Supernatural urban legends: Shtriga lore explained
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The shtriga was the monster of the week in Supernatural season 1’s Something Wicked, but what’s the real lore?
It’s always fun looking at the real lore surrounding the creatures, monsters, and beings introduced in Supernatural. The first couple of seasons are the most prominent for real lore being introduced. Most of the time the show has the creatures match the real lore perfectly, and that is definitely the case for the shtriga.
Introduced in “Something Wicked,” the shtriga turned out to be a creature that almost claimed the life of Sammy when he was a kid. Dean blamed himself for what nearly happened to his brother and the fact that the creature got away. Just how much of the Supernatural urban legend was true?
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Supernatural shtriga lore
When Dean told Sam what they were dealing with, Sam hit the books (and the laptop) for information. He learned that the shtriga is an Albanian witch, with lore dating back to Ancient Rome. The creature feeds on the essence of life from others, mostly from children. The children are then left comatose and with weak immune systems.
Modern day medicine can’t help the children. To make matters worse, the shtriga will work through families, often starting with the youngest sibling and working its way to the eldest.
Since Sam couldn’t find a way to kill the creature, Dean shared the knowledge from John. The creature can only be killed when it’s feeding. This is when the creature is at its weakest. Consecrated iron rounds are needed to kill the creature. All children still alive return to their normal selves after the creature is killed.
Real shtriga lore
In real lore, the definition of a shtriga definitely matches. The only difference is the way the creatures are killed. Rather than being killed during feeding, the lore says that the witch can only be cause on Easter with a cross made of pig bones. That cross needs to be placed in a church threshold. The shtriga will be trapped within the church and can be killed on its attempt to exit.
Some lore also says that the shtriga can be killed through the use of holy water with a cross or through the reading to verses in the Qur’an.
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The creatures are also likened to vampires, because of the way they feed off the life essence. Supernatural opted for a Reaper-like form over the children in the show, but much of the real lore states that shtrigas have vampire-like teeth.
Lore also states that the shtriga can release the children from their comatose state. The shtriga would have to give the life essence back. There’s nothing confirming that killing the shtriga would reverse the damage.
According to Albanian lore, newborns, children, and beautiful girls are more likely to catch the eye of the shtriga. To protect newborns, when meeting one for the first time, people will touch the newborns nose and say “masha’allah,” so evil cannot catch the newborn. There are also stories of soaking a silver coin in the blood of the latest victim to gain protection from the evil creature.
Next: Supernatural urban legends: Tulpa lore explained
Did you know the real lore of the shtriga? Share what you know in the comments below.
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