Africa’s mythical traditions are rich and diverse, offering a glass into the ideas of its ancient civilizations. One persistent myth is the Tokoloshe, a thing feared across southern Africa.
Descriptions of the Tokoloshe vary, but it is usually portrayed as a little, hairy figure with dark eyes and, dangerously, a very big penis that it throws over its head. This thing is said to cause physical and psychological misery for its victims, and is known for making mischief and injury.
A sophisticated god that serves both as a publisher god and as a course of spirits, the Jok, from the Acholi people of South Sudan and Uganda, is a complex deity. It is said that Jok created the universe and positioned divine body in the sky. According to tale, he again invited people to the heavens to engage in the fruit of the Tree of Life, but they refused, and he granted eternity to the sun, moon, and stars otherwise.
A well-known Xhosa star is connected to a healthy stone bridge along South Africa’s Wild Coast. A sea-dwelling male broke through a mountain to claim her as his wife, according to the tale. The woman disappeared into the water, never to be seen again.
In the Khoikhoi history, Heitsi-eibib is a noble figure known for his cunning and mystical power. He is most famous for tricking a demon called Ga-Gorib into falling into its own dangerous pit in order to defeat it.
Eventually, the Grootslang, or” Big Snake”, is a terrible thing from the Richtersveld area of South Africa. Described as a big serpent-elephant cross, the Grootslang is believed to live in a deep hole, guarding a stockpile of pearls. Legends of treasure hunters who vanished trying to reclaim its fortune include those who claim the beast’s size is so large that it can eat whole cattle.
Major image: Tokoloshe news headline, December 7, 1955, on sales in a store in the 19th District, Vienna, Austria. Origin: Toanke/CC BY-SA 3.0
