Popobawa (meaning “bat-wing” in Swahili) is said to be a large, bat-like creature with one eye and a very large penis. It is said to stalk the men and women of Zanzibar, Africa, and surrounding islands. It is a shapeshifter, often taking the form of a human or animal. It usually visits households at night, and it doesn’t discriminate against men, women, or children, often sodomizing an entire household before moving on. Popobawa warns victims to tell others about the attack or risk it returning. Popobawa first appeared on the island of Pemba in 1965, and sightings have been reported as recently as 2007. There are several different theories about Popobawa’s origin. Some say it is an angry spirit created by a Sheikh to take vengeance on his neighbors. In 2007, Researcher Benjamin Radford investigated Popobawa and found that its roots are in Islam, the dominant religion of the area. According to Radford “holding or reciting the Koran is said to keep the Popobawa at bay, much as the Bible is said to dispel Christian demons.” Others argue (perhaps more realistically) that Popobawa is an articulated social memory of the horrors of slavery. How Popobawa is said to sodomize its victims may also have something to do with the fact that homosexuality is still illegal in Zanzibar.
Chiloé, an island off the south of Chile, is said to be home to the Trauco, a sexually potent Dwarf with the power to paralyze women with a look before having sex with them. The Trauco is described as being ugly and goblin-like, often wearing a hat and suit. His feet are stumps, and he communicates through a series of grunts. Some reports suggest the Trauco doesn’t even need to have intercourse with his victims, that he can, in fact, impregnate them with his gaze. Often, when a single woman on Chiloé falls pregnant, people assume the Trauco is the father. In these cases, the women are considered blameless as the Trauco is irresistible to women. El Trauco’s wife, La Fiura, is said to be a grotesquely ugly dwarf with the ability to cast a “sickness spell” against anyone who rejects her sexual advances. Her breath is so foul it can physically scar a human and turn animals lame. Despite her appearance, she is generally irresistible to men and, after having intercourse with them, she drives them insane.
The most well-known sex demon, the Succubus, is a female demon who takes the form of an attractive seductress to seduce men. It is generally believed that the Succubus legend came about due to the medieval preoccupation with sin, especially the sexual sins of women. The male version of the Succubus is the Incubus. Like his female counterpart, the Incubus will drain the strength and life energy from his victims. Unlike the Succubus, the Incubus will impregnate his victims with another incubus. The victim will then carry the baby to term, but the baby appears to be stillborn when she gives birth. It will have no pulse, and it won’t appear to breathe. Then, around the age of seven, the child will appear to behave normally but will usually be very attractive and intelligent. According to some legends, the wizard Merlin is the product of an Incubus father and a human mother. Some also believe that the Virgin Mary was de-flowered by an Incubus. Many believe the Incubi most likely came about as a scapegoat for rape and sexual assault. Both victim and rapist would have most likely found it easier to explain the attack supernaturally rather than confronting the truth.
Jewish folklore tells of Lilu, a demon who visits women while they sleep. His feminine counterpart is Lilin. These demons were a particular source of anxiety for mothers because they were known to kidnap children. Ardat Lili was another succubus who would visit men at night to continue her demonic race. The incubus was Irdu Lili, who would visit human women to ensure they would produce his offspring.
In the Northern regions of Hungary, there was said to live a creature called the Liderc (or ludvérc, lucfir, or ördög depending on the region). It hatches from the first egg of a black hen and is often said to hide in people’s pockets. It enters its victims’ homes through the keyhole. Once inside, the Liderc shapeshifts into a human, often taking the form of a dead relative of the intended victim. It rapes its victim and then makes the house very dirty before departing. Some reports say that Liderc becomes attached to its victims and never leaves. The Liderc can be exorcized by either sealing it inside a tree hollow or persuading it to perform a near-impossible task, such as carrying water with a bucket full of holes. It is common even today for children in Hungary to stomp on eggs taken from a black hen or leave the eggs on doorsteps to cause mischief.
