Botchling

The Botchling is a small creature, resembling a highly deformed fetus - created from the improper burial of stillborn infants - that preys on pregnant women. While hiding beneath beds, Botchlings sap the expectant mother of strength and once she is completely defenseless it will latch on and directly feed off blood, killing both her and the unborn child.

When threatened botchlings turn into a bigger monster substantially rising in size and resembling ghoul or alghoul when they grow spikes on their back. Sometimes botchling's blood may also attract Wraiths. As Botchlings are born from improper burial rites, occasionally one that has been given a proper funeral and buried under the hearth of the families home can be turned into a Lubberkin. Though Geralt heard about only one case of a witcher successfully lifting the curse from botchling and before events at Crow's Perch never tried to do it himself.

Associated quest

 * Family Matters

Known botchling

 * Dea

Bestiary entry

 * Saying a botchling's ugly is like saying shit's not particularly tasty: can't say it's a lie, but it doesn't exactly convey the whole truth, either.
 * — Lambert, witcher of the Wolf School


 * Botchlings are perhaps the most repulsive creatures a witcher will ever have the displeasure of meeting. Born of dead, unwanted babies discarded without a proper burial, their appearance is that of a partially-decayed fetus, their unformed flesh twisted with hate, fear and malice. These hideous creatures feed on the blood of pregnant women, driven by a mad hunger that most often leads to their victim's death.


 * A botchling will emerge from its lair at night to lurk by the bedside of an expectant mother, draining her strength and that of her unborn progeny as she sleeps. A woman thus beleaguered first suffers from troubling dreams, then fever, delirium and a general weakening of the flesh. After a few such nights she is enfeebled and unable to defend herself – it is then the botchling attacks directly, singing its long, sharp fangs into her body and drinking her blood until mother and fetus perish together.


 * A botchling stands around a foot and a half in height, but, when threatened and if gorged with blood, it can change form. At such times it grows into a deformed man, hunched over and striding, ape-like, on its forearms. Stronger and fiercer after this alteration, it hurls itself into direct, physical combat, gnashing at its opponent or attacking him with sharp claws.


 * A botchling's curse can be lifted by transforming it into a lubberkin – a guardian spirit of the hearth that watches over the family it never knew in the house it never could call home.

Video
Fehlgeborener Couvin Botchling Poroniec