Mhachkay

Mhachkay ("Turkish: Meçkey", "Tatar Language: Мәцкәй (Мәчкәй) and Mäçkäy or Мәчекәй sometimes Мәсек", "Azerbaijani Language: Məçkəy, "Russian: Mасек) is a creature in Turkic (especially Tatar) mythology which is somewhat similar to a vampire.

==Description== A person born with two hearts and two souls was believed to be a Mhachkay. When one was recognized it was chased away from human habitations. Mhachkays were usually people who died at a young age, but only one soul passed on, and the other soul caused the deceased Mhachkay to come alive and prey upon other living beings. These undead creatures fly at night in the form of an owl and attack night-time travelers and people who wander off into the woods, sucking out their blood and eating out their insides. A Mhachkay could also be satisfied with animal blood, for a short period of time. When a person recognized as a Mhachkay dies, decapitating the corpse and burying the head separate from the rest of the body is said to prevent a Mhachkay from rising back from the dead; burying the body face down with a sickle around its head is said to work as well. Anyone found wandering the forests with fresh soil and blood covering their hands, and possibly torn fingernails were believed to be a Mhachkay as well.