A Karankoncolos is a malevolent demon from Turkish folklore that was said to appear on the first ten days of Zemheri, 'the dreadful cold', when they would stand on dark corners and ask seemingly ordinary questions to the passers-by.
In order to escape harm people had to answer each question using the word "kara" (the Turkish word for 'black'), or risk being struck dead by the wicked creatures.
The Karakoncolos could also call people out during the cold Zemheri nights by imitating voices of loved ones and put them in a trance. The victims would then risk freezing to death if they could not find a means to break the charm.