Growing up in Nigeria, we got exposed to a lot of cultural myths. I think some of these will make great materials for novels and movies like "Lord of the rings" etc.

If you know any good myths or legends share them here in brief.
Here are some I know:

1. Moving Trees - In northern Nigeria (Zaria) where I schooled there was a myth about big baobab cotton trees that moved at night and kidnap anyone whom the catch lurking about and imprison them in their trunks.

2. Inedible Fish - In Kogi state, there is said to be a river called the "Inachalo River" (or something of the sort. The legend is that the river is cursed and no matter how long one boils a fish caught from that river it will always remain raw. It is also said that any injury which a person receives from the bones of the fishes from the river will never heal.

3. Forbidden Orchad - There is said to be a wild enchanted orchard in the forests of Benue state where bountiful fruits grow all year round. Anyone who finds it may eat to his/her fill but if you attempt to remove so much as a seed from there then you will remain lost until you eat it or throw it down.

4. It was believed in the north that when a whirl wind is blowing, if one is bold and agile enough to run into the eye of the storm and catch leaves swirling around, it would turn to money.


please share some of yours.

In my part of Igboland,its forbidden to blow whistles at night.

In some parts of Nigeria, you are only allowed to walk into a room where someone died, backwards. This is supposed to give the spirits hovering in the room ample time to vanish (or something like that). Violators risk getting slapped by an angry spirit.

Funeral + Coronation In Idoma land, the king (Och'Idoma) is not meant to be mourned when he dies so his funeral is held at the sametime as his coronation.

In some parts of igboland,Its forbidden to sleep with ur legs facing the door,they said its only spirits that sleep that way.
Its forbidden to go pick wild cherry early in the evening.Spirits love playing by the cherry trees and they most times congregrate under the cherry trees at evenings.
You dont go to some streams after 6 pm and 5 am and if u must go,when u get to the stream,u have to clap and wait for some minutes b4 advancing further,reason,the water faries might be playing,ur clapping is meant to inform them of ur presence and give them time to disperse.
LOL

hmm where I come from

A pregnant woman is not allowed to come in contact with Masquerades
-or else your unborn child will end up looking like the masquerade (effing lie)
and women do not go close to Ikuba shrine

this explains why the curse of poverty has our country and continent enchained. so much withcraft ;no invention.

In Yorubaland, a pregnant woman or a baby should not go close to (or see) a corpse , (I do not know the consequence)

It is forbidden to publicly roast yam or plantain (for sale) in ijare, ondo state. (i don't know the consequences). Weird.

it is also forbidden to publicly display palm fruits in Benin, Edo state. (i hear u get to lose your head if you are caught)

in Igboland, it is forbidden to eat new yam b4 august

1. Forbidden to stand broom upside down -it attracts snakes they say.

2. Forbidden to look your face in d mirror by midnigth.if u do,u ll see ndemor

3.A mensurating woman must not pass through a particular road where
  a certain juju shrine is located,if she try-am,whenever she gives birth,
   she will give birth to a sickler.

4.Donot use the axe to brake firewood when hen and chicks have gone to roost.

5.To separate a siamese plantain,do it behind your back.i still observe dis one to
date,still dont why though.

6."sleep" with an osu sexx partner,u get nodes in ur privatte parts

Very Interesting Thread.

In my side of igbo, marrying an osu (outcast) makes u an osu too. Though our parents try to convince themselves it doesnt actually mean nothing these days, but wen the chips are down, they make such a fuss about it

Walking across the legs of anyone who is sitting or lying down; bad bad mojo

In Boarding schools across Nigeria, the myths of Lady Koi Koi and bush babies is still being propagated.

Bush baby in Nigerian schools; A fearsome midget with large red eyes, long teeth, claws and ability to multiply. A weird Aki-Popo/Gremlin hybrid, liable to drag you off into the underworld and snack on you, if you were too small to struggle.

Real bush baby; Small, cute, furry nocturnal primate that feeds primarily on insects and fruits

While growing up, we were told that India was the best country in EVERY sport, and that they're so good that they were banned from the Olympics and the World Cup.

Anybody heard that myth?

this is one very interesting topic or post. as a nigerian, a very cultural one for that matter I am loving this topic and the responses therein. Keep it up guys so that we may learn more about the cultural myths, norm and values around us.

I am from that part of Kogi State where the poster mention the 'fish that never gets cooked' even though I haven't tried it out myself for fear of the unknown I believe that its more than a myth.

Hoping to hear and learn from you guys.

cheers, Me

Dont whistle at night.

