The Asanbosam, or more commonly Sasabonsam, is a

vampire A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mi ...

-like folkloric being from the

Akan people The Akan () people live primarily in present-day Ghana and Ivory Coast in West Africa. The Akan language (also known as ''Twi/Fante'') are a group of dialects within the Central Tano branch of the Potou–Tano subfamily of the Niger–Congo ...

. It belongs to the folklore of the Akan of southern

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

, as well as

Côte d'Ivoire Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre is ...

Togo Togo (), officially the Togolese Republic (french: République togolaise), is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, where its c ...

and 18th century

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

from enslaved Akan. It is said to have

iron Iron () is a chemical element with symbol Fe (from la, ferrum) and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, right in f ...

teeth, pink skin, long red hair and iron hooks for feet and lives in trees, attacking from above. In the forests of West Africa, there were rules of renewal, and the Sasabonsam would enforce these rules. They take up territory in the trees in the forests, where they live and feed on people that wander into their home. It becomes a territorial aspect for them. While being humanoid, these creatures have bat-like features. Sasabonsam resemble bats well, such a feature would be their wings, which are near 20 feet long. A good representation can be seen from The British Museum with the Sasabonsam figure they have in their collection. It is carved out of wood and estimated to have been made in 1935. In mythology, it is usually portrayed as an archetypical ogre; according to ''A Dictionary of World Mythology'':

...the hairy Sasabonsam has large blood-shot eyes, long legs, and feet pointing both ways. Its favourite trick is to sit on the high branches of a tree and dangle its legs so as to entangle the unwary hunter.

Both the ogre and vampire versions have iron teeth.

Popular culture

Sasabonsam are featured in the 2021 fantasy novel ''

Skin of the Sea ''Skin of the Sea'' is a 2021 young adult fantasy novel by Nigerian Welsh writer Natasha Bowen. Bowen's debut novel follows Simi, a Mami Wata, mami wata who travels across sea and land in search of the Supreme Creator after breaking a law that th ...

'' by

Natasha Bowen Natasha Bowen is a Nigerian-Welsh writer and teacher. She writes fantasy books for young adults. She is best known for her '' New York Times Bestselling'' novel '' Skin of the Sea''. Early life and education Natasha Bowen was born in Cambr ...

. Two characters, Asanbosam and Sasabonsam, brothers, appear in Marlon James's 2019 novel '' Black Leopard Red Wolf''. They are "monstrous eaters of human flesh." One of the brothers, Sasabonsam, has wings.

References

West African legendary creatures Ghanaian culture Ivorian culture Togolese culture Vampires Akan culture {{Africa-myth-stub