Here are ten of the most frightening female mythical creatures of all time, in my opinion.
Pontianak:
It is essentially a vampire ghost. It comes from Indonesian mythology, there is even an entire city named after it, which was claimed that the Pontianak haunted the first settlers there. They are said to be the spirits of women who died whilst they were pregnant, they should not be confused with the Lang Suir, which is the ghost of a woman who died giving birth.
So what do they look like? Well they are depicted as pale skinned with long hair and dressed in white. However they are said to take the appearance of beautiful women because they prey on men.
How can you tell when one is near you? It usually announces its presence through a baby’s cry, if the cry is loud then it is far away, however if the cry is soft then it is close and you should run.
It is the same with a howling dog, if the howl is loud you’re ok, if it is quiet or like a whimpering, then run.
You can sometimes smell a sweet floral smell when one is close, followed by a horrid stench.
So what makes it so frightening? Well it kills its victims by digging its long sharp fingernails into their stomachs and devouring their internal organs. They have also been known to rip out the sex organs of men with their hands.
So how can you fend one off? Well if you have an iron nail handy, you can plunge it into the hole in the nape of her neck and it is said to turn her back into what she once was, a beautiful kind woman, until the nail is taken out.
Danger rating 7/10
Succubus:
A succubus is a female demon in folklore that appears in dreams and takes the form of a human woman in order to seduce men, usually through sexual activity. Religious traditions hold that repeated sexual activity with a succubus may result in the deterioration of health or even death.
In modern fiction, a succubus is often depicted as a highly attractive seductress or enchantress. Whereas, in the past, succubus were generally depicted as frightening and demonic. The first mention of the Succubus was in the 1300’s. The incubus is the male counterpart. It is said that the Succubus and Incubus is the same shape shifting demon, the succubus collects the semen then the Incubus uses that semen to impregnate women. It has been thought however, that they are two separate demons. They have been said to possess the bodies of their victims.
They are demons though and are only out to cause pain. There has been stories of the Succubus pining her victims down to the bed and strangling them, killing them and breaking up marriages.
Danger rating: 10/10 because there doesn’t seem to be a way to fight this demon that has worked, not even an exorcism. And seeing as we all need to sleep, it can get any of us at any time. It is attracted by negativity, so if you are afraid of it then it will come after you.
Black Annis:
She has sported many names over the years, such as Black Agnes, Black Anna, Black Anny and Cat Anna. She is from English folklore and was said to live around the Dane hills in Leicester. It is said that she dug her cave with her long claws in the side of a sandstone cliff. It was called Black Annis’s Bower. At the mouth of the cave grew a tall oak tree in which she hid behind so she could pounce on unsuspecting children. She had a delight in eating human flesh and drinking their blood, particularity children and she was also partial to Lamb. Once dead it is said she hung their skins on the branch of the tree then wore their skin as a skirt. Her cave was filled mainly with earth by the 19th century. A housing estate now covers the area. An eye witness said the cave was 5 feet wide and around 8 feet long, it was said to connect to Leicester castle, in which she had the free run of the length.
So what does she looked like? It is said she only has one eye with long white teeth and a blue face. It was also said she was very tall.
People said that her howling could be heard from miles away and the sound of her grounding her teeth was so loud that people had to lock themselves inside. Also people used to hang witch herbs above their windows to stop her from reaching in with her long arms and grabbing their babies (they didn’t have window glass then).
Danger rating 9/10
Empusa:
Empusa is a demigoddess in Greek mythology. It said that she was the beautiful daughter of Hecate.
What makes her so terrifying? It was written that she seduced young men as they slept, before drinking their blood and eating their flesh. She was also said to cause sleep paralysis.
What did she look like? She had flaming hair and had a brass prosthetic leg. The other leg was said to be that of a donkey and she was also said to have long pointed nails.
In later mythology she was told as a species called Empusa who were send to guard the roads and devour travellers by Hecate (who was also the goddess of roadsides).
So how to repel one, easy just insult it to which it would run and hide and utter a high pitched shrill.
There has been many references to them being shape shifters, hobgoblins, and vampires.
Danger rating: 7/10
Gorgons:
A Gorgon comes from Greek mythology. They were depicted as having live venomous snakes for hair and that their stare can turn you to stone. Their skin was also covered in scales and they had fangs. Two of the Gorgons were immortal, Stheno and Euryale. The other was not, Medusa was the most famous of them all and was slain by Perseus.
They were the three daughters of Phorcys and Ceto.
It is said that the two immortal Gorgons guard the entrance to the underworld to this day.
Danger rating: 8/10
Lamia:
In Greek mythology it is said that she was the queen of Libya and very beautiful, she was a mistress to Zeus therefore making his wife, Hera, extremely jealous. It is said that Hera killed Lamia’s children and transformed Lamia into a child eating demon. Another myth said that Hera stole all Lamia’s children which drove her mad with despair and grief, so much that she devoured the children of others out of envy.
