The Drekavac is a chilling creature from South Slavic folklore, often described as the restless spirit of an unbaptized child that rises from the grave. Manifestations vary from a wailing, skeletal figure to a small beast covered in matted hair, its cries said to predict sickness or death in the village. Some accounts claim it appears in moonlit fields or leaps onto travelers' backs, driving them nearly mad with terror. Rooted in both pagan and later Christian traditions, the Drekavac serves as a dark cautionary tale about moral and ritual obligations, particularly regarding proper burial rites. Despite modern skepticism, stories persist in rural communities, where eerie sounds at night can still be attributed to this sorrowful, haunting presence. It encapsulates a deep cultural anxiety around death, innocence lost, and the consequences of neglecting sacred customs.
Type:Undead Spirit
Location:Bosnia and Herzegovina, Republika Srpska, Drina Valley
Traits:Thin, long-necked, sunken eyes, wailing mouth, bony limbs
Danger Level: 5.9
First Reported: 1800s
Sightings: 6
It shambles through fog-choked meadows, issuing faint, plaintive wails. If approached, it melts into the mist without a trace.
Slavic peasants fear this creature is the restless soul of an unbaptized child crying out at night.
Cited in Serbian and Balkan folklore studies, sometimes covered by regional papers when eerie animal sightings occur. Featured occasionally in Eastern European horror anthologies. Outside the Balkans, receives almost no media attention.
Drekavac is a Slavic mythological creature with no known hoax investigations. It is primarily a folklore figure.