Drekavac is a night creature of South Slavic belief whose name is related to screaming or shrieking. Accounts vary: it may be the restless spirit of an unbaptized child, a small animal-like monster, or a being that cries from graveyards, fields, and village edges. Its defining feature is often its unbearable voice rather than a stable appearance. In poetry, the Drekavac can embody grief that refuses silence, the return of neglected dead, or a cry that crosses the boundary between infancy, haunting, and communal memory.

The drekavac is a frightening childlike creature in South Slavic folklore, famous for its piercing, unnatural cry. Accounts differ, but it is often associated with the restless dead or with places outside the safety of the village. In verse, its cry can represent grief, guilt, warning, or unresolved memory. It belongs to the wider tradition of bogey figures and revenant-like night creatures.