Although few written sources, the fear of the Estries Vampires from the Jewish community in Europe in the middle ages still lingers.
Across old European folk traditions there are many stories of night spirits that feed on life rather than blood, of creatures that stalk the living when the stars have risen and the world lies silent. Among these legends is that of the European Jewish Estries folklore from the medieval period.
The Estries vampire is a rather obscure legend for many, even the Jewish community it comes from because of its old and limited text sources discussing it. Unlike the archetypal corpse-vampire that rises from its burial place, the Estries is typically described as a being that moves freely among the living by night and hides by day while drawing life from others.
Origins in Language and Belief
The folk lore and imagery surrounding them has some overlap with that of Lilith as many succubus and life draining female demons often do. However, there are not many written down sources specifically mentioning the Estries by name. Most of the lore is traced to Sefer Hasidim, a medieval text chronicling Jewish life and practices in twelfth and thirteenth century Germany.
The book is attributed to Judah ben Samuel of Regensburg, a descendant from a long line of Northern Italian Kabbalists and mostly writing about members of the Hasidim Ashkenazi, who were descended predominantly from two main families from Northern Italian and France.
The word Estries is derived from the French word for night owl, strix, which is in keeping with the connection between the Hasidim Ashkenazi and the French. In pagan European lore, the owl was seen as mystical, and a lot of old vampiric and magical stories center around the owl.
Also in ancient times, the Greeks wrote about the striges and strix, a bloodthirsty screech owl. In both traditions the Estries occupies a place between human and demon. It was not simply an animal or a ghost. It was something that walked at night with intent.
Night Visitors
Key passages in Sefer Hasidim detail Estries’ behaviors and vulnerabilities. In Siman 1465, Estries are described as women “created at twilight” who can transform into animals like cats or birds, fly by loosening their hair, and sustain themselves by drinking human blood, particularly from newborns or the ill.
They are said to feed only on the blood of Jewish men and children and can fly when they let their hair down, although her way of feeding and the practicalities about flying with her hair down is a rather vague description.
Because the Estries was believed to have a daytime life indistinguishable from other villagers, suspicion and fear often spread through communities. People whispered that a neighbor who seemed healthy by day could still be an Estries at night. Her true nature was revealed only in the wearied bodies of others who slept nearby.
Read More: Check also out Alukah: The Vampire of Ancient Text and Folklore
In Jewish mystical interpretations and cross-cultural retellings, the Estries was sometimes equated with demonic feminine figures who prey on men or children in their sleep. Like the Lilith and other night spirits, she represented both the danger of the unseen and the vulnerability of the sleeping body.
The Oldest Stories of the Estries
As mentioned, there are only a few stories and sources about the Estries from the middle ages. One of the first and most telling though is how they are introduced in Sefer Hasidim:
“1465 There are women that are called Estries… They were created at sunset before the first Sabbath before creation. As a result of this, they are able to change form. There was one woman who was a Estries and she was very sick and there were two women with her at night; one was sleeping and one was awake. And the sick woman stood up and loosened her hair and she was about to fly and suck the blood of the sleeping woman. And the woman who was awake screamed and woke her friend and they grabbed the sick Estries, and after this she slept. And moreover, if she had been able to grab the other woman, then she, the Estries, would have lived. Since she was not able to hurt the other woman, the Estries died, because she needs to drink the blood of living flesh. The same is true of the werewolf. And since….the Estries need to loosen their hair before they fly, one must adjure her to come with her hair bound so that she cannot go anywhere without permission. And if a Estries is injured or seen by someone, she cannot live unless she eats of the bread and salt of the one who struck her. Then her soul will return to the way it was before.
Cleansing and Protection
Unlike many of the vampiric creatures around the world, Estries were considered undeterred by religious iconography and religious verses and chants. Estries were believed to be able to walk into holy places, and synagogues and sometimes to seek prayer for healing from unsuspecting religious people. Blessing an Estries was considered an evil act, but how did you know, and how did you fight her?.
An Estries can only fly when her hair is loose, and it was believed you could subdue her by tying her hair back. Estries were also thought to be mortal, so it doesn’t take much to hurt them. According to the “Sefer Hasidim,” striking or even looking at an Estries might kill her or at least weaken her.
When an Estries is hurt, in the stories, most often by being observed in her demonic state and weakened, she can heal herself by consuming bread and salt. while Siman 1467 depicts a more merciful Estries who permits her victim to obtain the bread and salt, sparing her life and highlighting their potential for good.
