Acheri
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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An Acheri is the ghost or spirit of a little girl who was either murdered or abused and left to die. The ghost appears with a skeletal appearance and dressed in a skin dress. They are often depicted with dark or unnatural eyes and can also be referred to as 'hill fairies'.
During the day she sleeps, but at night she goes down from her retreat in the mountains or hilltops. She sings while playing on a small tam-tam, and her gloomy voice echoes in the valleys to announce the death of whoever hears it, or of someone close to that person, especially a child of that person. And then amongst human habitations she wanders the streets to haunt people and bring the disease to little children (and sometimes others) who come in contact with her harmful shade. The Acheri are also said to bring death to the elderly or other people who are quite ill.
To protect yourself from their curse, you must wear a bright red ribbon or red string tied around your neck. Wearing red clothes or pearls also works. A person fully dressed in red can listen to their singing safely with no malicious effect.
References
1. André-François Ruaud, The dictionary of Fey, the Oxymoron edition, 2002.
2. Michael Page, Robert Ingpen, Encyclopedia of Things That Never Were: Creatures, Places, and People, 1987.
3. Robert Gordon Latham (1859). "Descriptive Ethnology, Vol. II: Europe, Africa, India".
4. Tom McGowen (1981). Encyclopedia of Legendary Creatures. Rand McNally. p. 8. ISBN 0528824023.
