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The Adze: Bloodthirsty Firefly of Ewe Folklore

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Without any cure and without knowing, the vampiric Adze entity can shapeshift as a Firefly and suck the blood and life force, they are also said to have demonic abilities to possess their targets.  

In the dense tropical nights of Togo, Ghana, and Benin, when the air grows thick and the hum of insects rises like a restless chant, ancient stories whisper of a creature more sinister than any ordinary predator. Known as the Adze, this vampiric spirit from Ewe folklore is said to lurk in the shadows — taking the form of a harmless firefly by night, only to slip through cracks and keyholes, draining the life of the sleeping.

Beneath its flickering glow lies something far more sinister than superstition — a terrifying legend deeply rooted in the Ewe people’s culture, fears, and unexplainable tragedies of West Africa.

A Firefly with a Hunger for Blood

By day, the Adze is nowhere to be found, but by night it takes the form of a firefly, flitting silently through the darkness. The Adze is particularly known for residing in baobab trees, which are considered sacred in Ewe culture and hold significant spiritual importance. Unlike ordinary insects, the Adze seeks out homes, slipping through the tiniest of openings: a cracked window, a gap beneath a door, or the invisible seams of a thatched roof.

Once inside, it descends upon the sleeping, silently feeding on their blood especially from children. Victims would grow pale and feverish, their strength ebbing away, sometimes slipping into death with no visible wound to explain their decline. Entire households might fall ill, fueling whispers of witchcraft and unseen forces at work.

Ewe People: There is no record of when the stories of the Adze first began. Archaeological evidence shows that the Ewe people settled the coast of West Africa, in the tropical region of what is now Ghana and Togo, around the 13th century.  Traditional Ewa dancers perform the Bobobo dance at the Hotel Campement de Kloto in the Forêt de Missahohe at Kouma-Konda village near Kpalimé, Togo. //Source: Bobobo Dance

Possession and Witchcraft

But the Adze’s terror does not end with its nocturnal feedings. Although known for it’s vampiric traits, it doesn’t stop there. If caught, the creature is said to transform into its human form — and worse still, it can possess the living like some sort of demon. Those possessed by an Adze, whether man or woman, are viewed by the community as witches, known locally as abasom.

Vodun Religion: Ewe people were exposed to the teachings of missionaries, they did not cast away their traditional religion of Vodun—which means “spirit” in Ewe and is the source of the various Vodou or Voodoo traditions in the Americas—for Christianity. Instead, they loosely combined the two. This is perhaps why adze started to resemble demons and the devil.

It was believed that an Adze’s influence spread misfortune and sickness among the victim’s family or neighbors. Suspicion of Adze possession traditionally fell upon those viewed as outsiders or threats:

Women with brothers whose children thrived while theirs sickened, are jealous on her husband’s other wives or are infertile. In general, women are thought to be possessed by adze much more than men are. Elderly villagers who inexplicably outlived the young. The poor and envious, suspected of seeking revenge on the prosperous through dark spiritual means.

A Reflection of Real Dangers

Folklorists have long speculated that tales of the Adze may have emerged as an attempt to explain the deadly effects of malaria, a disease spread by mosquitoes in the same regions where belief in the Adze is strongest. The Ewe people have long felt powerless against the disease. Like the legendary creature, mosquitoes slip unnoticed into homes at night, leaving their victims ill and weak without apparent cause.

Yet the Adze is more than an allegory. For generations, its legend served as a way to make sense of death, illness, and envy in tightly woven communities, where unexplained tragedy demanded a face — and the Adze, with its shifting form and vampiric hunger, provided one.

No Defense, No Escape

Perhaps most chilling of all is the belief that there is no defense against an Adze. Neither amulet nor spell, no sacred rite nor healer’s blessing, could prevent its entry or spare the marked victim. A silent predator, it moves between worlds — from insect to human, from spirit to possession — and once it has claimed a victim, death or ruin soon follows.

Some say you can free someone from possession though, like forcing the adze out from the host, or after Christianity entered, through prayer. 

Even today, in rural villages and among elders who remember the old stories, the flicker of a lone firefly on a humid night can still stir unease. Is it merely a harmless insect… or a centuries-old vampire in search of blood?

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References:

In West Africa, the Adze Is an Insectoid Source of Misfortune – Atlas Obscura

Adze (folklore) – Wikipedia

Adze – Deyerin Storytellers 

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The Haunted Mysteries of Egypt’s Valley of the Kings

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In the mysterious Valley of the Kings, among the tombs of Pharaohs and their Queens, it is said that some are still lingering. Visitors claim to have seen a spectral figure on horse as well as the infamous curse of the tomb of Tutankhamun still haunts the empty graves.  

