Tikoloshe
In Zulu mythology, "Tikoloshe" or "Tokoloshe" (from the Xhosa word "uthikoloshe"), also called "Hili", is a [dwarf]-like water-sprite. He has only one arm and one leg, and is considered a mischievous and evil spirit. He can become invisible by swallowing a pebble, and comes out of the water to make unlawful love to women, or to fight men; if he loses the fight, he will teach the man magic and healing. The Tokoloshe is sometimes called upon by malevolent people to cause trouble for others, and a witch doctor ("n'anga", "Sangoma") may be called to banish him. Most of the time only children can see the Tokoloshe; he shows kindness towards them and it is not unusual for a friendship to develop. In most Southern African countries the Tokoloshe myth is very well known; many people even find ways to lift their bed higher off the ground so that the Tokoloshe cannot reach them. They truly fear this "creature" and most people will have an interesting story about their encounter with the Tokoloshe. Some people are afraid to mention its name. There is even a UFO connection to the Tokoloshe. On September 16th, 1994, three UFO's were seen hovering over Ariel School, in Ruwa, Zimbabwe. In Zimbabwe, UFOs are so common that local people have an indigenous word for the flying saucer, "ruserwa". One of the spacecraft landed, and a small being with long black hair and large eyes emerged. The being satisfied many descriptions of the tokoloshe, and some pupils took it to be one, and fled for their lives.
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