Causes nightmares and sleep paralysis
A motif · Behaviour · Thompson F471.1, Marvels
4 figures carry it.
Carried by
The compendia describe a vampiric being, typically female, that causes nightmares and steals vital energy from sleepers; a mora that falls in love with her victim drinks his blood as well.
is closely associated with a sense of crushing weight or paralysis pressing down on the sleeper, a sensation consistent with accounts of what sleep-paralysis researchers term a nocturnal assault experience.
Because mazikeen are usually invisible, tradition credits them with responsibility for a wide run of everyday misfortunes that have no other obvious cause: sudden illness, ruined food, spoiled wells, nightmares, and household accidents.
Lilitu's power extends beyond physical harm; she is also associated with nightmares, sleep paralysis, and nocturnal emissions.