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Isitwalangcengce
The Isitwalangcengce is a mythical creature from Zulu legends in South Africa. It was described as being shaped like a hyena with a very broad head that functioned as a basket. During times of famine, it moved closer to villages seeking humans to consume. It waits for children carrying pieces of meat and pulls both the meat and the child into its basket head. In the modern day, the Isitwalangcengce is used as a bogeyman figure, with parents saying it will carry off misbehaving children. It didn’t consume the entire human, but broke their heads open with rocks and consumed their spilled brains. There is a story of a man…
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Ijiraq/Ijiralik/Ijirait(pl)
The Ijiraq is a mythical creature from Inuit myth known to kidnap people. They are described as spirit creatures, though in modern times they resemble people who can suddenly transform into caribou. They sometimes resemble humans with faces having muzzles, and wearing caribou skins. Most Ijirait are seen by shamans in spirit form, but some may see them manifested in the form of a caribou. Some believe the Ijirait are the spirits of people remaining on earth and others consider Ijirait to be the same as Tarriasuit. They have excellent eyesight and blink horizontally rather than vertically. Ijirait are known to run incredibly fast, and any humans kidnapped by them…
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Imandwa
The Imandwa is a higher form of ghost from Bantu myth. They are referred to as the “kings of ghosts” and are typically seen as ancestors who want to be remembered by their living family. Typically they are known by name. They bring goodwill to those who honor their memories, but become spiteful or mischievous and move objects when ignored. They can take great energy to restrain and are sometimes even worshipped. Citations: Maberry, Jonathan. Vampire Universe: The Dark World of Supernatural Beings That Haunt Us, Hunt Us, and Hunger for Us. United States, Kensington Publishing Corporation, 2006. Werner, Alice. Myths and Legends of the Bantu. United Kingdom, Cass, 1968.
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Ittan-Momen
The Ittan-Momen is a Yokai from Japan classified as a Tsukumogami. They look harmless, resembling a long strip of cloth, sometimes over 30 feet in length. They fly through the sky at night to search for sleeping victims. They wrap around their victims heads, crushing the skull and smothering the victim. If the trust of the Ittan-Momen is gained however, it enjoys being worn as a turban. Citations: Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia of Beasts and Monsters in Myth, Legend and Folklore. United States, McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2016.
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Isithfuntela
The Isithfuntela is from West Africa. They are created when witches enter the bodies of those who have committed suicide. The witch will cut out the corpse’s tongue and drive a wooden peg into its skull to bind it. They can also control them separately to themselves. They lack physical strength and cannot fight a healthy person one on one, but can shapeshift, often turning into bats and rats, and can hypnotize people. They can also raise the dead which turn to dust once the sun rises. They must feed on human blood to survive. They hypnotize their victims and drive wooden pegs into their brains to kill them, then…
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Isis
Isis is the Egyptian goddess of wisdom and magic, as well as the wife to Osiris. She is one of the daughters of Geb and Nut. She is seen as the mother to kings and is depicted as a human with a crown that has cow horns and a sun disk, though she may be depicted with the features of a hawk or just fully as a hawk. She has a symbol attributed to her known as the Tyet, or the Isis Knot. It is thought this symbol represents life and well-being, and some believe it to be a depiction of an ancient tampon. She saved Osiris when Set threw…
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Isholugo
The Isholugo are dangerous creatures of South African myth. They are thought to be Impundulu who have escaped magical binding and are no longer forced to serve any magic user. They have a wild bloodlust and are incredibly difficult to track. They can only be killed if they are contained and burned to remove their supernatural strength. Citations: Maberry, Jonathan. Vampire Universe: The Dark World of Supernatural Beings That Haunt Us, Hunt Us, and Hunger for Us. United States, Kensington Publishing Corporation, 2006.
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Irimu/Rimu/Izimu
The Irimu is from Wachaga myth. A man would become an Irimu by breaking some taboo. Descriptions of what it looks like varies. Sometimes it is a man who has brambles growing out of his body until he’s just a walking bush, and then he eats everyone. This form is cured by burning the bushes growing out of him. One story tells of one that got swept away in a river and got turned into a banana tree on the shore. A child took a banana and lost a finger in a type of sympathetic magic thing. Sometimes it is seen as an ogre-like creature. It is also sometimes in…
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Intulo
The Intulo is a creature from Zulu mythology in South Africa. It’s thought to be a cross between a human, and a lizard or alligator. Originally in the Zulu creation myth, everything was immortal before it was decided everything should die. Intulo became the messenger of death and has since become a bogeyman figure. It has also occasionally been sighted in rural areas. Citations: Maberry, Jonathan. Vampire Universe: The Dark World of Supernatural Beings That Haunt Us, Hunt Us, and Hunger for Us. United States, Kensington Publishing Corporation, 2006.
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Intaka Yezulu
The Intaka Yezulu is a creature from South Africa, and a variation of the Impundulu. It’s name translates to “bird of the sky”, and it appears as a big white bird with a red beak and red legs. It may sometimes take the form of a handsome man to seduce women, and then drain them of their blood. The flapping of their wings makes thunder, and their droppings become lightning. Their very presence can cause miscarriages and hemorrhages. They possess the ability to control eagles, owls, and hammerhead sharks and use them to find prey. Sometimes people bitten by the Intaka Yezulu turn into witches. They can be destroyed by…
