Strigoi

Here is my take on a Strigoi, a category of undead from Romanian folklore, which can be considered one of the most important inspirations for Bram Stoker's Dracula, and, by extension, the modern western vampire. Their name most likely comes from strixes, half-woman, half-bird nocturnal demons from ancient Greece, which fed on human flesh and blood.
They are endowed with physical bodies that are little or not at all decayed, and their eyes are bloodshot. Also, they are sometimes given a small hairy animal tail, red hair, or conversely, a systematic absence of hair.

If we rely on the protochronist (which is a pseudo-historical current, therefore to be taken lightly) author Adrian Cremene, the Strigoi were originally a kind of specter, the manifestations of souls unworthy of accessing the paradise of Zalmoxis, a complex mythological figure from Thracian antiquity (sometimes a god, sometimes a king, sometimes an impostor…). But it was only after the advent of Christianity that this creature took on a more concrete form, through oral transmissions.
A human can become a Strigoi after his death for various reasons : to die without having married, to die by suicide, or without a decent burial... superstition also holds that a dead person is likely to return in this form if an animal steps over his body before burial (the animal being perceived as the Devil in disguise, which seizes the soul of the deceased by passing over it). The post-mortem transformation can also take place if the individual has, during his lifetime, been guilty of perjury, of sins of all kinds, or if he has been cursed by a witch. Finally, being born a redhead, or being the seventh child of the same gender in a family, or being bitten by a Strigoi are other unfortunate causes of "strigoism".
These revenants rise from their graves to torment their close ones, behaving as if they were alive, while gradually weakening them to death (for weeks in some cases), draining them of their blood. Strigoi don't necessarily have prominent canines, and while biting is a common strategy, they also can absorb the blood of their victims through their skin alone. Often, these monsters willingly abuse the one who was their companion during their lifetime, and are attracted to virgins, which makes them somewhat similar to incubi and succubi.
To neutralize a Strigoi, it was advisable to take advantage of the day to fill his mouth with garlic (which could also serve as a foil in any circumstance), to plant a wooden stake in his heart, to place a large stone on his belly, and finally, to nail his coffin. People could also sing liturgies around his tomb, on each anniversary of the death. But if that wasn't enough, it was always possible to cut off his head, place it between his legs, tear out and then burn his heart, and finally, scatter its ashes on the grave. In addition, by mixing the ashes of a Strigoi's heart with water, one could prepare a concoction for the victims of the undead.

In some cases, the term Strigoi does not refer to an undead, but to a sorcerer capable of influencing the weather, stopping the rain, and causing hail. There can then be confusion with the moroi, which are mortal (unless they're bitten by a Strigoi), and do not feel the uncontrollable bloodlust of their "cousins", although absorbing it grants them powers, such as transforming into various small animals, ranging from dogs to fleas. The rituals to get rid of it are almost identical to those practiced to kill a Strigoi.
However, "dead" Strigoi can't change into animals or fog, don't have the power of hypnosis, aren't really vulnerable to sunlight, and don't need to rest in the land of their country, unlike Count Dracula.
From the Middle Ages to the 2000s, several cases of "strigoism" have been documented, including those of Jure Grando and Petre Toma.