Women who take either your blood, your life... or your sanity
This is a very extensive list of the most well known female vampires of the World, from antiquity to this day. It isn't easy to put everybody in, so there will be additions from time to time.
When both genders are present in the folklore, they will be represented here. If there is only male vampires in this species, I won't talk about it. There are many lists on the Web for males vampires.
Finally, please note that there are some discrepancies to the name when it comes from a foreign language. I try to take the most usual, or I'll put more than one of them if I can't decide.
Algul
This Arabic vampire's name literally means "horse-leech" or "blood-sucking jinn". The incarnation and nature of the "algul" varies from region to region, its most notable example being found in literature as Amine, in the 'Thousand and One Nights' (also known as 'The Arabian Nights').
Asanbosan
Vampires found in Africa, with teeth made of iron to better penetrate walls of her unsuspected sleeping victims, and hook-like appendages on legs. There are male and female "asanbosan".
Aswang
Vampire of the Philippines believed always to be a female of considerable beauty by day and a fearsome fiend by night. She feeds on blood with her long hollow thin tongue. So swollen after feasting, she looks pregnant.
Azeman
Invariably a woman who can, at night, change into a vampire bat to suck blood from sleepers. She is found solely in Surinam (South America).
Baobhan-sith
Scottish vampire who appears as a lovely maiden dressed in green. She drinks blood from unsuspected men until their deaths.
Bruxsa
A feared female vampire found in Portugal. She drinks the blood of her own offsprings. There is no way to destroy the creature.
Callicantzaro
A terrible creature found in Greece, a child born between Christmas (December 25th) and Epiphany (January 6th), who must leave his or her family to live most part of the year in the underworld. from Christmas to New Year's Day however, the creature comes back to earth to terrorise people, hoping to devour its brothers and sisters. It appears with a black face, red eyes, very long ears and sharp fangs. Upon death, it is known to return as a vampire.
Chordewa
A woman from the Oraons, a hill tribe of Bengal, capable of turning her soul into a type of black vampire cat. In that form, she finds her way into the homes of the sick and dying.
Churel
Also called churail, this vicious and vengeful ghostlike female vampire found in India is normally the result of a woman who died while pregnant during the 'Dewali Festival' or unclean at any time.
Civatateo
A female vampire found among the Aztecs of Mexico. She is a noblewoman who had died in childbirth. She then returns to earth to prey on children, out of jealousy.
Dearg-due
Also called "dearg-dul", a dreaded creature of Ireland whose name means "red blood sucker". An ancient vampire dating from pre-celtic days, it is greatly feared. Several times a year, the "dearg-due" rises from the earth as a beautiful woman, using her stunning appearance to lure men to their doom.
Dhampir
The name given by the Slavonic Gypsies to the child of a vampire. Traditionally, the male vampire have an insatiable need to have sex with his widow, doing this before anything else. If a child is conceived from this union, a male child would be called "vampir", and a female child "vampuiera". Raised as normal children, they are reported to be excellent vampire hunters, as they can detect their kin more easily than any other mortal.
Empusa
Greek demons from mythology who could assume the guise of flesh and blood, disguised as human women, to prey upon the mortals, for their blood. In France, she is a beautiful lady, often called "Démon du Midi" (mid-day demon), with either a brass left foot or ends up as a donkey's shoe. Another version gives her an horrendous appearance and tells she's sent by Hecate. In Russia, she appears as a widow during harvest time and she breaks the arms and legs of every harvester she meets.
Eretica
A Russian vampire species, a woman who sold her soul to the Devil during her lifetime, returning after death in guise of an old woman. This traditional psychic vampire kills by draining energy, the victim wasting away very slowly. The plural is "ereticy".
Erinnye
Vengeful female demon or the ghost of the dead, appearing to seek vengeance upon those who commited murders. These female justice seekers have fiery eyes and serpents in their hair. The punishment they inflict upon the murderers is madness. Romans called them "Dirae", meaning 'the Terribles'.
