strigoi

Strigoi are figures in Romanian folklore described as troubled or vengeful spirits, often associated with vampirism and other forms of the undead. The term appears in regional traditions across Romania and Moldova and has parallels in wider Balkan and Slavic mythologies. Etymology is uncertain but is frequently linked to Latin and Slavic roots associated with night creatures.

Descriptions of strigoi vary by source and locality. Two common categories are strigoi mort (the dead who return) and strigoi viu (the living who possess harmful powers). Attributes frequently ascribed to them include nocturnal activity, the ability to leave the grave, shape-shifting into animals or mist, causing illness, and draining life or blood from victims. Folklore also attributes to strigoi causes for unexplained deaths, crop failure, and misfortune.

Traditional preventive and corrective measures recorded in ethnographic accounts include specific burial practices (e.g., staking, decapitation, or placing heavy stones), burning the body, using garlic or holy symbols, and rituals performed by clergy or specialized villagers. Signs thought to indicate a potential strigoi include sudden or unusual deaths, a corpse that resists decomposition, and certain birthmarks or behavioral traits in the living.

Strigoi have influenced literature, film, and popular culture as part of the broader vampire tradition, though folkloric accounts retain distinct regional beliefs and practices that differ from modern fictional portrayals.