Belek the Vampire

"Bélek el Vampiro" (Belek the vampire) or "Bélek el Vampiro del Bajo Flores" (Belek the Vampire from the Bajo Flores) is an Argentine culture character, from the Bajo Flores neighbourhood.

Myth

The Belek myth starts when a Russian circus installed in the Bajo Flores neighbourhood to perform some shows. Belek was one of the dwarves that worked with the circus. The neighbours tell that during that time some chicken and other little animals from the place started to disappear. There was no reason apparently for this until one night Belek was found biting the neck of a female monkey. The owner of the circus, instead of putting Belek in front of the justice, decided to go away with the circus and, as punishment, leave Belek alone in the Bajo Flores neighbourhood.

Consequences and facts that came along with the myth

The myth has made that many Bajo Flores neighbours had taken precautions such as covering their windows with garlic, when going out of their houses carrying garlic eyes in their pockets, and there was also the case of a man that wouldn´t leave his house unless he wore a pair of leather boots in order to protect himself from the dworf.