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The mythology of the Africans is rich in tales
of demons and flesh-eating creatures. Black magick
abounds in the forests and jungles waiting to prey on the
unsuspecting victim. Most of the creatures described in
the myths make it difficult to separate demon from vampyric
creature, so some of the references are copied on the
Demons
of Africa page.
Blood,
in and of itself, has a rich mythology in Africa. Each
tribe attributes different powers to it, however there are
certain almost universal myths regarded by most of the African
tribes.
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Blood that flows from the deceased is
said to carry the soul into the earth where it will wander seeking
revenge.
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Those who bind themselves together
with blood can no longer kill the other, nor will their descendants.
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To many African tribes, blood is not
to be touched, as it carries a great deal of magical power. The
spirits drink blood and feast on flesh. People who become
possessed will also need drink blood. The type of spirit that
inhabits a person determines the type of blood they must drink as each
spirit needs the blood of a specific type of animal. Some spirits,
according to the oldest tales, require human blood. Mediums
of Bantu Africa will often drink blood during the possession rituals to
encourage the spirits to speak through them. Covens of such
mediums will often drink blood ceremonially to swear each other to
secrecy - most often to protect themselves from crimes that they might
commit during possession.
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Blood was used in war rituals.
Some tribes drink the blood of enemies before a battle during the
war-dance to make them drunk. As in other cultures, the blood of
the enemies was drunk after the battle and the livers of the enemies
were eaten. Tribes like the Maasai in Eastern Africa mix blood
with milk which is then drank by young warriors ( it is an excellent
source of protein).
Cannibals:
Each region of Africa has a slightly different take on cannibals.
They all agree that though they look human, they are not. They can
be of either sex but it seems that most accounts depict the cannibal as a
handsome young male. The distinguishing mark that separates them
from humans is their left thumbnail. It is very sharp and jagged,
like a good steak knife. They seem to have different preferences on
how to pick their victims. Some like to seduce young women and
convince them to go to another village. On the way to the village,
the cannibal reverts to its true self and devours the woman. Others
find soon to be brides, disguise themselves as girls in order to get into
the wedding party and then devours the bride. Some descriptions of
cannibals say that in their true form they have long tails with a mouth on
the end. They also have the capability of shape changing. Some
cannibals have been know to take human wives. They can also father
daughters. Generally human-cannibal marriages don't last long - the
wife is quick to realize that the meat the male brings home is human.
However, once discovered, the wife is also eaten.
Mukasa:
Mukasa was the supreme god of the Buganda people (Uganda).
He is considered to be a benign god since he does not require
human sacrifice. However, he drinks the blood and eats
the hearts and livers of the animals that are sacrificed to
him.
Dogirs:
Most of the tales regarding this creature describe it as being
a water sprite. In those tales it lives rather
peaceably with humans. However, the further south you
go, the tales become much more terrible. Some depict
them as terrible monsters which feed on humans. They
appear only at night and have eyes that glow. They could
disguise themselves as humans during the day. They only
sign that they were dogirs was swelling in the lower back.
In 1929, the police in the village of Dabod actually searched
the village for people with the swelling to stop these
man-eaters. The swelling was said to be caused by the
stump of the tail that became apparent after the person was
transformed. This transformation took place when such
people rolled in ashes. They then took on the appearance
of a werewolf, in some accounts.
The Bat:
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In Uganda and Zimbabwe, people believe
that bats are the spirits of the dead who wander the earth to haunt the
living while they sleep.
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In Ghana, people say the giant bat,
Sasabonsam, is pure evil. Though it is a fruit-eating bat most
known for destroying crops, the people of Ghana say that it waits in the
forest to kidnap travelers and take them to the evil spirits of the
forest. It is believed that the Sasabonsam came from another land
since it has hooks on its wings, red hair and a beard. They also
believe that it cooperates with both the Mmoatia, the dwarf sorcerers,
and the Avayifo, the witchcraft experts.
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In Southern Africa the tales of the bats are divided.
One side paints the bats to be like little people with almost human
faces, who once they were offered blood, would assist the brave in
finding treasure. The other side believes that they are evil and
bring disease.
Biloko:
Tales of these creatures come mainly from Zaire. The Biloko are
dwarves with a rather large dislike for humans. It is thought that
the Biloko are spirits of the dead with grudges against the living.
