They do not rest in peace. They return. And they feed.

In the moonlit hills of Romania, far beyond the reach of church bells and firelight, there is a whisper that not all who die stay buried. Some rise again — cursed, cursed to hunger, cursed to roam — and they are known by one name: Strigoi.

The Strigoi are among the most terrifying figures in Romanian mythology: undead spirits, once human, who escape the grave to torment the living. They are not merely ghosts, and not exactly vampires — but something ancient, older than Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and more deeply rooted in rural fear and funerary ritual.

What Is a Strigoi?

In Romanian belief, a strigoi is a troubled soul that rises from the grave, either because of an improper burial, unresolved conflict, or a cursed life. These spirits return in bodily form — sometimes as shadowy apparitions, sometimes as decaying corpses, and sometimes as almost fully human figures hiding in plain sight.

They are said to:

• Feed on the blood or energy of the living, especially family members

• Bring illness, nightmares, and death to those they visit

• Wander at night, returning to the cemetery by dawn

• Appear normal by day, blending in with villagers

• Knock on doors or press on chests in the night to drain vitality

Their hunger is not always for blood. In many versions of the tale, Strigoi feed on life essence, stealing sleep, health, and luck from their victims.

Origins and Transformation

Not everyone becomes a Strigoi. But in traditional Romanian folklore, you might return from the dead if:

• You were unbaptised or born out of wedlock

• You lived a sinful or cursed life

• You were bitten by another Strigoi

• You were buried improperly or your grave was disturbed

• You were the seventh child of the same gender in a family

• You died by suicide or violent means

Sometimes, even a deep grudge or unfulfilled desire was said to tether a soul to the living world.

How Villagers Fought the Undead

Traditional Romanian communities took the Strigoi very seriously. If a village suspected that someone had returned from the grave, certain rituals were carried out:

• The grave would be dug up — and the corpse inspected.

• If signs of “unnatural” preservation or blood around the mouth were found, it confirmed suspicion.

• The heart might be pierced with a stake, cut out and burned, or the body sprinkled with holy water.

• The bones could be crushed and reburied facing down.

• Protective items like garlic, hawthorn, or iron tools were placed in homes to keep Strigoi at bay.

These weren’t just stories. Real exhumations took place in parts of Romania as recently as the early 2000s — proof of how deeply embedded the fear remains.

Strigoi vs Vampire

The Strigoi is often confused with the modern vampire, and while they share similarities, there are key differences.

Interestingly, the Strigoi is considered a direct ancestor of the Dracula myth, and many folklorists believe Bram Stoker was influenced by these stories when writing his novel.

Legacy in Modern Culture

While many Romanians today view the Strigoi as legend, echoes of the belief still live on in rural funeral customs, protective charms, and horror literature.

They’ve inspired:

• The Moroi, a related concept involving living vampires or cursed children

• Characters in shows like The Strain and The Witcher

• Countless vampire tropes across fiction, from blood-drinking to undead transformation

• Ongoing academic debate on folklore vs real-world belief

And yet, despite modernisation, there is a strange comfort in these stories — a sense that they help us make sense of death, grief, and the unknown.

Final Thought: Why We Still Fear the Strigoi

In every culture, we create monsters to represent our deepest fears: of death, disease, loss, and betrayal. The Strigoi is not just a creature of the night — it’s a mirror to what happens when the living fail to let go, or when the dead are not properly mourned.

It reminds us that the boundary between this world and the next is fragile — and in the dark silence of the countryside, some spirits do not stay buried.