We all know about vampires and werewolves, or at least we think we do. The legends and myths that inspired these monsters are sometimes surprisingly different, but no less chilling. In this series of posts, Monster Monday, we’ll investigate the monsters that have informed our modern notions, as well as some lesser known monsters. Today, we talk about the Nacktkrapp.

The Nachtkrapp or Nachtrabe, literally “night raven,” is a malevolent spirit in southern German and Austrian folklore. It is a giant raven that comes out at night to hunt, terrorizing people by beating its wings and calling loudly. In some legends, it doesn’t have any eyes, and brings death to anyone who looks at it. In other legends it has holes in its wings and spreads sickness as it flies. It is used to scare children into going to bed, because it is said that if the Nachtkrapp sees any children out at night, it will abduct them and take them back to its nest to devour them.