Obayifo
Encyclopedia
An obayifo is a vampire
-like mythological creature from West Africa
coming from the folklore of the Ashanti. It is known as asiman by the Dahomey
people. The obayifo was also considered a kind of witch. In Ashanti folklore, obayifo are very common and may inhabit the bodies of ordinary people. They are described as having shifty eyes and being obsessed with food. When travelling at night they are said to emit a phosphorescent light from their armpits and anus
.
Obayifo are believed to kill children by remotely sucking their blood and to enter the bodies of animals to attack humans. They are also said to suck the life from the land and weaken crops, particularly cacao.
The Obayifo is also said to be able to travel as a ball of light.
Vampire
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
-like mythological creature from West Africa
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...
coming from the folklore of the Ashanti. It is known as asiman by the Dahomey
Dahomey
Dahomey was a country in west Africa in what is now the Republic of Benin. The Kingdom of Dahomey was a powerful west African state that was founded in the seventeenth century and survived until 1894. From 1894 until 1960 Dahomey was a part of French West Africa. The independent Republic of Dahomey...
people. The obayifo was also considered a kind of witch. In Ashanti folklore, obayifo are very common and may inhabit the bodies of ordinary people. They are described as having shifty eyes and being obsessed with food. When travelling at night they are said to emit a phosphorescent light from their armpits and anus
Anus
The anus is an opening at the opposite end of an animal's digestive tract from the mouth. Its function is to control the expulsion of feces, unwanted semi-solid matter produced during digestion, which, depending on the type of animal, may be one or more of: matter which the animal cannot digest,...
.
Obayifo are believed to kill children by remotely sucking their blood and to enter the bodies of animals to attack humans. They are also said to suck the life from the land and weaken crops, particularly cacao.
The Obayifo is also said to be able to travel as a ball of light.