Ghole
Known also as "Ghoul" in oriental mythology, the "Ghole" from the rabbinic tradition is either a specter, a witch or a vampire who sucks the blood of any man, woman or child or digs up the dead by night to eat the heart of the corpse.
Hannya
A vampire Japanese demon. The most common manifestation is the feminine form although there are male "hannya". This is a beautiful woman who becomes insane, then is transformed at the time of her death into a hideous creature who feeds upon children, especially infants.
Hecate
The Greek Queen of the Phantom World, patroness of magic and spells. Her association with vampirism is particularly shown in her interest in blood drinking, stemmed by her involvement in dark magic. Among her evil entourage are the female vampire-like creatures called the "mormos" and the hideous "empusas".
Jigarkhwar
Usually a woman, this vampire-like sorceress found in the Sind region of India is most noted for her ability to extract someone's liver through a powerful piercing stare and incantations. The power of the "jigarkhwar" can be broken and a former one can detect her own kind.
Lamia
A legendary female vampire generally held to be stunningly attractive and highly dangerous to males and children. The term "lamia" can be used to refer to any female bloodsucker. They have been an inspiration for female vampire through literary history.
Langsuir
A flying vampire of Malaysia, said to always be a female of stunning beauty. A woman can become such a creature if she dies in childbirth. She can be identified by her incredible long nails, green robes and long black hair, which hands down to her ankles. The hair is supposedly that long to conceal a hole in the back of her neck, through which she drinks the blood of children. Once a woman has become a "langsuir", the best way to get rid of her is to capture her, cut her nails and stuff her tresses into the hole at the back of her neck. Once this is accomplished, she will become tame (or cured?). So much in fact that she can marry and have children, living for many years as a normal human being.
Larvae
Used as a title for the female vampire type found in the Ancient World, called the "lamia".
Leanhaum-shee
More of a psychic vampire than a traditional one, this deadly Irish seductress lure men to her side where her irresistible charms place them under her spell. From then, the fairy maiden drains her victim slowly of life, him wasting away as is essence is consumed by his demonic lover. The only means of breaking her powerful grip is to find a substitute, someone who could unwittingly become her next prey. The original victim can them escape. There is no way to destroy the "leanhaum-shee".
Lilith
As much in religious traditions as in vampiric folklore, she is the first woman, created before Eve to be the wife of Adam. But she had too much spirit to stay by his side. Cast out of Paradise, she became the 'Queen of the NIght', Queen of the "succubi" and leader of all the creatures who roam the darkness. She appears as a beautiful woman with an abundance of sharp black hair on her legs, reminiscence of her kinship to the Devil. Most often than not, her appearance in pre-Raphaelite paintings is that of a beautiful scantily-clad woman with a snake around her, or part human, part snake. Characters similar to Lilith are found in tales all over the World.
Live vampires
Romanian term referring mostly to women that display definite vampiric tendencies while still alive. The exact word describing them is "moroii", as opposed to the term "strigoica" used for dead female vampires. They have powers over all living things, and can perform for others for a fee. Female "moroii" are usually red in the face. Its less frequent male counterpart is usually bald or balding.
Loup-garou
In Haiti, the voodoo sorcerers can turn into a "loup-garou", a kind of ghost mosquito which sucks the lives out of children. It is said that the male 'zobop' (sorcerer) can change at will, whereas the female one may change into a "loup-garou" against her will. In some books, it is called "loogaroo", which is the American approximative phonetic translation of the French. Note that the term "Loup-garou", in French-speaking Europe, is not a vampire but a werewolf, loup being a wolf, but that's another subject.
Mandurugo
A Filipino female vampire found in the region of Capiz, said to be a beautiful woman, during the day, and a foul flying fiend at night. All mandurugo wed young men, thus providing for themselves with a constant blood supply. When not feasting secretly upon an unsuspecting husband, the mandurugo flies away in the dark of night, hunting for prey until dawn, when she returns home. A mandurugo was seen in 1992, during the Philippines presidential election.
