BY TRADITION

Zanzibari and coastal Swahili folklore

1 record of Zanzibari and coastal Swahili folklore — the beings, warnings and stories the tradition keeps, with sources.

PopobawaShapeshifter · Tanzania · ZanzibarA feared shetani of Zanzibar and the Swahili coast, named for the bat-wing shadow of its night visits rather than any single body. Accounts describe a shapeshifter that enters houses, attacks sleepers, and binds victims by forcing the story to be told.