There are thousands of cultures around the world, each with many unique beliefs but one thing that is familiar across all of them is a belief in demons. Whether real or metaphorical, they haunt us in our sleep and follow us in our daily thoughts. Usually, these creatures loosely resemble the Christian devil, but some cultures have more extreme demons. The following seven demons keep even the bravest people awake in the night.

1. Lady Midday

Europe has more than its fair share of paranormal creatures that haunt men and women alike. Lady Midday comes from Slavic tradition, and she is a truly scary ghost. She is the embodiment of heat stroke and she attacks those that work hard in the field. Workers have reported seeing her approach as a cloud of dust carrying a scythe.

2. Rusalka

The Slavic people are known for having some fairly disturbing myths. Rusalka, for example, preys on those who live on the coast. If you love mermaids, then Rusalka will change your view of these water creatures. Rusalkas dwell at the bottom of rivers – or sometimes in trees near rivers. When attractive people pass by the river, Rusalkas can emerge and lure them to the bottom. Like succubi of the water, these paranormal creatures do not mean to drown men, but their beauty is simply too much for some people to bear.

3. Jikiniki

Japanese Buddhists believe that your actions in life influence your fate in death. If you choose to be a selfish and greedy person, then you may come back as a Jikiniki. These ghosts are known for eating dead humans. They are heinous creatures who must eat the recently deceased in order to stay alive. Jikiniki will even examine fresh corpses for valuables, stealing whatever they find to be worth taking. So, next time you are in a graveyard, keep an eye out for Jikiniki – because he’ll most certainly keep an eye on you.

4. Daeva

Long before the rise of Islam, Iran was ruled by the Persians. The Persian people practiced the Zoroastrian faith, which included many horrifying demons that haunt men. The scariest of these demons is the Daeva. The Daeva are agents of chaos and will do anything in their power to sow violent anarchy and disorder.

5. Surgat

The Christian faith contains many stories of evil spirits that haunt people, especially children and Surgat is the ultimate embodiment of the boogeyman. Surgat hides in dark places, and can even sneak past locks. If you want to meet Surgat, you should take a look under your bed.

6. Samael

Samael is an extremely important archangel within the Jewish faith. Samael is the embodiment of death. He comes for men when their time finally comes on their death bed. Jewish people do not believe Samael to be evil, but they are cautious of him. If you cross Samael in any way, he can become extremely angry, and thus more dangerous. Eventually, Samael comes for us all, so ready yourself for your time with him.

7. Pontianak

Men were once able to do horrible things to women with very little recourse. Women needed some form of divine intervention, so the Pontianak began intervening. The Pontianak are the spirit of women that died in pregnancy and they rise up to gain vengeance against those that wronged them. Usually, they attack men. The Pontianak are quite cruel, sometimes crushing the man’s genitalia to exact their revenge.

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