They live and protect the deepest darkest parts of the rainforests and the
treasures contained within. Only the strongest of hunters ever
successfully enters and leaves such areas. These hunters must be
very powerful magicians in order to hunt the prize game that is to be
found in these areas. The biloko are described as having long, sharp
claws, piercing eyes, and snouts with mouths large enough to swallow a
human. They are hairless, but are covered with grass that grows on
their bodies and wear leaves as clothes. They live in large hollow
trees. They use small bells to put people under their spell so that
they can eat them. Only those who possess amulets and fetishes with
strong protections magicks will escape the spell.
Ghosts:
The belief in ghosts is very strong in Africa. People
lock there doors and stay home at night for fear of meeting a
ghost. Ghosts are the spirits of the dead, obviously,
that linger for various reasons. In some villages,
shrines are erected for specific ancestral spirits that are so
powerful they are actually believed to be running the clan
though they have been dead for hundreds of years. In the
regions of Cameroon, the Congo and Zaire, the belief in ghosts
is the strongest. In villages of those regions, it is
not uncommon for huts to be built specifically for ghosts.
These regions also hold the belief that ghosts are flesh
eaters. They are seen only at night and are white,
though transparent, and retain the shape of their former body.
If challenged and battled with, they can break apart into
bones which makes dogs a very useful tool in dealing with
them. The only solid part visible by humans is the left
thumbnail. This is very pronounced and resembles a
butcher's knife. Ghosts are very fond of antelope flesh
but prefer human flesh. It is believed that if a ghost
can eat enough human flesh then it may be able to regain a
body.
Ghouls: Ghouls are described as being
people, but not "children of Adam" (not human).
They are covered in thick hair and have large tusks. In
some regions, they are described as have one large eye (akin
to cyclops), a long neck and body (like an ostrich) and can
disguise themselves as humans to entice their prey. They
love to eat human flesh, but can (and do) fall in love with
humans on occasion. They can be both male and female.
It is not uncommon for Ghouls to capture humans and mate with
them. These unions have created a new species of
creatures: savage, fast and effective hunters and
killers who like to rape human girls.
Ghoulas:
Though this is the feminine form of Ghoul, in regions like
Algeria, only the females are talked about. They are
believed to live in a castle in the mountains and can easily
disguise themselves as beautiful human women. In one
tale, the Prince Bousetta was taken on a hunting trip by is
jealous brothers. They intended to get him close to the
Ghoulas castle in hopes they he would be captured and eaten.
However, before they could abandon him, they were surrounded
by the Ghoulas, disguised at beautiful women and were taken to
the castle. The brothers were afraid, naturally, except
for Bousetta. While the brothers slept, Bousetta tended
to his horse who had kept him awake by licking him. The
Ghoulas came into the room and took the brothers one by one
and flew away to a much larger castle deeper in the mountains
- all except Bousetta who never went to sleep and was with his
horse. It is believed that the brothers were probably
not eaten but were forced to marry the Ghoulas are still live
in the second castle.
Gishu:
This is the religion of the Bangesu tribe of Uganda. The
Bangesu traditionally eat their dead. In ceremonial
style, the body is carried by the men of the tribe to a secret
location. The woman then go to it after dark and carve
the pieces they want cooked. The bones and remaining
pieces are then burned with the exception of the skull.
The skull is placed in a shrine in the house of relatives so
the ghost has some place to reside.
Kishi:
Kimbundu, Angola. The kishi is a man-eating demon who
can disguise himself as a regular man so he can take a wife.
One tale of a kishi begins
with the sea god Kianda and two sisters. Kianda wanted
to find a wife and came across two sisters not far from the
shoreline. He disguised himself as a skull and
approached the sisters. He proposed to the first sister.
She not only refused but hit him with a stick. Kianda
then proposed to the second sister. She accepted his
proposal and offered him food. Kianda asked her to
follow him, which she did, to the sea. He flew towards a
rock wall which opened when the approached. They entered
and were immediately sealed inside. The young bride was
then surrounded by servants who addressed her as their queen
and dressed her in fine garments. Kianda shed his skull
disguise and appeared before her in all his splendor. It
was then she recognized him as Kianda the Sea God. From
then on, they lived happily ever after and have many children.
The children have human figures but can live underwater like
fishes.
The tale continues with the
story of the first sister. She meets and marries a
handsome young man. He takes her to his house, far from
her village. To her horror, their first child is born
with two heads - one human and one hyena. She realizes
that her husband is a kishi, a demon who eats humans.
Although she attempts to escape, the demon is much faster and
captures her. He then devours her and her child is
raised eating human flesh.
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