Blood sucking Vampire legends existed in many cultures like the Mesopotamians, Hebrews, Ancient Greeks, and Romans who had tales of demonic entities and blood-drinking spirits which are considered precursors to modern vampires. In Surinam, a country in South America just north of Brazil, the most interesting vampire is Azeman (note the word has similarity with Aztec, which is a vampire that can magically transform itself into the form of a bat, and some myths claims that the creature can shapeshift into many forms, including that of a wolf. In the oldest epic poem of the world, Ramayana, written in sanskrit by Valmiki, the chapter Kishkindha Kanda describes blood sucking vampires in south america and mexico. Sugreeva, the king of Vanaras describe that after crossing the huge pyramid of Garuda in Shalmali Dwipa (Gympie Pyramid in Australia), one needs to fly over pacific ocean and then one encounters a land (South America) where demons called as ‘Mandeha’ as seen. They are slate colored (similar to Bats) and hang upside down during daytime, while they suck blood of humans and animals during nights. tatra shaila nibhaa bhiimaa mandehaa naama raakSasaaH | shaila shR^i.ngeSu la.mbante naanaa ruupaa bhayaavahaaH || 4-40-41 (Kishkinda Kanda of Ramayana) Translation : Thereabout horrifying and merciless demons of various shapes and similar to mountains in size, called Mandeha-s, will be dangling upside down from mountain peaks. te patanti jale nityam suuryasya udayanam prati | abhitaptaaH ca suuryeNa la.mbante sma punaH punaH || 4-40-42 nihataa brahma tejobhiH ahani ahani raakshasaaH | Translation : Every day those demons will be falling in water when sun always burns them at sunrise , yet they will be resurfacing and dangling on the mountaintops day after day. This means Mandehas regain their lives and start repeating the same obstruction of Sun’s path on next morning by dangling from the peaks of mountain and they are again tossed into oceans. Azeman, South American Vampire : The Azeman is a type of living vampire almost always described as being a woman, and in the daytime she can walk about just like any normal human. She is indistinguishable from other humans, and there are no telling signs that at night she turns into a bat and hunts for blood. This creature exists in the mythology of South America, and had mendous impact on the vampire lore of European settlers. There are many similarities between the azeman and the European vampires, even the concept of the vampire transforming into a bat. Aztec mythology described tales of the Cihuateteo, skeletal-faced spirits of those who died in childbirth who stole children and entered into sexual liaisons with the living, driving them mad.