A rainbow signifies a tiger giving birth or a python chilling by the side of the river.

a citroen can fly - literarily

@tomX:

Inedible Fish - In Kogi state, there is said to be a river called the "Inachalo River" (or something of the sort. The legend is that the river is cursed and no matter how long one boils a fish caught from that river it will always remain raw. It is also said that any injury which a person receives from the bones of the fishes from the river will never heal.

I know this river very well and we used to fetch water there anytime our school generator had problems and could not power the waterworks engine. One would see the fishes swimming about but we were warned never to kill any of the fishes.

Who would dare in another man's land far away from home!!

There is a myth about always wetting salt that falls on the ground or anywhere, because leaving it would cause misunderstandings in the household.
There was also another one about never lifting a baby high in the air at the early evening period because it was believed that spirits flew at that time.
And another about always stabbing the ground with a knife if you hit a person with that knife by mistake, I dont know the reason for that one.

All u guys are chickening out of the most widespread and obvious myth in Naija;

that there is juju! or witches and wizards, who fly at nite (i wonder what they do during the day, sleep? hmmmm!)
imagine how silly it is for one to take his (or her) money, to a fellow human and, maybe say, i wan kill dat man, e do me so so and so, and then? na wa!

i bet some people will send witches to come camp for that iroko street wen dey across from my house, oh dear!
man don dey shake

In my place of Igbo land, we were told not to call snake by there name in the night, if u does that snake will come to pay u a visit same night

its a taboo to sweep and pack the dirt in the night.

i heard its also not good to sleep with a dark cloth cos they bring bad dreams.

there is this believe that if you kill a wall gecko all the spoons in your house will disappear

RichyBlacK:

While growing up, we were told that India was the best country in EVERY sport, and that they're so good that they were banned from the Olympics and the World Cup.

Anybody heard that myth?

yes o, i know that one. In fact in the version i heard, India was banned from sports after a football match with Naija; naija lost 100:1
My uncle told that one (if i remember correctly); he said India played with 22 players - 11 playing on the ground and 11 playing in the air, so sometimes the ball will be kicked into the air and it'll remain there being kicked around by india's eleven iin the air until it is kicked into naija's goal post!! Sometimes too, the ball is kicked at Naija's goal-keeper and the ball will suddenly turn into a huge head of palm-fruit! of course the poor keeper dives away for dear life and the thingy turns back into a football and speeds into Naija's net!!

Chai, i'm laughing myself to splinters just remembering this.

in my village you can't kill a snake, the snakes (Eke Njaba) are the owners of the land, and if they enter your home you have to offer then food and treat them as a human guest, then remove them with a stick when time comes.

a child cannot see the grave of, the picture or any likeness of the person they're reincarnated from

There's a certain pen you can't use because it has a witch on it and that witch will put a spell on you

@amirach, LOLOL.
How will the spoons disappear? By growing legs and running away abi the wall-gheko's relatives would come and carry your spoons away out of anger? In my side the myth is that when you kill a wall-gheko, you would wet the bed in your sleep that night.
And there is another one I know of about how a millipede would always be found with the body parts close together if it was killed and one part of the body was taken far away from the other part.

There is this Junction in Ota ogun state that you must not point a finger to someone or something.

There is a tree in this OTA ogun state that when you cut the trunk it bleeds (real blood).

I also heard about a building where babies voices are heard in the evening time.

A lot of them !!!

in my place(urhobo,delta state) u dont cut fire wood with axe when the moon has risen. reason u will turn 2 the statue in the moon.the moon has a statue with a woman carring a baby on her back.check well

In my place, you don't point a Kolanut fruit with your finger, you have to fold your hand in a punch to do that, else, the kolanut tree will never bear fruits again.

All these myths are like scientific hypothesis that needs to be proved, that's what distinguish a black man and a white man. For fear of death, a black man will never question any myth, but a white man will die pursuing the truth.

Before, it was believed that the earth is the centre of the universe, but today we know the truth,

Twins are evil, but today we know the truth.

on my last visit to my mom's place in anambra:

i and my family were watching a dance program on tv.
a dancing midget (pgymy) appeared on the tv.
my pregnant aunt screamed and her husband and my grandparents forced
her to leave the room.

my sister and i just looked at each other.

Iyara:

Walking across the legs of anyone who is sitting or lying down; bad bad mojo

In Boarding schools across Nigeria, the myths of Lady Koi Koi and bush babies is still being propagated.

Bush baby in Nigerian schools; A fearsome midget with large red eyes, long teeth, claws and ability to multiply. A weird Aki-Popo/Gremlin hybrid, liable to drag you off into the underworld and snack on you, if you were too small to struggle.

Real bush baby; Small, cute, furry nocturnal primate that feeds primarily on insects and fruits

i remember that these.

@ topic,
dont get stranded @ obalande or oshodi. the boiz would teach you something new that you'd never forget.