MYTHICAL BEASTS---III
African
21. Anansi: this West African God most often takes the form
of
a spider, although sometimes appears as a man. Some
people even tell tales of him appearing as a spider with
clothes, or as a man with eight legs! He is the stereotypical
trickster, always gaining the upper hand with his guile and
cunning. Although mischievous, Anansi is in fact good,
acting on behalf of his father Nyame, the Sky God. It is said
that Anansi brought all of the stories into the world.
people even tell tales of him appearing as a spider with
clothes, or as a man with eight legs! He is the stereotypical
trickster, always gaining the upper hand with his guile and
cunning. Although mischievous, Anansi is in fact good,
acting on behalf of his father Nyame, the Sky God. It is said
that Anansi brought all of the stories into the world.
22. Emela Ntouka: in Central Africa, Pygmy tribes speak of
the
Emela-Ntouka, an elephant-sized creature with a body
and head (including horn) of a rhinoceros, yet possessing
a much heavier tail. Inhabiting the swamps and lakes of
the Congo, Cameroon and Zambia, the creature is greatly
feared - even though it is said to be herbivorous.
and head (including horn) of a rhinoceros, yet possessing
a much heavier tail. Inhabiting the swamps and lakes of
the Congo, Cameroon and Zambia, the creature is greatly
feared - even though it is said to be herbivorous.
23. Ngoloko: also known as the Nandi Bear,
this beast - similar
in nature (although not necessarily in appearance) to a Yeti
-
is said to live in western Kenya. With high front shoulders
and a sloping back similar to that of a hyena, descriptions
of this beast most closely resemble an extinct species called
Chalicotherium. As with many cryptids, one wonders
whether a species has truly become extinct, or if there is a
possibility that a small pack or community has continued
living in secret to this day.
and a sloping back similar to that of a hyena, descriptions
of this beast most closely resemble an extinct species called
Chalicotherium. As with many cryptids, one wonders
whether a species has truly become extinct, or if there is a
possibility that a small pack or community has continued
living in secret to this day.
24. Inkanyamba: the Zulu tribes of Pietermaritzburg in South
Africa
tell tales of a huge serpent with a horse’s head that lives in a waterfall lake
underneath the Howick Falls. The beast’s
anger is said to be responsible for storm activity during the summer months.
25. Mbielu-Mbielu-Mbielu: if you are knowledgeable about
dinosaurs,
have a go at naming one that fits the description
of the Mbielu-Mbielu-Mbielu... ‘a four-legged herbivorous
beast roughly ten metres long with a short neck, a medium
sized tail and planks covered in green algae growing out of
its back’. If you instantly thought ‘stegosaurus’ then you are
in agreement with many who have studied the tale of this
creature. It originates from the Republic of the Congo and
has been seen only near two villages - Bounila and Ebolo.
of the Mbielu-Mbielu-Mbielu... ‘a four-legged herbivorous
beast roughly ten metres long with a short neck, a medium
sized tail and planks covered in green algae growing out of
its back’. If you instantly thought ‘stegosaurus’ then you are
in agreement with many who have studied the tale of this
creature. It originates from the Republic of the Congo and
has been seen only near two villages - Bounila and Ebolo.
26. Ninki Nanka: this Dragon-like creature of West African
folklore
is large and dangerous. Inhabiting the swamps
of the region, the beast eats children who disobey their
parents by venturing into its territory. A number of people
claim to have seen the Ninki Nanka, and as recently as 2006
there have been expeditions to Gambia to try and find the
monster.
of the region, the beast eats children who disobey their
parents by venturing into its territory. A number of people
claim to have seen the Ninki Nanka, and as recently as 2006
there have been expeditions to Gambia to try and find the
monster.
27. Popobawa: should you be sitting outside your homestead
on
the Tanzanian island of Pemba late one night, and begin
to smell a strange sulphurous odour, it is time to run or fight
to smell a strange sulphurous odour, it is time to run or fight
- Popobawas are about
to attack. These terrifying shape-
shifters most often take the form of giant bats, although they
can transmute at will between this and human form. Belief
in the Popobawas continues to this day in the region, and
as recently as 2007 there were mass panics due to reported
attacks by these awful beasts. Should you be the subject
of their wrath, you are forced to tell your friends - as the
Popobawas will continue their visits to you if you not do so.
shifters most often take the form of giant bats, although they
can transmute at will between this and human form. Belief
in the Popobawas continues to this day in the region, and
as recently as 2007 there were mass panics due to reported
attacks by these awful beasts. Should you be the subject
of their wrath, you are forced to tell your friends - as the
Popobawas will continue their visits to you if you not do so.
28. Jengu: the Sawa people of Cameroon have legends that tell
of
mermaid-like figures who live in both fresh and saltwater.
With gap-toothed smiles and long woolly hair they bring
good fortune (such as curing disease) to those who worship
them.
With gap-toothed smiles and long woolly hair they bring
good fortune (such as curing disease) to those who worship
them.
29. Mokele-mbembe: whereas Mbielu-Mbielu-Mbielu is said to
resemble
a stegosaurus, Mokele-mbembe has the appearance of a
sauropod such as a diplodocus. Dwelling in the waters of the Congo River basin, there have been many real-life
expeditions to try and spot the creature, none successful. Similar
in nature to the stories of the Loch Ness Monster, one
must wonder whether it is truly possible for a species of dinosaur to have survived into the modern day in
one of the least explored areas on the planet...
30. Rompo: perhaps one of the most interesting ‘hybrid’ animal
legends
of Africa, the Rompo has the head of a hare (but
with the ears of a human), a skeletal body, the front arms
of a badger and the hind legs of a bear. The only food this
creature eats is human corpses, and when it does find a tasty
morsel it sings as it swallows the sweet dead flesh.
with the ears of a human), a skeletal body, the front arms
of a badger and the hind legs of a bear. The only food this
creature eats is human corpses, and when it does find a tasty
morsel it sings as it swallows the sweet dead flesh.
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