Zhalmauyz Kempir

Zhalmauyz Kempir is the great witch of Kazakh folk tales. Her name roughly means “devouring old woman.” Oral tradition describes her as an old, ugly hag with grotesque features such as seven heads, sharp claws, one eye and hooves, and with supernatural strength, magic power and the ability to change shape.

In her usual role she is a local horror who kills people, eats human flesh, kidnaps children and in some accounts drinks blood. Unlike other witches of Turkic folklore such as Albasty and Zheztyrnaq, she is ambiguous and sometimes a helper to characters in fairy tales. A similar figure, Jalmogiz Kampir, appears in Uzbek folklore.

She is never unbeatable. The Astana Times notes that heroes usually defeat her through bravery, intelligence and resourcefulness, often with help from wise elders or magical animals, and links her character to the unpredictable dangers of nomadic steppe life. In the epic Er Tostik, she captures the hero and tries to trap him in her lair, but he escapes with help from magical creatures.

The scholars Nora Chadwick and Viktor Zhirmunsky (1969) linked her to non-epic Turkic traditions under names such as Jelmogus. Kazakh researchers have studied her as a demonological figure in Turkic epics, alongside Albasty and Zheztyrnaq.

A hideous old woman with seven heads, sharp claws, a single eye and hooves; able to take other shapes.

The steppe and remote lairs in oral tales; no sightings are claimed.

She remains a familiar figure in Kazakh children’s books, animation and storytelling, and the villain of countless bedtime tales.