 Greco @-@ Roman mythology described the Empusae , the Lamia , and the striges . Over time the first two terms became general words to describe witches and demons respectively . Empusa was the daughter of the goddess Hecate and was described as a demonic , bronze @-@ footed creature . She feasted on blood by transforming into a young woman and seduced men as they slept before drinking their blood . The Lamia preyed on young children in their beds at night , sucking their blood , as did the gelloudes or Gello . Like the Lamia , the striges feasted on children , but also preyed on adults . They were described as having the bodies of crows or birds in general , and were later incorporated into Roman mythology as strix , a kind of nocturnal bird that fed on human flesh and blood . 
