| Abiku | |
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| Evil
night spirit of the Yoruba people of West Africa that
looks for children to eat and possess. Once a child is
possessed, the only way to exorcise the Abiku is to ring
bells during its meal since the ringing annoys the Abiku,
thus driving it out. Since the Abiku have no stomachs,
they are constantly hungry. The Dahomeans describe the Abiku as a forest spirit that preys on male newborn infants. Precautions to keep the Abiku away from a child include disguising him as a girl, chaining him to settlement, and even scaring him to make him less attractive. |