Fern Flower
Published on November 11, 2018

Vetala

  • Betail
  • Betailas
  • Vetalas

Regions of expansion

India 1
India

Description

In Indian mythology, the undead, an evil vampire-like spirit, traditionally depicted hunting people hanging upside down from the branches of trees growing in cemeteries and lands where the dead are cremated.

Can inhabit the dead and force them to act like living people. After the vetala inhabits the corpse, it ceases to decompose and walks around the world in the manner of a zombie from Voodoo mythology. The difference is that vetala is not interested in devouring brains or human flesh. His goal is simply to annoy and torment people out of envy.

Presumably, vetala arises from the soul of the deceased, for which the necessary rituals were not performed. 

Vetala in popular culture