(Honestly wasn't sure if I would do this again, but here it is!!! Part one is here, Part two is here.)
Abiku (Yoruba, Nigeria)
"Born to die", Abiku are tree (specefically Iroko & Baobab) spirits that incarnate themselves as human children, only to die before puberty. And they do this again, and again, and again... if that sounds familiar, it is because Abiku are the Yoruba counterpart of the Igbo Ogbanje spirit. Unlike Ogbanje, Abiku do not seek to intentionally bring pain to their human mothers... except when they do. Additionally, Abiku are extremely associated with monkeys. According to legend, a pair of monkeys began stealing food from a farm. The farmer killed them, unaware of the magical powers that monkeys have (source: am a monke, trust me bro). The ghost of the two monkeys became abikus, reincarnating themselves as the twin children of the farmers wife only to die after a few years, and again, and again, and again... it was only after the farmer stopped killing other monkeys, per the advice of a local Babalawo, that the abiku twins stopped dying young, growing up to be humans with the powerful mystic abilities that all twins have (source: am a twin, trust me bro).
Eloko (Mongo, DRC)
The line between ghost and living monster in folklore all over Africa is seemingly nonexistant, a motif that repeats itself in the Eloko. The Eloko (plural: Biloko) are kind of dwarf-like being that dwell within the Congo rainforests, and they are the spirits of the ancestors who live in the forest. Biloko are also maneaters that like to target the wives of hunters who follow after their husbands into the bush. Biloko have grass for hair, bulging eyes, mouths that can open wide enough to swallow a person whole, long and razor sharp claws, are dressed in forest leaves, and carry magic bells that hypnotize people. If you hear the sound of a bell while within the rainforest, do not dare go near it. If Biloko had any memories from their previous life, they are long gone by now. All that remains is their grudge against the living...
Emere (Yoruba, Nigeria)
Another west african spirit that incarnates itself as a human child, Emere set themselves apart from both Ogbanje and Abiku in that they do not die young. Instead, Emere children have the ability to travel between the material world and spirit world at will, like a child that vanishes and comes back without telling theur parents where they have gone. Emere have intense spiritual powers, even stronger than witches, and are naturally extremely beautiful. Emere incarnate themselves because they want the best of both Heaven and Earth. Despite that, they give unconditional support to Heaven while on Earth, and are smart enough to hide their goals. But like other spirit children, Emere do die early. Graduations, Weddings, the birth of their first child, Emere's last day on Earth are always their happiest moment.
Mmuo (Igbo, Nigeria)
Brits have Fairies, Japanese have Yokai, and the Igbo tribe of Southeastern Nigeria have Mmuo (which can be translated as either 'spirit' or 'ghost'). While the word Mmuo includes all supernatural entities in Igbo culture, such as the extremely powerful and worshipped Alusi, it is more common for Mmuo to only be used for lesser spirits. Ancestor spirits, Nature spirits, and stranger beings are all called Mmuo and they can be good, evil, neither or all. What truly sets the Mmuo apart from other spirits is that they openly interact with humans during Masquerade festivals (called Mmanwu).
The Ajofia is the Mmuo of the Evil Forest, a kind of community graveyard where evil doers are allowed to rot above ground which prevents their body from returning to the Earth Mother's womb. The Ajofia spirit appears as a 10 foot tall mass of black hair billowing smoke covered in animal skulls, human masks, and living bugs. Despite the fear it inspires in people, it is a noble spirit of justice that doesn't hesitate to punish the wicked and is respected by the community.
The Mgbedike is a spirit associated with war, bravery, and men. They appear as a beastial man with bull horns, sharp teeth, and other intimidating features. Their dance during the Mmanwu is fierce and aggresive.
The Agbogho is the spirit of maidens, representing with the Igbo femminine ideal (Note: all of the masquraders in a Mmanwu are men, including the Agbogho). They appears as a beautiful, pale (cuz ghost), young woman, and perform a graceful dance that emphasizes their legs.
The Ijele is the king of the Mmanwu, appearing as a tower that 45 different Mmuo dance atop as it closes the Masquerade festival, and it has the power to bring good harvests and draw in evil doers with it's magic mirror before punishing them.
Alright, I need some answers for this cause it’s driving me up a wall, so if any West African, Nigerian or person familiar with West African (Nigerian) folklore can help me with this, I’d be very grateful (sorry both the books and the internet kept using the two locations interchangeably, and as such I’m not sure how widespread this creature/spirit is).
The Abiku. I got a book for Christmas about a ton of folklore and in it it describes them as such, “An insatiable demon of the night which prey upon the Yoruba people of West Africa…its diet consists of children…hide them [children] under mats or blankets so that Abiku will not find them…nobody seems to give a definite description of Abiku…shapeless as smoke…filter his {they only use masculine pronouns for it in the book I’m looking at at the moment} way through the densest thicket of jungle…no stomach (his principal peculiarity), and is therefor obliged to continuously eat.”
But then online, they’re described as spirits of death that latch onto children causing them illness and death, but besides the murder happy fun time with children only, it seems to be a completely different creature. The only other common ground is both versions mention they are arboreal spirits primarily.
So my question is, since the internet and books are not helping me and as much as I enjoy folklore, I’m quite ignorant on a decent chunk of African folklore (the libraries I had growing up really didn’t have much aside from Egyptian mythology and for some strange reason, Anansi stories), are these two separate spirits/creatures? Are they the same and just different aspects were highlighted/ignored in the other version? Is it a regional belief difference in the story? I swear I have tried for years to figure this out on my own, but when you can’t find sources, least of all reliable ones, it can drive you up a wall.
drew the grown up versions of my headcannon ship kids... foals... ponies? anyway, i totally forgot to put the info for 2 of them so im gonna ramble in the tags about them. theyre so silly
Back to Transplanar RPG posting! This is my first go at Abiku, I love her so much! This is also just a quick sketch and the first time I’ve drawn anything in a while, so please excuse the messiness (’:
[ID: A traditional sketch of Abiku from TransplanarRPG. Abiku is a reborn goliath with long locs up in a bun and clouds on her cheeks and shoulders. They are muscular, tall and regal, and their expression is calm. End ID]
Artist commentary: “Hi everyone, here is an artwork done for the amazing TCG Myth and Legends. Abiku, refers to the spirits of children who die before reaching puberty; a child who dies before twelve years of age being called an Abiku, and the spirit, or spirits, who caused the death being also called Abiku.
Not only is an abiku a spirit of a child who dies young, the belief is that the spirit returns to the same mother multiple times to be reborn multiple times. It is the belief that the spirit does not ever plan to "stay put in life" so it is "indifferent to the plight of its mother and her grief."
The spirits themselves are believed to live in trees, especially the iroko, baobab and silk-cotton species.”
