Vetala

[Dept of PMM Artists & things]

A Vetala, according to Indian lore, is a vampire who haunts cemeteries and reanimates the dead. They use the corpses as a vehicle for movement.

Identifying Vetala

The bodies stop decaying when inhabited by the Vetala. They may also leave the body at will. ^[1] The corpses that are inhabited by Vetala are said to have their hands and feet pointed backwards.

Vetala are very different from vampires that are seen in today’s movies and television shows. Since they inhabit corpses they look more like what today’s culture looks at as zombies. Their appearance is demonic and differs greatly from the near human Dracula. ^[2]

Vetala Personalities and Effects

They can drive people mad, kill children and cause miscarriages. ^[3] They are known to be very loyal and are sometimes convinced to guard villages.^[2]

Curing Vetala

Vetala are said to be hostile spirits trapped in between life and after-life. This happened because their families did not perform funerary rites in their memory. They can be freed of their ghostly existence by performing proper funerary rites. They can also be appeased by gifts or frightened by spells.

Vetala in Indian Culture

Vetala live in stones scattered around hills inside and/or surrounding cemeteries. In Decca, Vetala supposedly guard villages and inhabit red-painted stones. ^[1] Vetala are unaffected by the laws of space and time, they have an uncanny knowledge about the past, present and future and a deep insight into human nature. Because of this, many sorcerers seek to capture them and turn them into slaves. ^[4]

Vetala in Indian Literature

A collection of tales from India called Baital Pachisi discusses the Vetala and attempts to capture them. In the story King Vikram attempts to capture a Vetala. He encounters many difficulties in this task. Every time Vikram tries to capture the Vetala, it tells a story that ends with a riddle. If Vikram answers the question correctly, the vampire consents to remain in captivity. If the king cannot answer the question correctly, the vampire would escape and return to his tree. The king is required to speak if he knows the answer, else his head will burst. He knows the answer to every question; therefore the cycle of catching and releasing the vampire continues twenty-four times. The twenty-fifth time Vikram is stumped. Satisfied, the vetala allows himself to be taken to the tantric. The Vetala reveals the sorcerer's plan to sacrifice Vikram, beheading him as he bowed in front of the goddess. The sorcerer could then gain control over the Vetala. The Vetala suggests the king ask the tantric how to perform his obeisance, then take advantage of that moment to behead the sorcerer himself. Vikram does exactly as told by Vetala and he is blessed by Lord Indra. ^[5] The Baital Pachisi was originally written in Sanskrit and is said to be the inspiration for the Arabian Nights and subsequent collections of fantastic mythological tales. ^[2]

 Notes

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Vetala. (2007, April 18). Retrieved March 18, 2009, from http://www.monstropedia.org
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2} The Ancient Myth of the Vetala. (2009, March 18). Retrieved March 18, 2009, from http://thelongestlistofthelongeststuffatthelongestdomainnameatlongl...
3. ↑ A Wisdom Archive on Vetala. (2009, March 21). Retrieved March 18, 2009, from http://www.experiencefestival.com/vetala
4. ↑ Vetala. (2009, March 21). Retrieved March 18, 2009, from http://www.absoluteastronomy.com
5. ↑ Baital Pachisi. (2009, March 15). Retrieved March 18, 2009, from http://www.wikipedia.org