The Obayifo (pronounced oh-bay-EE-fo) is the West African version of the vampire, although it differs from the more common European view of the blood-seeking demon. Known by a few names – obeyifo, asiman, and asanbosam, although some differences exist between them – the Obayifo is often considered to be an evil witch who feeds off…
Tag: African Vampire
African Vampires
Africa is a land rich in beauty and history. This gorgeous continent isn’t only home to jaw-dropping scenery and ferocious wildlife, but also to some of the most unique vampire legends out there. As I have said in the past, nearly every country, ever culture, has their own vampire myths and vampire species – Africa…
The African Tikoloshe
A kind of psychic vampire, the tikoloshe (or tokoloshe) is a creature of the Xhosa people of Lisotho and the southernmost African plains. Like many supernatural beings in Africa, the tikoloshe is a mixture of vampire and demon, and has a strong association with witches and sorcerers. In many Xhosa legends the tikoloshe is a…
Adze; firefly vampire of Africa
Who would guess that a firefly is among the most dangerous vampire in the world? In southern Togo and Ghana, the Ewe people have a myth of such a vampire, called the Adze. The Adze is a type of vampire creature who turns itself into a firefly or other insect to feed before returning to…
Sexy But Deadly
Vampire lore time! Well, actually today’s vampire species is more of a vampire-like entity, but hey, it drinks down human blood so we’ll count it. The impundulu is the ravenous blood drinker I’m talking about, it hails from the eastern Cape region of Africa. This bloodsucker is actually a witch’s servant, or rather, her familiar.…
Witchy Vampires
There’s a handful of vampires throughout folklore, all different kinds of flavors and species. Some of these vampires aren’t your classic cape wearing, coffin sleeping, crucifix fearing kinda vamps; there was a time when some parts of the world believed certain witches and sorcerers were vampires. There are a number of witchy vampire myths out…