Folklore
Adze
A being in the beliefs of the Ewe people of West Africa, said to possess people, who are then treated as witches.
Before you read on. Among the Ewe, saying someone is possessed by an adze is a witchcraft accusation. It falls mostly on women, including women without children or thought to envy co-wives, and also on old and poor people (Atlas Obscura, 2020; Wikipedia).
Something ToldObscurity 7 of 7
Folklore
Buda, the Ethiopian evil eye
The evil eye in Ethiopian belief. Others pin the buda label on artisan and manual-labour castes and on Beta Israel, Ethiopian Jews.
Before you read on. In Ethiopia others put the buda label on artisan and manual-labour castes, including ironworkers, and on Beta Israel (Ethiopian Jews). Finneran (Folklore, 2003) writes that landless artisans are widely looked down on by farming groups although only economic status sets them apart, and Wikipedia says mixing with them is treated as sinful.
Something ToldObscurity 7 of 7
Disputed
Gambo, the Gambian sea creature
On 12 June 1983, Owen Burnham and three relatives came across the carcass of a large sea creature at Bungalow Beach on The Gambia's coast. Cryptozoologist Karl Shuker and others recorded his account.
Someone Who Was ThereObscurity 7 of 7
Folklore
Impundulu, the lightning bird
The impundulu, or lightning bird, is a witch's familiar in the beliefs of South Africa's Pondo, tied to thunder and lightning. Monica Hunter recorded it in 1936, and a Port Elizabeth paper explained it in 2005.
Before you read on. Monica Hunter (1936) recorded that the impundulu is always kept by a female witch. In 2005 The Herald, Port Elizabeth, explained the belief in its report on an attack on a toddler, which its headline blamed on the killer's belief in omens and spirits.
Something ToldObscurity 7 of 7
Folklore
Obayifo
Obayifo is the Ashanti Twi word for a person, typically a woman, said to practise witchcraft. R. S. Rattray's Ashanti (1923) describes such witches as hated and feared beings that prey on the human body.
Before you read on. An obayifo is a living person, usually a woman, said to practise witchcraft. The Guardian reported in 2010 that six people in Ghana were on trial accused of burning a woman of 72 to death because they took her for a witch. Duodu's report is about witchcraft accusation in Ghana generally.
Something ToldObscurity 7 of 7
Folklore
Popobawa
Popobawa is a night attacker of Zanzibar belief, said to sexually assault people in their sleep. Reports go back to 1965 on Pemba, with scares peaking in 1995 and returning in 2000 and 2007.
Before you read on. During the scare Henriette Jansen described in Tanzanian Affairs (1996), a man was killed who had been named as Popobawa. It was then announced that he was a mental patient, a mainlander, who had travelled to Zanzibar to be treated.
Something ToldObscurity 7 of 7
Claimed sighting
The Tehran UFO incident of 1976
Early on 19 September 1976, people in Tehran reported a bright light overhead, and Iranian Air Force F-4 jets were sent up to intercept it.
Someone Who Was ThereObscurity 3 of 7
Folklore
Tokoloshe
A small, harmful water spirit of Nguni belief, said in South African sources to be made or sent by witches to cause illness or death.
Before you read on. Belief in the tokoloshe has been tied to violence against young children in South Africa: IOL reported in 2001 that a man was convicted of murdering a baby he believed was a tokoloshe, and The Herald in 2005 linked an attack on a toddler to the killer's belief in omens and spirits. A 2015 study places the tokoloshe within a fear of witchcraft that affects social cohesion in South Africa.
Something ToldObscurity 7 of 7
Folklore
Wadi al-Jinn
Wadi al-Baida, known as Wadi al-Jinn, is a valley in al-Baida Park about 30 km northwest of Medina, Saudi Arabia, where cars left out of gear seem to roll uphill. Many people credit jinn, Arab News reported; Wikipedia calls it an optical illusion.
Somewhere You Can GoObscurity 7 of 7