Al-Naddaha (El Naddaha)
Al-Naddaha, whose name means the caller, is a figure of Egyptian folklore who lures people with her voice from the Nile and its canals. The story is best known in rural Egypt.
Egyptian Streets, in a 2021 feature, describes El Naddaha, whose name means the caller, as an Egyptian jinn said to roam at night looking for fresh blood. Her sign, it says, is a sad song rising from the river. The piece likens her to the Sirens of Greek myth: she draws in unfaithful men, or the curious, with a sweet and sorrowful voice.
Wikipedia says the origin of the legend is not known. The story peaked in the 20th century, while Egypt was more rural and people spent more time by the Nile and its canals: children played on the banks once school was out, and young men talked there at night. The story has faded in the cities, Wikipedia says, though young people still know it and it is well known in the countryside.
The name also belongs to El Naddaha, an Egyptian film of 1975 directed by Hussein Kamal and produced by Magda Films. Magda, Shoukry Sarhan, Shwikar, Ihab Nafie and Mervat Amin star in it. According to Arabic Wikipedia, Mustafa Kamal and Assem Tawfik wrote it from a story of the same name by Yusuf Idris. The sources do not say how the film treats the legend.
"The exact origin of this legend is unknown. The story was more popular during the 20th century when Egypt was less urban than it is now, and people would spend more time close to the Nile and the Nile's water canals. Children would play by its shores after school, and young men would chat there at night. The myth has become less popular in urban areas at present, though it is still familiar to the youth, and well known in rural Egypt."
- El Naddaha: Egypt's Eerie Urban Legend, Egyptian Streets (2021)
- النداهة (فيلم) (El Naddaha, 1975 film), Arabic Wikipedia