death.

The term derives from the Latin word strix or striges, meaning an owl or nocturnal creature. In Latin bestiaries striges are described as birds with human faces or as seducers that cause sleep and breath loss, sometimes killing the young. The word has given rise to related terms in various languages, including striga in Romanian folklore, where it denotes a witch or revenant; and strigoi referring to undead spirits.

In medieval and early modern literature, striges are often linked to omens and witchcraft, functioning as fearsome imagery rather than as coherent biological species. In modern fantasy, stryges or its variants may appear as undead, shapeshifters, or familiar demons, sometimes preserving the motif of an avian predator that steals vitality.