She-Mantis

The She-Mantis was a fictional creature featured in the WB Network television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and appeared in the fourth episode of season one entitled "Teacher's Pet". When in human form, the She-Mantis was played by actress Musetta Vander.

Biography
Colloquially referred to as the "She-Mantis", this creature was a sentient, giant-sized praying mantis that possessed the ability to assume human features. One representative of this bizarre, insectoid race took on the visage of a beautiful woman and assumed the stolen identity of a retired teacher named Natalie French. As French, the She-Mantis sought out innocent virgins with whom to mate with. Once the chosen mate had succeeded in fertilizing her eggs, she would then kill them by cutting off their heads with her large serrated forearms. To facilitate her goals, Natalie French murdered Doctor Stephen Gregory, a biology teacher at Sunnydale High School. She then took his place as a substitute teacher and began hunting for prey amongst the male members of the student body.

Miss French proposed the idea of having a class project, creating faux praying mantis eggs out of Papier-mâché.

Notes & Trivia

 * The She-Mantis has been compared to other mythological creatures such as Greek sirens or Celtic sea maidens.


 * Known in Latin texts as Kleptis Virgo, or, the Virgin Thief.