Ninki Nanka
A Ninki Nanka is a legendary creature in West African folklore. Descriptions of the creature vary across different tribes, but most contend that the animal is reptilian. It is depicted as having the head of a crocodile with the body of a donkey or a blend of hippopotamus and giraffe, and sometimes simply as a large snake.[1] Some accounts of the legendary creature describe it as a 9m or 30-foot long marsh-dwelling beast having a body like that of a crocodile and long neck like that of a giraffe with a horse's head along with three horns.[2] Common across descriptions is its believed fatal stare, akin to Medusa, which is said to cause death upon eye contact. Folklore advises carrying mirrors to deflect its gaze.[1] The animal is said to be extremely large and very dangerous.
According to tradition, the Ninki Nanka lives in swamps. It is said that when children get too confident and feel they can disobey their parents and go into the swamp they will be taken by the creature. Its tales were never recorded in any sort of non-modern text but the story of it has spread from tribe to tribe all over Africa. There is a song called "Ninki Nanka" on the album Casamance au clair de lune (1984) by the Senegalese music group Touré Kunda.[citation needed]
A group of "dragon hunters" from the Centre for Fortean Zoology (CFZ) went to Gambia in the summer of 2006 to investigate the Ninki Nanka and take testimony from those who have claimed to have seen the mythical creature. One interviewee who claimed to have had an encounter with a Ninki Nanka said it looked similar to an image of a Chinese dragon. The expedition, known as the "J. T. Downes Memorial Gambia Expedition 2006", received a fair amount of media attention, including coverage in a BBC Online article.[3]
In popular culture
Ninki Nanka are featured in the 2021 fantasy novel, Skin of the Sea by Natasha Bowen. It is also depicted in the 2022 fantasy novel, "Moon Witch, Spider King" by Marlon James.
The creature is featured on "Ninki Nanka; Kikiyaon," episode 13 of Destination Truth's season 2.
References
- ^ a b "Exploring the Gambia's new Ninki Nanka Trail". National Geographic. 2021-10-01. Retrieved 2024-07-13.
- ^ "The monster detectives: on the trail of the Ninki-Nanka". The Independent. July 12, 2006.
- ^ "Hunt for Gambia's mythical dragon". 2006-07-14. Retrieved 2023-01-26.
External links
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