Tradition: Indian Mythology
Alternative Names: Virika
Category: House dweller
The Myth
Virika is a ghostly, flame-red vampiric spirit in Indian folklore, associated with the home of someone who is dying. Its teeth are stained red by the quantity of blood it has consumed, and it tends to linger around the residence of a dying person while attempting to claim their life. Despite its frightening appearance and bloodthirsty nature, Virika is also associated with the idea of honouring the dead and allowing the dying to pass peacefully.
Virika is said to appear in dreams as a warning to descendants who have forgotten to worship their ancestors properly. In the area around Mysore, the name originally referred to the spirits of heroic ancestors who troubled their descendants in dreams when the appropriate rites and offerings were neglected. These ancestral spirits demanded recognition and reverence from the living.
The traditional response to Virika was to offer a ritual sacrifice. A shrine was built to honour the spirit, and it was filled with food and flowers. If the Virika accepted these offerings, it would leave the dying person in peace rather than continue its attempt to take their life.
The name Virika was originally used in the Mysore region for spirits of heroic ancestors, but the term later became associated with a more frightening vampiric figure. The tradition thus connects the disturbance of the dying with neglected ancestral obligations, suggesting that proper worship and offerings were necessary to maintain peace between the living and the spirits of the dead.
Sources
“Virika.” New Bestiary (Bestiary.us). https://www.bestiary.us/virika/en