A mare (also mara or mora) or nightmare is an evil spirit or goblin in Germanic folklore which rides on people’s chests while they sleep, bringing on bad dreams (or “nightmares”). The mara is attested as early as in the Norse Ynglinga saga from the 13th century, but the belief itself is likely to be considerably older. The mara is often similar to the mythical creatures succubus and incubus and was likely inspired by sleep paralysis. The mara was also believed to “ride” horses, which left them exhausted and covered in sweat by the morning. She could also entangle the hair of the sleeping man or beast, resulting in “marelocks,” called marflätor (mare-braids) or martovor (mare-tangles) in Swedish. The belief probably originated as an explanation for the Polish plait phenomenon, a hair disease. According to the author and researcher Paul Devereux, mara included witches who took on the form of animals when their spirits went out while they were in a trance. Animals such as frogs, cats, horses, hares, dogs, oxen, birds, and often bees and wasps. Like other trance practitioners, mara witches traditionally owed their abilities to being born with a caul. Dead mara witches were said to return as ghosts.
Originating from Teutonic or German folklore, an Alp is a small, elf-like creature who is said to have climbed onto a sleeping victim’s chest, turned into a fine mist, and entered the body through the nostrils, mouth, or vagina. Once inside, the Alp had the ability to control its victim’s dreams, creating horrible nightmares. Its victims reported a breathless feeling when they awoke. This may have been an early explanation for sleep apnea and other sleep disorders.
According to the Hebrew Bible, the Nephilim were a race of giants who came about due to fallen angels having intercourse with human women. Translated from the Hebrew text, “Nephililim” means “fallen ones”. Genesis 6:4 tells us, “Now giants were upon the earth in those days. For after the sons of God went into the daughters of men, and they brought forth children, these are the mighty men of old, men of renown.” The story of Nephilim originates with the story of Shemhazau, a high-ranking angel who led a group of angels to earth to teach humans to be righteous. Over the centuries, many of the angels pined for human women and eventually mated with them, creating the Nephilim. This unholy union is said to have instilled an inherent wickedness in the Nephilim, making them capable of terrible sin. God was so disgusted by their existence that he ordered the angel Gabriel to ignite a civil war among the Nephilim, which eventually led to their extinction.
There are countless cases of alien abductions, many with sexual undertones, and a modern-day version of the Incubi myth. Some reports suggest using an invasive anal probe, and others talk of a sexual union with the aliens themselves. 52-year-old Jazz singer Pamela Stonebrook claims to have regular sex with a six-foot-tall reptilian alien. “My first sexual encounter with an alien was unlike any love-making I’ve experienced before,” Stonebrook claims. “It was so intense and enjoyable and, without wanting to get too graphic, he was so much larger than most men. I remember exactly how I felt when I saw him for the first time. I awoke from my sleep to find myself making love to what appeared to be a Greek god. At first, I assumed it was an exceptionally lucid dream. But the sex was very intense, and as I closed my eyes, I was overwhelmed by how comfortable I felt with this unknown being. The next time I opened my eyes, he had transformed into a reptilian entity with scaly, snake-like skin. It was then I realized I was making love to a shape-shifting alien. Sensing I was scared, the reptile whispered, ‘We’ve always been together; we love each other.’ The orgasms were intense. When I tell men about my reptilian experience, they find it difficult.” There are countless stories involving alien/ human lovemaking. Antonio Villas-Boas of Brazil claims that, in 1957, he was abducted by aliens and put in a room with a beautiful, fair-haired woman and forced to mate with her. Howard Menger claimed to have regular sexual liaisons with Marla, a beautiful blond woman from space who claimed to be 500 years old. In the 1970’s, a 19-year-old girl in California claimed to have been gang-raped by six blue-skinned, web-footed humanoids who attacked her after watching their spaceship land. Due to the outlandish nature of the claims and the general lack of evidence, most people dismiss such reports. Sadly though, it is likely that many of the people who make such claims do so due to a deep psychological need.
