Mhachkay (Turkish: Meçkey, Tatar: Мәцкәй and Mäçkäy or Мәчекәй sometimes Мәсек, Azerbaijanese: Məçkəy, Russian: Mасек) is a creature a bit similar to vampire in Turkic (and especially Tatar) folklore.
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Description
People who were born with two hearts and two souls were believed to be Mhachkay. When Mhachkay was recognized it was chased away from human habitat. Mhachkays usually were dying at young age, but only one soul gets passed on, and the other soul caused the deceased Mhachkay to come alive and prey upon other living beings. Those undead creatures fly at night in a form of an owl and attack night-time travelers and people who simply wander off into the woods at night, sucking out their blood and eating out their insides. Mhachkay could also be satisfied with animal blood, for a short period of time. When person recognized as Mhachkay dies decapitating the corpse and burying the head separate from the rest of the body is said to prevent Mhachkay from rising back from the dead; burying the body face down with a sickle around its head is said to work as well. Some of them made their way out of grave with bare hands. Wandering around forests, weak and with bloody hands and torn-off fingernails. Those people were believed to be Mhachkay as well.
A Mhachkay Event in Ottoman Empire
Ahmed Şükrü Efendi, kadı (judge) of Veliko Tarnovo, reported an event to capital city. With a letter published the happenings in the journal Takvim-i Vakayi (Date: 19 Rebiulahir 1249 /1833):