Guajona

Sources present the Guajona as part of Cantabrian and neighboring Asturian popular belief and link it conceptually to medieval European hag‑and‑witch figures that prey on the living. The name Guajona is described as an augmentative of Guaja (Guaxa in Asturian), and some sources suggest—without asserting certainty—that the underlying term could derive from classical Arabic وحش (wahsh, 'beast'), reflecting a proposed etymological influence. The Guajona is also noted in sources as one of the few vampire‑type legends recorded in Spain alongside figures such as the Conde Estruch.

Folklore describes the Guajona as a disfigured human female covered from head to toe in an old thin black cloak. Her hands and feet are said to be gnarled bird legs; her face yellow and consumed by rough, hairy warts; and her eyes tiny and bright like stars. Her aquiline nose and mouth are reported to contain a single black razor‑sharp tooth that extends beneath her chin and is used to suck blood.

According to the cited tradition, the Guajona appears only at night and silently invades private dwellings. She walks unnoticed toward sleeping, healthy children (and sometimes adults) and pierces veins with her long black tooth to extract blood. Sources emphasize that she typically does not kill her victims but leaves them almost bloodless, so they awaken tired, pale, and discolored. Where she sleeps by day is not specified in the sources; some accounts suspect she may hide underground, but that is presented as conjecture.