The Valley of the Kings in Egypt along the Nile’s western bank, is renowned for its regal tombs and the treasures they hold. However, beneath the golden sands and storied hieroglyphs lie tales of mystery and spectral encounters, making this archaeological wonder a contender for one of the most haunted places in Egypt.

The Valley of the Kings

Known in Egyptian Arabic as وادى الملوك (Wādī el-Mulūk) and in Coptic as ϫⲏⲙⲉ (Džēme), also referred to as the Valley of the Gates of the Kings (وادى ابواب الملوك Wādī Ebwāb el-Mulūk), is a historic site in Egypt ranging from the Eighteenth Dynasty to the Twentieth Dynasty of over 500 years.

The Valley of the Kings resides within the heart of the Theban Necropolis. The site comprises two main sections: the East Valley, housing the majority of royal tombs, and the West Valley, also known as the Valley of the Monkeys and the valley is known to contain 63 tombs and chambers.

Read also: Khonsuemheb and the Ghost of Theban Necropolis

Serving as the primary burial ground for major royal figures of the New Kingdom and privileged nobles, the royal tombs feature intricate decorations depicting scenes from Egyptian mythology. These artistic representations provide insights into the funerary practices and afterlife beliefs of the time.

The Temple of Ramses II: Built during the 19th Dynasty by Pharaoh Ramses II in the 13th century BCE, the temple served as a memorial to the pharaoh’s reign and a place for the worship of the deities, particularly the god Ra-Harakhty. The Ramesseum is renowned for its colossal seated statue of Ramses II. The temple complex includes a large courtyard, a hypostyle hall, and various chambers adorned with intricate reliefs depicting scenes from Ramses II’s military victories and religious ceremonies.

Despite signs of ancient looting, the Valley of the Kings offers a glimpse into the opulence and authority of Egypt’s pharaohs. Since the late 18th century, Egyptologists and archaeologists have focused their attention on this area, and ongoing exploration and conservation efforts keep the site a focal point of research. 

The valley became a royal burial ground for pharaohs such as Tutankhamun, Seti I, and Ramses II, as well as queens, high priests, and other elites of the 18th, 19th, and 20th dynasties.

The discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922 catapulted the Valley of the Kings into global fame, and in 1979, it earned recognition as a UNESCO World Heritage Site alongside the broader Theban Necropolis. Today, ongoing efforts and a new tourist center ensure that the Valley of the Kings continues to captivate visitors and scholars alike.

The Royal Burial Ground

While the Valley of the Kings is celebrated for its historical significance, it is not exempt from tales of supernatural occurrences. The allure of ancient Egyptian treasures, combined with the mystique of royal burials, has fueled stories of ghostly encounters within the hidden chambers.

There seems to be especially two ghost stories about the Valley of the Kings that seem to echo through the valley. that is the haunted story about the tomb of Tutankhamun and the pharaoh riding the fiery chariot. 

The Ghost of the Pharaoh and his Fiery Chariot

At any given day there are thousands of visitors in The Valley of Kings. Visitors and archaeologists exploring the Valley have reported eerie encounters and unexplained phenomena. 

The valley’s night watchmen say they have heard odd screams echoing through the desert valley as well as angry shouting. There are also mysterious footsteps and wheels clattering heard in the dead of night. These mysterious sounds are thought to come from the ghosts of the deceased kings and queens.

Some claim to have seen shadowy figures flitting through the tomb corridors, while others speak of disembodied whispers echoing within the ancient chambers in the Valley of the Kings. The presence of an otherworldly energy is said to intensify during the silent hours of the night, when the Valley rests in an eerie stillness.

Most popular though is the tale of the pharaoh in a chariot riding around in the Valley of the Kings. According to legend he rides with fiery horses and has been spotted by many night guards. Some claim it is a fiery chariot pulled by black horses. 

The ghost is often also described as being short in a full Egyptian Pharaoh outfit controlling the reigns of the horses. Who this pharaoh is supposed to be, is unclear though. Could it be the story of the infamous Tutankhamun whose tomb was found in the Valley of the Kings?

The Curse of the Pharaohs

Before getting into the story about tutankhamun, we need too look a he history of the phenomenon he curse of the pharaohs.

