Vjesci

The vjesci (Polish: wieszczy) is a vampire in Polish folklore. According to legend, a person was destined to be a vjesci from the time they were born, and could be discerned from a caul located on the newborn's head. In order to prevent the person from becoming a vjesci, the caul was removed, dried, ground and fed to the person on their seventh birthday.[1] Typically, vjesci were said to be normal in appearance, although in some cases, it was said to have an excitable nature and a ruddy complexion. At the time of their death, a vjesci would refuse to take the sacrament. The body would cool closely, and the limbs would remain limber. The lips and cheeks would remain red, and spots of blood often appeared under the fingernails and on the face.[2]

According to legend, the vjesci did not die, instead returning to life at midnight after burial and eating its clothes and some of his own flesh. The vampire would leave the grave and return home to eat its family and neighbors. After visiting its relatives, it would go to the local church and ring the church bell. Those who heard the bell were supposedly destined to be the vampire's next victims.

Preventing an attack

According to folklore, there were certain ways to protect against a vjesci.[1]

  • All dying persons must receive the Eucharist.
  • Soil was placed inside the coffin and underneath the body to prevent it from returning home.
  • A crucifix or coin was placed under the tongue of the corpse for the vampire to suck on.
  • A net would sometimes be placed inside the coffin. Supposedly, one knot per year would be untied before the vjesci could rise again.
  • Bodies were laid in the coffin face down in belief that the corpse, if it returned to life, would simply dig further into the earth.

Practices surrounding attacks

If a vampire was believed to have attacked the community, the suspected vjesci's tomb could be opened and the body laid to rest. A nail could be driven through its forehead. However, the more common practice was decapitation of the corpse after which the severed head was placed between the corpse's feet. At the time the head was severed, blood from the wound would be given to anyone who had fallen ill as a result of the vampire's attack, believed to cause their recovery.[1]

Empty Night

Empty Night (Pustô noc) is the Kashubian name for the ritual that takes place on the last night before the funeral of a deceased person, when people gather in the dead person's house to pray. During the rite, participants would approach the deceased to check if the body was developing features of a vjesci, wupji (or opji), or wraith (ghost).[3]

Close relatives

The wupji is a very similar legend to the vjesci. The wupji in Kashubia had two teeth instead of a cap at birth[4] and was foreordained to become a vampire. Unlike the vjesci, there was no possibility of altering its destiny.[5] Similarly, the nachzehrer was a vampiric legend said to begin from a child born with a caul, especially if the caul was red. The nachzehrer was also associated with epidemic sickness.[6]

References
  1. Melton, J Gordon (2011). The Vampire Book: The Encyclopedia of the Undead (3rd ed.). United States of America: Visible Ink Press. p. 540. ISBN 978-1-57859-281-4.
  2. Melton, J. Gordon (1999). "The Vampire Book", p. 756-757.
  3. Guštin, Maša (2020). Between the Worlds: Magic, Miracles, and Mysticism (1st ed.). Institute of Ethnology and Folklore Studies. p. 331. eISSN 2683-0213.
  4. Bernard Sychta. Słownik gwar kaszubskich na tle kultury ludowej, Ossolineum, Wrocław - Warszawa - Kraków - Gdańsk 1973, Vol. VI, p. 143
  5. Perkowski, Jan L. Vampires, Dwarves, ad Witches among the Ontario Kashubs. Ottawa: National Museum of Canada, National Museum of Man, Canadian Centre for Folkloric Studies, 1972. 294 pp.
  6. Melton, J Gordon (2011). The Vampire Book: The Encyclopedia of the Undead (3rd ed.). United States of America. p. 248. ISBN 978-1-57859-281-4.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
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