“Suddenly I opened my eyes and felt an incredible weight press against my chest. I tried to move but to no avail. I couldn’t even draw a breath. And then I saw the creature sitting above me… I had never seen anything so ugly. I tried to scream, but no moan came out of my mouth. I began to pray in my mind to God and in a moment everything was gone.” If this experience sounds familiar to you, you are most likely one of the many who have experienced a similar phenomenon. Modern medicine defines it with the term sleep paralysis – an awake state of consciousness or sleep disturbance, which can be due to fatigue, experienced stress, irregular sleep, or the presence of psychological disorders. Undoubtedly, under the influence of such factors, one can face this phenomenon. Folk tradition and belief, however, give an entirely different explanation for its nature, associating it with an attack by demonic creatures. It is precisely this perception that I will address here, referring to the legends and numerous accounts of unexplained nocturnal visitors. In the folklore of different peoples, the spirits that attack sleeping people are called different names. In Russia – kikimora, In Croatia – moritsa, In Japan – kanashibari, and in England – The Old Witch. In Turkish and Middle Eastern folklore, they are defined as harmful jinn, mostly known as karabasan and kabus (nightmare), and in Egypt and Morocco called al-jathoom (night visitor) and boratat (the one who presses you). The most famous is the karabasan – literally black pressure, which is an evil spirit or jinn that hovers over a person while he sleeps, causing him nightmares, and feeding on his fears. It is believed that these creatures...
