A daayan is also said to target young families, young women and other family surrogates. Assuming the form of a young, attractive female, she hunts for young men on roads and seduces lone travellers into accompanying her. Imprisoning a man, she feeds on his blood or sweat. One legend says that a daayan will hold a young man captive until he is old, using him sexually until he dies and joins the spirit world. Another says that a young man seduced by the daayan who eats her food returns at dawn to the village as an old man.The daayan is said to be culturally derived from shamans and healers for over 25,000 years, the original healer, counselor and stateswoman of her community in a matriarchal society.