Shtriga

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The Shtriga, in Albanian folklore, was a witch that would suck the spiritus vitae, the living force of a person, out of people at night while they slept, and would move on to another child either of the family or from a different family the next night. The only way to cure the victims was to kill the shtriga itself. She preferred to drink from young children or even infants.

There are several methods traditionally considered effective for defending oneself from shtriga. A cross made of bone could be placed at the entrance of a church on Easter Sunday, rendering any shtriga inside unable to leave. They could then be captured and killed at the threshold as they vainly attempted to pass. After draining blood from a victim, the shtriga would generally go off into the woods and regurgitate it. If a silver coin were to be soaked in that blood and wrapped in cloth, it would become an amulet offering permanent protection from any shtriga.

The shtriga is related to other witches/vampires such as the Romanian strigă (strigoi) and the Roman strix.