Sigbin (updated)

Sigbin

Region of origin: The Philippines

A vampiric goat-like creature, the sigbin will hunt its prey at night and is said to be able to drink a person’s blood and life force through their shadow. Their diet is thought to also consist of yellow squash, coal and dead animals, the latter which may account for a distinct rank odor they produce. They are kept as pets by aswang, another demonic creature from Filipino folklore, and it is believed capturing one for yourself will result in good fortune; there are rumors some prominent businessmen may have sigbins in their possession.

[Sources referenced: X | X ]

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Yara-ma-yha-who (updated)

Yara-ma-yha-who

Region of origin: Australia

A small red imp of a figure with a head disproportionately larger than its body, the Yara-ma-yha-who makes it home in fig trees. If anyone stops to rest under its tree, it will descend and latch on to them with its leech-like fingers and toes, draining blood until its victim passes out, at which point it swallows them whole and, sated, falls asleep. Upon awakening, it will regurgitate the person, who find themselves worn down, slightly smaller and redder than before but with no memory of the encounter. The Yara-ma-yha-who will repeat this process over and over until eventually the victim themselves has become a new Yara-ma-yha-who. Tales of the Yara-ma-yha-who are used to discourage children from entering potentially dangerous areas.

[Sources referenced: X | X ]

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Ningen (updated)

Ningen

Region of origin: Antarctica

A cryptid said to be living on ice floes and in the ocean near Antarctica by Japanese sailors on whale research vessels, the features attributed to the ningen vary but all largely describe a large white whale-like creature with human characteristics, usually a simple face and a pair of either arms or legs. Various sightings claim to have been encountering versions of the creature since the 1990s, with anonymous posts from the sailors on Japanese message boards in the mid-2000s seemingly being the first mention of them. With a lack of any concrete evidence and little consensus on details, many argue these are simply a hoax but if the stories are from people who genuinely saw something, possible explanations have ranged from the extraterrestrial to animals thought to be extinct (including a giant marine sloth) to simply misidentifying whales in the darkness of the night waters.

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Grootslang (updated)

Grootslang

Region of origin: South Africa

In a rare instance of gods realizing they might have made a mistake, the violent, lapivorous Grootslang was deemed too much of a jerk to exist and was separated into two different animals, which resulted in the creation of snakes and elephants. One Grootslang escaped the gods’ wrath and has since propagated, and are said to be living in a cave where they have secreted away their horde of diamonds. They will be aggressive or possibly murderous towards people who encounter them but it’s believed they are willing to accept bribes of delicious gemstones to not kill those who stumble into their domain.

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