Sasabonsam
The Asasabonsam, or more commonly Sasabonsam,[1] is a vampire-like folkloric being from the Akan people. It belongs to the folklore of the Akan of southern Ghana, as well as Côte d'Ivoire, Togo[2] and 18th century Jamaica from enslaved Akan.[3] It is said to have iron teeth, pink skin, long red hair and iron hooks for feet and lives in trees, attacking from above.[1]
In mythology, it is usually portrayed as an archetypical ogre; according to A Dictionary of World Mythology:
...the hairy Sasabonsam has large blood-shot eyes, long legs, and feet pointing both ways. Its favourite trick is to sit on the high branches of a tree and dangle its legs so as to entangle the unwary hunter.
Both the ogre and vampire versions have iron teeth.
References
- ^ a b Konstantinos (1996). Vampires: The Occult Truth. Llewellyn Worldwide. p. 27. ISBN 1-56718-380-8.
- ^ Bunson, Matthew (1993). The Vampire Encyclopedia. London: Thames & Hudson. p. 11. ISBN 0-500-27748-6.
- ^ Long, Edward (1774). The History of Jamaica Or, A General Survey of the Ancient and Modern State of that Island: With Reflexions on Its Situation, Settlements, Inhabitants, Climate, Products, Commerce, Laws, and Government. Vol. Volume 2. pp. 445–475.
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