Tokoloshe
In Zulu mythology, there is a devious creature named the Tokoloshe. It’s thought to be a dwarf-like water sprite that can become invisible by drinking water or swallowing stones. They prey on you at night while you’re asleep and can cause illness and death of their victims. The best way to counteract them is to place your bed on a couple of bricks.
Tokoloshe
A tokoloshe can only be summoned by an evil witch doctor. While there are different summoning processes, the one I found to be most common was also the most disturbing. It goes a bit like this. A jealous person who’s been crossed or betrayed will go to an evil witch doctor to exact vengeance on the person that crossed them. The payment? That would be the soul of a loved one promised by the jealous person. However, that person doesn’t get to choose who the tokoloshe will take, or when. The tokoloshe will do their dirty work, and, in time, return for the soul. It’s pretty horrific and makes you wonder who the evilest being truly is. That’s just the beginning. Once everything is settled between the client and the witch doctor, the witch doctor must find a corpse to begin the summoning and possession for the tokoloshe to take physical form. Once a corpse is located, the witch doctor must pierce its eye sockets and brain with a hot iron rod. The reason for this is so that the being cannot think for itself and only obey the will of its master. After that, the witch doctor will sprinkle the body with a special powder to shrink it. When the process is complete, the witch doctor will release it and set it loose to terrorize its intended target. Then, weeks, months, or years later, the tokoloshe will come for its payment.
KwaZulu Natal
For centuries, the tokoloshe have been terrifying the Zulu people (and other indigenous South African tribes). They can cause all sorts of different, and often, tragic events. Many stories have been told of the impish creature using its skeletal-like hands to reach down and strangle people in their sleep. They’ve also been known to impregnate virgins, who will then give birth to a monstrosity, usually killing the mother in the process.
Drawn Rendition of a Tokoloshe
Works Cited
Bartlett, S. (n.d.). Durban Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa. In S. Bartlett, Guide to the World's Supernatural Places (p. 118). Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Partners, LLC.
Pfeifle, T. (2019, February 16). The Tokoloshe. Retrieved from Astonishing Legends: https://www.astonishinglegends.com/astonishing-legends/2019/2/16/the-tokoloshe
Suder, I. (2001, November 27). Man Who Cried 'tokoloshe' Guilty of Murder. Retrieved from IOL: https://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/man-who-cried-tokoloshe-guilty-of-murder-77567
