Veshtytsia — a She-Demon in South Slavic Mythology
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VeshtytsiaVeshtytsia is a she-demon in South Slavic mythology. She appeared as an old woman — hunched, shaggy-haired, gray, with a mustache, a unibrow, a long nose, and hairy legs. But in the form of a moth with red wings, she could also possess an elderly woman, or one who had lost the ability to bear children, and in that guise live hidden among people. Women became veshtytsi if they had made a pact with a demon, were born in a red "caul," or were conceived at an "unlucky hour."
Veshtytsia in disguiseIt was believed that veshtytsi devoured infants and human hearts. They would sneak into someone's home at night, touch a magic hazel wand to the victim's chest, and pull out their heart. The person would sleep through it all without waking; the wound would close by morning, and soon after, the victim would die in some kind of accident. Veshtytsi especially favored pregnant women — they could remove the unborn child right from the womb, causing the victim to miscarry.
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