Tikoloshe

The Tokoloshe, also Tokolosh, Tokoloshi or Tikoloshe, is a dwarfish, evil mythical creatures in the mythology of the Zulu.

The Xhosa word uTikoloshe can be roughly small mind 'or' Little Devil ' to be translated. It is derived possibly from the isiXhosa - term uthikoloshe.

The tokoloshe is usually can be seen only by children, against which he also shows kindness and often builds up a friendship. Often Tokoloshe is associated with a spirit, which is summoned to hurt one another, which explains why the Tokoloshe spread great terror. This is said to hide under the bed and attack in his sleep. In the southern parts of Africa, some people increase their beds therefore with bricks to protect themselves from the Tokoloshe, as they assume that it is only 20-30 cm tall, and therefore the increased bed can not reach. Even the utterance of the name is avoided by many because it is feared he could appear on it. The fear Tokoloshe also leads to a certain fear of frogs and snakes, as it can be manifested in these animals supposedly.

Many myths surround the Tokoloshe. The different peoples of South Africa also often have a different description of the spirit. They all have in common that the Tokoloshe is represented as a dwarf, hairy beings, now and again as an undead, where the size, which is usually less than one meter, is explained by the fact that in reviving the corpse shrinks the body, wrinkled and is black and therefore the typical appearance gets a Tokoloshe. The author Eric Rosenthal describes the Tokoloshe in his book, They Walk By Night (1949 ) as not much bigger than a baboon, but without a tail, while tight black fur on black skin. " His hands and feet are those of a mere mortal, but you never hear him speak. He shuns the light of day ... and his deeds are limitless cruel and vindictive. "The Tokoloshe want any harm to humans, but is only dangerous for him if it is controlled by an evil wizard. According to the myths of the Tokoloshe has the power to kill a man, supposedly he can also make invisible, but this is not recorded in all narratives.

The only way it is to protect themselves from Tokoloshe to call a n'anga ( shamans ), which has the power to expel Tokoloshe. Other stories in turn imply that the Tokoloshe is only caused by a n'anga when about this has been insulted by a person to whom he attaches the evil spirit then.

• African mythology
• Zulu
• Dwarf ( mythology)