Estries
Female vampires of Jewish folklore who preyed on babies.
Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons
Estries are vampires of Jewish folklore, typically female, that were believed to prey on Jews, particularly babies. They first appear in the works of the Ashkenazi Hasidim, a medieval pietistic movement, notably in Judah ben Samuel of Regensburg's Sefer Hasidim. The name derives from the Latin word strix, meaning an owl or a cannibalistic witch, and was borrowed from Middle French.
- origin
- Jewish folklore (Ashkenazi Hasidim)
- first_appearance
- Sefer Hasidim by Judah ben Samuel of Regensburg
- type
- Vampire / Succubus
- typical_gender
- Female
- prey
- Jews, especially babies
- vulnerabilities
- Injury; binding hair prevents flight; must eat bread and salt from attacker to heal
Lore & Background
According to the Sefer Hasidim, estries were created at sunset before the first Sabbath and can change form. One account describes a sick estrie woman who loosened her hair to fly and suck the blood of a sleeping woman, but was stopped by a wakeful companion. Estries need to drink blood of living flesh to survive; if unable to do so, they die. They must loosen their hair before flying, so binding an estrie's hair keeps it grounded.
Reader's Guide
Estries are significant in Jewish folklore as a distinct vampire tradition, reflecting medieval Jewish anxieties about blood consumption and dietary laws. Their habits violated kashrut, making them doubly repulsive. Unlike other mythological demons, estries were undeterred by religious iconography and could enter holy places. The Sefer Hasidim provides detailed defense tactics: injuring an estrie, binding its hair, and refusing to give it bread and salt (which would heal it). Later mythology attributed to estries conventional vampire vulnerabilities such as silver bullets and wooden stakes, though these are not in the original source. The figure parallels other female demons like Lilith and succubi, sharing traits of bloodthirstiness and predation on infants.
Did You Know?
- Estries were believed to be able to turn into birds, cats, or various other animals.
- An estrie could heal from injury by eating bread and salt given by the one who struck her.
- Binding an estrie's hair would prevent it from flying.
- Estries were considered undeterred by religious iconography and could walk into holy places.
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