An online magazine about the paranormal, haunted and macabre. We collect the ghost stories from all around the world as well as review horror and gothic media.
In the loneliest corner of the Andean highlands of Bolivia and Peru, an Aymaran legend of the Anchanchu or the Abchanchu is said to lurk. Disguised as an elderly man, weary from his travels, he uses people’s goodness to attack and drink their blood.
In the loneliest corner of the Andean highlands of Bolivia and Peru, an Aymaran legend of the Anchanchu or the Abchanchu is said to lurk. Disguised as an elderly man, weary from his travels, he uses people’s goodness to attack and drink their blood.
Come in, come abchanchu, do not do any harm, because Mallcu protects me. – Chant to keep the monsters at bay
South America is no stranger to terrifying folklore — from weeping women haunting riverbanks to spectral riders in the dead of night their ancient and distinct cultures throughout history has given rise to so many different legends and myths.
One of the more obscure and perhaps not so well known tales chills the blood quite like that of Anchanchu, sometimes known as the Abchanchu, one of Bolivia’s most enduring and sinister legends. For generations, whispers of this deceptive creature have echoed through mountain villages and remote country paths, warning travelers of the horrors that may lurk beneath a frail, human guise.
Vampires on the Road: Said to haunt the deserted roads in highland Bolivia, the Anchanchu appears as an old man before attacking. The Anchanchu: In Aymara mythology, Anchanchu or Janchanchu (Hispanic spelling, Anchancho) is a terrible demon that haunts caves, rivers, and other isolated places. This deity is closely related to the Uru god Tiw. He is also said to be a vampiric deity, feeding on people’s blood.
The Legend of the Bloodthirsty Trickster
At first glance, Anchanchu appears as nothing more than a harmless, elderly man on the side of the road, a hunched figure, weary from travel, moving slowly along the dusty Bolivian roads. His face is lined with age, his clothes tattered from long journeys, and he leans heavily on a walking stick, luring in his unsuspecting victims.
But behind those sorrowful eyes lies a predator.
Anchanchu is a vampire of ancient origin, known for his ability to shapeshift into this deceptive, vulnerable form.
When a kind-hearted passerby offers to assist the seemingly feeble traveler, walking him to safety or providing shelter for the night when he knocks on your door, it’s then that his true, monstrous nature is revealed. The helpless elder transforms into a savage creature, attacking his victim under the cover of darkness and drinking their blood.
Sometimes he lures the victims to his home, promising them a hot meal or anything to get them inside. Other times he plays on your good will, and you bring him home and give a bed for the night. Even if you survive the attack, you will slowly die of the disease the monster leaves you with.
In some versions of the tale, it’s said the vampire leaves little trace of his victims, allowing him to wander from town to town, his terrible secret forever cloaked by his kindly, unassuming appearance.
A Cautionary Tale Born from Bolivia’s Mountains
The legend of Anchanchu is believed to have originated in Bolivia’s Andean highlands, where treacherous mountain paths wind between isolated villages. It is believed that the vampire story comes from an older demon lore of the modern Aymara people in Bolivia and Peru.
The Aymara People: The Aymara or Aimara people are indigenous people in the Andes and Altiplano regions of South America. The ancestors of the Aymara lived in the region for many centuries before becoming a subject of the Inca Empire in the late 15th or early 16th century and later of the Spanish in the 16th century.
In these remote regions, travelers would often rely on the kindness of strangers for survival — a fact that the myth of Anchanchu turns tragically on its head. It used to be confined to small regions until the 18th century, when tales of the monster travelled further.
Aymara Settlement: The story of the Anchanchu as a vampiric demon was confided to the rural Bolivian highlands. Here, a Aymara town around 1904.
In the Uyuni region, he comes with the cold, and if you don’t remember to close the windows and lock your doors, he will just walk right in.
Uyuni: The Uyuni region is mostly known for the mysterious and beautiful salt flats. It is also thought to be a place where the Anchanchu roams.
For the people of Huancané, it is recommended to not walk at night, specifically after midnight. Anchanchu appears as a red dog around one to three A.M. His appearance is described as being a pudgy, bald, older man.
If you find yourself on a deserted Bolivian road as the sun begins to set, and you happen upon a frail old man limping along the path, remember the warnings of generations past. His weathered smile and pleading eyes may mask ancient hunger, and one act of misplaced kindness could be your last.
Anchanchu or the Abchanchu waits for the charitable, hiding his fangs behind a trembling voice — and the mountains have many lonely places where the missing are never found.
In 1687, the ghost of a murdered child started to testify against its mother in northern Norway and people took it seriously. Today, the Utburd of Skåvoll or the Nille-case is remembered as the ghost story that condemned a woman to her death.
Have a look at some of the most haunted places in Dublin, from the mysteries of the Hellfire Club, churches where you can supposedly summon the devil and the dead lingering in the dusty libraries and colleges.
After strange knocking and poltergeist activity made the people at Erstad Farm believe it was haunted. And when they asked the ghost what it wanted, it unraveled the lives of more than one person forever.
Was there an iberian vampire before the European vampire panic in Eastern Europe? Who was really Conde Estruch, the vampire of Catalonia, and what happened to the witches of Llers Castle the count was said to use as his lair.
Join a haunted pub crawl through Dublin’s ancient streets for ghosts and a pint of Guinness. From plotting revolutionaries to somber writers, these pubs and bars are said to be a place where some of the patrons have been lingering for a long time.
In 1852, the alleged psychic Erika Larsdatter Bogen, arrived at Børholmen, a small island in western Norway. She claimed that she had found the ghost and corpse of the dead child, and she named the mother who allegedly buried it. But what was the truth?
Ghostly whispers in the old castle ruins, soldiers haunting the bloody battlefields and even the drums of pagan druids still lingering, Ireland is certainly a haunted country. This is only a small portion of the most haunted places in Ireland and the ghost stories behind them.
Who is the ghostly priest in brown, haunting the old Vicarage in Sande? Legend says he still carries guilt for the young boy he failed that had tragic consequences.
In the rural mountainside in Catalonia, Spain, there have long been talk about a vampiric beast of a hound that has tormented the livestock and the unfortunate person walking outside after dark. Could this legend be the one where other iberian vampire legends sprung from?
A story of doomed lovers and haunted ivy leaves, the Lady in Green is said to haunt Caerphilly Castle in Wales together with the spirit of Gwrach-y-Rhibyn, wailing as an omen of death.
After the battles during world war two, Hegra Fortress was a place that became known to withstand the Germans, although they too in the end had to raise the white flag. After the war, people started to believe that one of the fallen soldiers was still there, wandering the deep and damp tunnels.
Moon Mausoleum
3 Comments »