An Istrian (Dalamtion) or Slovenian name for the vukodlak, a kind of vampire, the exact opposite and most bitter of the kresnik.
Lore
This lore was found among Croatians and some Slovenians in the north Adriatic penninsula of Istria and islands off its coast.
Etymology
Kudlak is a contraction of the Serbo-Croatian word vokudlak which often means the same as the word vampir in the same language.
Description
Where the kresnik was the representative of goodness and light, the kudlak symbolized evil and darkness. Every village had both these figures, with the kudlak variously described as an evil wizard (strigon) or shaman, then a vampire after his death. He represents tradition threats to the living, such as pestilence, misfortune, or the loss of crops.
Beliefs
Generally the kudlak was most dangerous after death when he become a vampire, and steps were taken to prevent the return of such an individual, either by impaling the corpse on a hawthorn stake or by slashing the tendon below the kness before burial.
See also
Sources
- Ecstacies: Deciphering the Witches' Sabbath by Carlo Ginzburg (1991)
- The Darkling: A Treatise on the Slavic Vampire by Jan L. Perkowski (1989).