Empousai

Ancient Greek Vampires

The Empousai were among the most disturbing creatures in Greek mythology — beautiful women who appeared to travelers at night, seduced them, and then fed on their blood and flesh. They served Hecate, the goddess of witchcraft and crossroads, and haunted lonely roads and dark places.

In their true form, the Empousai had one leg of bronze and one leg of a donkey, with flaming hair and eyes that glowed in the darkness. But they were master shape-shifters who could assume the form of any beautiful woman — a wife, a lover, a courtesan — to lure victims close enough to strike.

Encounters in Myth

The most famous Empousai encounter comes from the philosopher Apollonius of Tyana, who exposed one that had taken the form of a beautiful Phoenician woman and seduced his student Menippus. She had created an elaborate illusion of wealth and luxury, complete with a grand house and servants, but when confronted by Apollonius, the illusion dissolved and she was revealed in her true, monstrous form.

In Aristophanes' comedy The Frogs, Dionysus and his slave Xanthias encounter an Empousa on their journey to the Underworld. The creature rapidly shifts shape — from a cow, to a mule, to a beautiful woman, to a dog — terrifying Dionysus, who hides behind his slave.

Protection

The Greeks believed the Empousai could be driven away by insults. Shouting abuse at them supposedly caused them to flee screaming. This unusual weakness reflects the Greek belief in the power of language and the vulnerability of supernatural beings to human defiance.