She was the daughter of the Greek god Poseidon and was said to be the mother of all sea monsters.
Her appearance is usually depicted as having the body of a serpent and the torso of a women. She is also said to have no eyes, due to Hera cursing her with inability to close her eyes, so she would always obsess over her dead children. Zeus later gave her the ability to rip out her own eyes to give her a small amount of peace.
She is very dangerous, although it is a sad story, she does hunt and devour children which is terrifying. To this date there is nothing that has worked to repel Lamia making her terrifying.
Danger rating 10/10
Sirens:
They originate from Greek mythology as handmaidens of the goddess Persephone. When she was abducted they were given wings by Demetero so they could search for Persephone. Their song is a continuous song to Persephone.
Although they were depicted as half birds, half women, in recent culture they were shown to have their upper body human and their lower body fish, this is said to be because their feathers were plucked making them unable to fly, so there lower half of their body turned into a fish tail.
Their song “the sirens call” is famously known to lure sailors to their island and make them crash into the rocks and drown. Because they are known as carnivorous monsters, they would then drag the bodies out and eat them. The island they lived on was called Anthemoessa , an island between Sicily and Italy.
Although they are very beautiful, have the gift of being able to sing in a very seductive voice and can kill you easily, it is said that sailors should put wax in their ears so they are unable to hear them.
However it does make them probably the most dangerous creature in this list. In mythology there were only three of them, although they are quite unheard of now, apparently there are hundreds living on small islands and in caves .
I found a song called the Siren’s song on you tube and it sounds like what you would imagine the sirens actual song to sound link. Here is the link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujAfhLLVM7E
Danger rating 9/10
The Aswang:
So, apparently even the Filipino people who do not believe in ghosts, do believe in the Aswang. They even have a saying “better an Aswang than a thief” as according to myth, the Aswang will not harm its neighbours. So what is this creature? Many seem to have their own interpretations of this creature, but it is a vampire-like mythical creature. It is the most feared creature in the Philippines to this day, and is especially popular in the regions of Capiz, Negros, Bohol and Masbate. They are depicted as females whom can shape shift. It is said during the day they can look and act as regular people, and are quiet and shy. At night they transform into creatures such as a bird, boar and mostly a dog.
So why are they feared so much?
Well the Aswang hunts children and eats them, and finds pregnant woman and sucks out the unborn foetus. They most favour hearts and livers. (Very gruesome). They are said to be very fast, and silent. However sometimes they make a ticking noise, they say if the ticking is loud, it means the Aswang is far away. However if the sound is faint then it is very close. They do that to confuse their victims (I have Goosebumps). These creatures are not harmed by sunlight, they also have emotions and you can even befriend one. They are also said to be vulnerable during the day, and have less strength than the average human.
Aswangs can be repelled by garlic, crosses, holy-water, silver etc. You can spot one of these creatures by looking into its eyes, if your reflection is upside down, then bingo. It is an Aswang. Another sign is the bloodshot eyes (from the Aswang staying up all night looking for victims.) They only hunt far away from their homes, to avoid detection. Also it said if you marry this creature, you will also become an Aswang.
Danger rating: 9/10
Dziwozona (Mamuna):
This creature is said to be a swamp demon from Slavic mythology. She would live near thickets, streams and rivers. Some say she took the form of an ugly woman covered in hair with big breasts, others say she can shape shift into a beautiful young woman so she can lure young men to their deaths.
So why is she frightening apart from the luring men to their death part, oh, she used to kidnap new born babies and replace them with her own offspring, changelings. This offspring would usually have some form of disability, a huge abdomen and an uncommon appearance as-well as a developing long claws and having hair that grew all over its body. It would also be very wicked, like its mother. They rarely reached adulthood.
To discourage abductions mothers used to tie a red ribbon around the child’s hand, this is still practised in some cultures today. However, there is a way to get your child back. They say you take the changeling to a waste heap, whip it with a birch twig and pour water over it, then say “take yours and give mine back!” To which the Dziwozona would feel sorry for her offspring and give yours back.
She is also said to be very spiteful and jealous.
Danger rating: 7/10
Lilith:
The main legend about Lilith is that she was the first wife of Adam who demanded equality, when she didn’t get it she left Adam out of anger and God created him a new wife, Eve. It was said that she was the first Succubi. She looks for new born infants to kidnap or kill.
She also seduces men as they sleep and makes their future off spring demon children. Her attraction to children comes from when God supposedly took away her demon babies when she refused to return to the Garden of Eden with Adam. When God sent three angels to take her back to the Garden of Eden she cursed them, but in return they made her swear that of she ever saw their face that she would have to leave the child alone. To this day people wear amulets with their faces on and out them around the crib of their new-born child. She was also said to be the wife of Satan himself.
Danger rating: 10/10
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