A
shtriga (, ; compare also and ) is a
vampiric witch in traditional
Albanian folklore that sucks the blood of infants at night while they sleep, and then turns into a flying
insect (traditionally a
moth,
fly or
bee). Only the shtriga herself could cure those she had drained. The shtriga is often pictured as a woman with a hateful stare (sometimes wearing a cape) and a horribly disfigured face. The male noun for
shtriga is
shtrigu or
shtrigan.