Mara
A female vampire in Iceland, Denmark and Sweden, taking the shape of a beautiful woman or a truly hideous old hag. The male version of the mara is called the alp.Themara sits upon sleepers while they feed, crushing their victims, thus giving them dreadful nightmares. The Ontario (Canada) version of this vampire is called mora. It is said to be the wandering spirit of an unbaptized dead girl, eager to suffocate people.
Masani
A terrible female vampire of India, black in appearance, with a hideous countenance. Her hunts are conducted at night, beginning with her emergence from the ashes of a funeral pyre.
Mati-anak
See the entry for ponti-anak.
Mora
See the entry for mara.
Mormo
A hideous female vampire found in Greek mythology, said to be part of the goddess Hecate entourage and not quite as repulsive as the empusa. The mormo is also believed to be similar to the lamia.
Nocticula
Also known as Herodiade, the mythical sovereign of the Night, she is believed to have ordered human sacrifices, children who were given to the Lamias (see Lamia) to be cut to pieces, avidly devoured and then spewed back, and by Nocticula's mercy, brought back to their cribs.
Obayifo
A kind of living vampire found among the Ashanti people of West Africa. It is said to be either a male or female human able to leave its body at night to travel about and cause harm. Its main delight is to drink the blood of children, causing their slow, painful death.
Penanggalan
A dreadful Malaysian female vampire, one of the most unique in the World. This is mainly because it can fly at night with only its head and neck, its intestines dangling beneath them. The creature delights in sucking blood from children or women in labor, although men are not safe either. In flight, the intestines glow in the dark. To reenter her skin, the penanggalan must bathe her bloated intestines in large amounts of vinegar, so they can fit back into her body.
Pijavica
A Slovenian vampire found in parts of northwestern Yugoslavia, particularly in the region bordering Austria and Italy. The pijavica is created as a result of various evils being perpetrated by the deceased during his or her mortal life, incest being the one that most assuredly guarantees a person's return as a vampire.
Pijawica
Croatian variation of the pijavica, the name being derived from pit, to drink.
Pishaca
Lesser fiends than the rakshasa(see this word), the pishaca is a vampire who torment the dead as well as the living humans. They are also creators of such foul diseases as leprosy. There are male and female pishacas.
Pontianak
Also called the mati-anak, this is the stillborn child of the female vampire of Malaysia, the langsuir. Such an infant will become a bloodsucker, and care has to be taken with its burial. The pontianak was featured in many Malaysian films.
Rakshasi
The feminine form of the "rakshasa", an Indian vampire, assuming the guise of a beautiful woman to lure men to their deaths.
Strigoica
The feminine counterpart of the "strigoii", the most common species of vampires found in Romania. Known as the "dead vampires", as opposed to the "living" variety, the "moroii". The "strigoii" as well as the "strigoica" most distinguishing features include red hair, blue eyes and the presence of two hearts.
Succubus
A female demon with definite vampiric characteristics including its nighttime activities that renders a victim totally exhausted and weakened by incessant carnal performance. It is said in many tales and literary accounts that the male, called the "incubus" is none other than the female vampire taking the gender best suited for her deed, thus shifting from one gender to the other as needed. Other tales don't agree about the switch and say that both genders are always present in the "succubus". In many illustrations, she is presented as a heavy woman with very big dropping breasts and showing a large penis between her strong man-like legs.
Sucoyan
Female vampire found in the West Indies, usually an old hag in appearance. Each night, the "sucoyan" removes its skin, fold it neatly and hides it in a hollow tree before soaring off into darkness in the shape of a sulfurous ball. She, then, enters houses to drink the blood of its inhabitants, having no preference for one sex or another. Dawn prevents the "sucoyan" from returning into her body.