The most reliable way to kill one is to bury her and shove a stake through her mouth, pinning her to the coffin/dirt. When a broxa or an Estries is being buried, one should notice whether or not her mouth is open; if it is, this is a sure sign that she will continue her vampirish activities for another year according to the Rabbi Eliezer Rokeah. Her mouth must be stopped up with earth, and she will be rendered harmless.
Testament of Solomon and the Ancient Vampires
But how old are the biblical vampires? Are the Estries’s more of a jewish version of the European vampire myth or the other way around. Perhaps it is both?
The first explicit reference occurs in Late Antiquity and is from the Testament of Solomon. In this book, the story is told of a boy loved by the king. But day by day, the boy grows thinner. When King Solomon asks why, the boy says that each night he is visited by a demon. It takes his money, his food and sucks the life force out of him while sucking on the boy’s thumb. Because of this, King Solomon fashions his famous ring and uses it to enslave the demon.
What name the demon goes under is perhaps of less importance. Estries, Lillith Akuha, there are many names, many leading back to the same figure. A seductive and deadly woman, praying and hunting down the blood of the innocent and the good.
Newest Posts
- Bull and Castle Pub: The Melancholy Ghost of James Clarence Mangan
Said to haunt his former childhood home that is now the Bull and Castle Pub in Dublin, the ghost of the melancholic writer James Clarence Mangan is said to linger. - The Haunted Legends of Stenberg Gård, Hoff Church and Toten Legends
Deep in the farmland of Norway, Toten has a lot of ghost stories lingering on the old farms and buildings. Who were the priests said to haunt the Hoff Church and rectory, and who are the ghosts said to linger at the old Stenberg Manor? - Estries: Vampiric Spirits the Ashkenazi Jewish Folklore
Although few written sources, the fear of the Estries Vampires from the Jewish community in Europe in the middle ages still lingers. - The Lady of the Stairs Haunting Ardgillan Castle
Outside of Dublin overlooking the Irish sea, a white lady is said to be haunting the premise. Seen coming up from the beach and wandering on the castle grounds, the ghost that is called the Lady of the Stairs is just one of the ghosts said to linger at Ardgillan Castle. - The Church of San Giuseppe: A Sacred Place Where Rain Still Falls
In the woodlands on the Hill of the Dead, the Sanctuary of Somazzo or Church of San Giuseppe has been the place of a strange pilgrimage for ages. According to legend, praying to the three girls said to be entombed alive in the church is said to bring rain in times of drought. - The White Lady of Duino Castle: A Haunting Beneath the Cliffs by the Castle Ruins
Frozen in all eternity as a stone below the old castle of Duino on the cliffs. It is said to be haunted by the Lady in White, the former lady of the castle, thrown off the cliffs by her jealous husband. Now she returns to the castle to watch over her child she left behind. - The Cursed Forest and Poltergeist of Finnskogen at Välgunaho
Bordering Norway and Sweden, the mysterious Finnskogen forest, with its deep rooted trees holds ghosts, curses and lingering spirits. Like the poltergeist like ghost at Välgunaho farm, who drove its residents away and left it abandoned for over a century. - Alukah: The Vampire of Ancient Text and Folklore
In Jewish mysticism, the vampiric Alukah from ancient text is still debated and feared today. But where does the demonic spirit really come from? - The Haunted National Museum of Ireland: Ghosts of Collins Barracks
Now, the former barracks has turned into the National Museum of Ireland. If we are to believe the rumours, the ghosts of war from the former Collins Barracks are said to still linger. - The Ghosts of Løp Gård North of the Veil
In the old farm for the rich and the powerful in the northern parts of Norway, Løp Gård is said to hold many of their former inhabitants, even in their death. - Darkey Kelly: The Green Lady of the Liberties
Was she a Witch or Serial Killer with connection to the Hellfire Club that her legends paint her to be? What was the true story behind Darkey Kelley, said to haunt Dublin as the Green Lady of the Liberties. - The Limping Ghost of Fossesholm
After tragedy struck Birthe Svendsdatter, she threw herself from the window and ended up with a limp and a brain injury. Called Halte-Birthe because of her limp, she is said to haunt Fossesholm Manor to this day.
References:
https://www.heyalma.com/the-history-of-Estriess-aka-jewish-vampires
(PDF) From Dracula to the Motmindam: The Evolution of the Jewish Vampire
Jewish Magic and Superstition: 3. The Powers of Evil | Internet Sacred Text Archive
https://voices.sefaria.org/sheets/469622?lang=bi
