Yara-ma-yha-who- Aboriginal Australian CreatureCreature · Monster"The Blood Sucker"
Description
A small, red-skinned creature with a huge toothless mouth and octopus-like suckers on its hands and feet. It lurks in fig trees, dropping onto those who rest in the shade, draining their blood through its suckers before swallowing them whole and slowly transforming them into another of its kind.
Mythology & Lore
The Fig Tree Predator
The Yara-ma-yha-who lurks in fig trees, waiting for travelers to rest in the shade. It stands no more than four feet tall, bright red, with a head too large for its body and an enormous toothless mouth. Its hands and feet are tipped with suckers like an octopus. When someone settles beneath the tree and falls asleep, the creature drops silently from above, attaches its suckers, and drains their blood until they cannot move.
Swallowing and Transformation
Once the victim is too weak to resist, the Yara-ma-yha-who swallows them whole through its enormous mouth. The creature then drinks water and sleeps. Upon waking, it regurgitates the victim alive but changed: shorter than before, with a reddish tinge to the skin. If the same person is caught and swallowed multiple times, they transform completely into another Yara-ma-yha-who.
The traditions include advice for surviving. Do not struggle when swallowed. A victim who lies perfectly still may be regurgitated sooner with less damage. After being spat out, keep playing dead while the creature pokes and prods. It will lose interest and climb back into its tree. Then run.