Sundal bolong
A Javanese female vampire, the result of the suicide and return of a woman impregnated during rape. She returns as a beautiful woman dressed in white. As revenge for the past outrage, she lures young men to drain them of their blood.
Tlaciques
Female vampire found among the Nahuatl Indians of Mexico. They can turn into balls of fire, or transform themselves into turkeys, to gain access to houses, in order to suck the blood of humans, without being discovered.
Upierzyca
The female of the "upior" species of vampires, the male being often called "upier". These vampires from Poland differ from other species in Eastern Europe (except the Russian "upyr") by sleeping much of the night, rising only between noon and midnight. It is distinguished by its dangerous barbed tongue, which it uses to consume vast amounts of blood. Its thirst is quite legendary among the undead. Indeed, this creature has a particular fascination with blood: the whole "upior" species sleeps in it, drinks it, and literally explodes with it when staked.
Upyr
One of the most common vampire species of Russia. The traditions relating to the species vary from region to region but found most developed in Ukraine and White Russia. The "upyr" has a fairly bloodthirsty nature, sucking first the blood of the children then proceeding to their parents. They have teeth like iron that they use to chew their way through obstacles, especially during winter when their hands freeze in the cold earth. As with the Kashubian and Polish vampires, the "upyr" wanders uring the day, usually from noon to midnight.
Vetala
An Indian breed of vampires, they appear to be very similar to those of other nations although they may have more 'ghostly' characteristics. They live in corpses, which remain incorruptible for as long as they are vampire habitations, but it may be that the corpses lay motionless in tombs while the vampire leave in search of prey. They are male and female "vetala".
Viesczy
This is a man or a woman born with a caul or with teeth. Upon death, they can be detected by bright redness of the face and their open left eye. These vampires are found in Northern Europe, specifically along the Baltic Sea in Poland in the region of West Prussia. When the Kashubes people migrated in large number to Ontario Canada, they preserved their language, traditions and folklore, including their extensive vampire lore. Sand and nets are placed in the coffin to prevent the "viesczy" from coming out of its grave. If left to its own device, this vampire will massacre the surviving family. The "viesczy" wanders about during the day, like many other vampires from Poland and Russia.
Vjeshitza
Female spirit with wings of fire, who climbs atop a sleeper's chest, suffocating her victim or rendering him totally insane with her lusty embrace.
Vourdalak
A Russian vampire known to be a beautiful but evil woman or a female spirit.
Washerwomen of the Night
The "Lavandières de la nuit" are found in Britain, France. They are ghosts who wash their laundry in isolated locations, near running water. If a traveler seen one of them, he has to wring her wash or else have his arm broken or be thrown in the river. In the Indre and Vendée regions, meeting one of them is a bad omen, a sign of a quick death to come. In Finistère, France, legend has it that they are skeletal in appearance and blood comes out of their wrung laundry. If they force you to wring your own shroud, you have to do it the same way (clockwise or counterclockwise as they see fit), or risk dying on the spot.
White Lady, the
She is most often than not the ghost of a woman who was waiting for someone, a loved one, fiancee or husband lost at sea or on a battlefield, or she can be a bereaved mother who has lost her only child. She is always young in appearance, beautiful and dressed in white, hence the name. She is found all around Europe (at least a dozen are reported in France alone) and there's one also in Eastern Canada. Seeing her is a bad omen, for she announces death. She is often associated with Mélusine (half woman, half snake).
Known in the German as "Die Weisse Frau", this legend possibly influenced the "Weeping Woman" or "La Llorona", a woman guilty of infanticide and condemned to return from the dead for her crimes. Anyone speaking to her dies soon after, victims of her terrible curse.
Zmeu
In Transylvania, the "zmeu" appeared in the shape of a young girl, a maiden of the woods who has no back. She tempted shepheards by offering to lead them and their sheep to greener pastures if they would make love to her.
