These are evil spirit creatures who terrorize the households of new parents. In appearance they seems like a grotesque Barbie doll — tall, with long blonde hair, a huge head, and massive breasts. Oh yes, and insanely sharp talons.

We cannot say if the physical appearance causes their waywardness. We are more worried by their propensity for strangling pregnant women. They really do seem to bear a grudge against newborn babies.

There are many superstitions involving childbirth and Almas, most of which involve confounding their attempts to bring bad luck upon the newborn. Keep a pair of scissors handy. If one appears during labor, you can subdue her by cutting off a plait of her golden hair. Better still, cut off a plait of someone else’s hair instead — that works just as well and she won’t bother to show up.

We don’t like to gossip, but some of the Almas may have a boyfriend. A male version of them has been sighted in many places. In Mongolia, for example. The far eastern end of Eurasia is a wonderful place for cryptozoology — there are approximately twelve zillion legends involving wild hairy creatures roaming the place, up to and including the famous YETI.

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Article last revised on May 25, 2019 by the Godchecker data dwarves.
Editors: Peter J. Allen, Chas Saunders

References: Coming soon.

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