In
Yoruba mythology
The Yoruba people (, , ) are a West African ethnic group that mainly inhabit parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. The areas of these countries primarily inhabited by Yoruba are often collectively referred to as Yorubaland. The Yoruba constitute ...
, Egbere is a
malevolent spirit
In mythology and folklore, a vengeful ghost or vengeful spirit is said to be the spirit of a dead person who returns from the afterlife to seek revenge for a cruel, unnatural or unjust death. In certain cultures where funeral and burial or crema ...
that inhabits woods and is seen at night.
It is said to be short, owns a (small) mat, and cries all the time.
[Jimoh, Shaykh Luqman. "The Yoruba concept of spirit husband and the Islamic belief in intermarriage between jinn and man: A comparative discourse". ''International Conference on Humanities, Literature and Management (ICHLM'15), Jan. 9-10, 2015, Dubai (UAE)''. 2015, p. 1.] Also that whoever takes the mat of wealth from him will be rich beyond imagination.
References
Yoruba mythology
West African legendary creatures
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