Myths. Monsters. Legends. The Supernatural.
In my opinion, it is safe to say that we all - or at least a great majority of people on this planet - grew up with some fairytales that were native to our area, town, or country, or that were read from books.
Being African, I had my fair share of myths and whatnot, as this place is one where matters of the supernatural bear much weight and are of mighty importance. Yet, in school, I read books like Robin Hood and learned a lot about Greek Mythology, so I am familiar with foreign myths.
I've decided to focus on the legends, myths, and monsters native to my country, Nigeria. Most were scary, all were interesting, and some very much sounded like stories parents kept in their arsenal to employ when they needed to use fear to make children behave well. Do some bear truth? Well, we know that facts - which can be established using the scientific method - have no place in matters concerning the supernatural.
Science cannot verify or prove the existence of ghosts, of the loch ness monster and others, so what we hear professionals alluding sightings of these entities to mass hysteria or some other mental disorder. But then again, there are so many phenomena that modern science cannot explain, so what do you say about that?
I leave you to be the judge.
Let's start with a legend, and the person I'd like to talk about here is none other than the iconic Moremi (in Yoruba, Mọremí Àjàṣorò).
MOREMI
She was a legendary queen of Yoruba land, a tribe from West Africa. She was married to Oranmiyan, the son of Oduduwa whi was the fist king of Ife.
According to the legend, she lived in the 12 century and is known for rescuing Ife from the onslaught of the Ugbo (or Forest) people, whom they were at war with. The Ugbo people made slaves of the Yorubas. The Ugbo people were seen as spirits, as masquerades wearing raffia leaves,
According to legend, Moremi pledged a sacrifice to the Spirit of the River Esubmirin so that she could discover the strength of her enemies. She was then taken as a slave and then anointed as a queen due to her beauty. After discovering the secret of their enemy's; weakness, which was Fire, she escaped back to Ife, and they were able to conquer the Ugbo People.
However, the Spirit of the Esinmirin River revealed that the sacrifice was to be Moremi's only son, Oluorogbo. She pleaded with god for something else but later kept her promise. This offering grieved the whole kingdom of Ufe, and so the Yoruba people offered themselves as her eternal children.
A modern-day legacy is the Edi Festival wi=hich is celebrated to this day to remember Moremi's heroic acts and sacrifice.
MADAM KOI KOI
If the last story made you happy because of the heroine and icon that Moremi was, this one is sure to frighten you.
If you ever attended a boarding school in Nigeria, especially a girls' school, or if you ask one of the girls what the most famous urban legend there is, I'm sure you'd hear the name Madam Koi Koi 7 out of 10 times.
She's said to be a malevolent spirit that haunts hallways, dormitories, and toilets at night, and toilets and latecomers or late'-leavers during the day. Her activities at night are more popular in the stories I've heard anyway.
Her name comes from the distinct sound high-heeled shoes, most likely stilettos make when the wee=arer walks. The 'koi, koi, koi..."
There are many origin stories, but each has a few similarities. This is for the Nigerian Version, check out the Wikipedia article for more information. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madam_Koi_Koi
She was a teacher in a boarding school, notable for her very good looks and bright red heels
She was a wicked teacher, known for beating her students.
Somehow, she died, either in an accident (after she was sacked for injuring a student) or beaten to death by students (because the school managemt=ent refused to checkmate her.)
She returns during the nights to haunt the aforementioned places, other just haunting students or making the students who see her disappear and in some stories, killing them.
The story is regarded as nothing more than an urban legend, at least by the grown-up. But most freshmen were scared by these chilling tales, courtesy of mischievous seniors.
BUSH BABY
Another chilling myth.
Don't mistake it for the actual animal, the bush baby is from a story used to scare young ones into staying indoors and avoiding the outdoor life especially at night
According to the myth, bushbabies exist in the forests and cry like human babies, drawing naive children towards the source of the noise. Whoever tried this would never be seen again, presumed to be eaten alive by the evil spirit.
OROMA/REBECCA
This is another less popular legend among girls in boarding schools. According to the myth, she had the finest, neatest braids in the school, and everyone was interested in her hairdresser, but she never revealed her identity.
One night, one of her roommates woke up in the middle of the night and let out a terrifying scream when she saw the headless girl seated on her bed, plaiting her own hair.
That's all for the myths,
While I do not believe in most of these myths here, I do believe in the supernatural. In ghosts, in spirits, and an afterlife. It's just a personal thing. As I said, science cannot explain everything, and you can't pin everything on hysterics.
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That aside, all the stories are just so interesting. What about you? Have any stories of yours to share?
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Can't tell if they can be counted as ghost stories too but that bush baby creeped me out. Made me wonder if you guys gave it like a physical representation