The Curse of the Pharaohs, commonly known as the Mummy’s Curse, is a legendary curse believed to afflict those who disturb the mummies of ancient Egyptians, particularly pharaohs. This curse is said to bring bad luck, illness, or even death, indiscriminately affecting both thieves and archaeologists. While some argue that scientific explanations such as bacteria or radiation may underlie the curse, its origins trace back to cultural narratives rather than scientific evidence.

Despite stories of curses dating back to the 19th century, stories about them increased after Howard Carter’s discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb. However, no curse was found inscribed in the pharaoh’s burial chamber, although strange rumors started about what happened to the crew present after.

The Pharaohs’ Restless Spirits

On November 4th that year a group led by the British Egyptologist Howard Carter descended the tomb of Tutankhamun in the Valley. Tut was a pharaoh believed to begin his rule as a 9 year old in 1333 BCE until his untimely death in 1323 BCE. After he was mummified and buried he stayed that way in peace for 3000 years. Until 1922 that is. 

The Death Mask: Tutankhamuns mask is one of the most iconic artifacts from ancient Egypt made of gold and weighs 11 kg. It covers the head and shoulders of the Tutankhamun and is detailed with inlaid semi-precious stones and colored glass. The mask served both a protective and ritualistic purpose, believed to assist the pharaoh in the afterlife. Today, Tutankhamun’s death mask is housed in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo

Carter and his team spent the end of November excavating their way down to his tomb and burial chamber. When Carter reached the door to this room, he made a tiny hole and saw the room filled with treasures and the final resting place for the Egyptian pharaoh. And it is believed that when they opened that door, they also opened up the curse that lingered inside of the tomb. 

The widely publicized belief in the curse surged after the deaths of Lord Carnarvon and others associated with the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb. The 5th Earl of Carnarvon was a keen amateur Egyptologist who was financing the project and joined Carter as they opened the door. He died aged 56 of blood poisoning, and so did the rumors of the curse that killed off the crew in a decade begin.

He was not the only one people thought were cursed though. Prince Ali Kamel Fahmy Bey of Egypt, shot dead by his wife in 1923. People have speculated that he actually was cursed by the mummy. So was allegedly Sir Archibald Douglas Reid, who supposedly X-rayed the mummy and died mysteriously in 1924. 

Sir Lee Stack was the governor-general of the Sudan and he was assassinated in Cairo in 1924. Arthur Mace of Carter’s excavation team, said to have died of arsenic poisoning in 1928. Carter’s secretary called Richard Bethell died his bed in 1929 by smothering and his father committed suicide in 1930.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and spiritualist interpretations further fueled the superstition and he told a reporter: “An evil elemental may have caused Lord Carnarvon’s fatal illness.”

But Howard Carter remained skeptical and called the curse ‘Tommy Rot’.. Carter himself lived until 1939, long after the curse was supposed to take him. Scientifically, the deaths attributed to the curse have been questioned, with some proposing links to toxic fungi.

Despite the sensationalized deaths linked to Tutankhamun’s curse, a study showed that six of the 26 present during the tomb’s opening lived long and healthy lives. Ancient curses, occasionally found in tombs, are rare and often directed towards protecting the tomb’s ritual purity rather than warning against intrusion. Skeptics argue against the curse’s validity, highlighting that many individuals associated with the excavation had no ill fate.

Modern Exploration and Preservation

Despite the enduring tales of haunting, the Valley of the Kings continues to be a hub of archaeological exploration more so than speculations about curses and ghosts. Researchers and Egyptologists work tirelessly to unravel the mysteries hidden within the tomb-laden cliffs, while also preserving the site’s historical and spiritual integrity.

The Valley of the Kings is a part of Egypt’s rich history and the quest for immortality pursued by its pharaohs. Yet, beneath the golden veneer of antiquity lies a tapestry woven with spectral threads. Whether fueled by ancient curses, mysterious deaths, or the ethereal energy that echoes through the tombs, the haunted mysteries of the Valley of the Kings persist, inviting those who dare to explore its depths to uncover the secrets that lie beyond the veil of time.

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References:

Valley of the Kings: Information and Facts | National Geographic 

Curse of the pharaohs – Wikipedia 

Haunted Places: Valley of the Kings – Joshua Dowidat 

Excavation King Tutankhamun’s Tomb Begins 

Tutankhamun’s Curse? | History Today 

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/curse-of-the-mummy

King Tut’s tomb, discovered 100 years ago, unleashed a deadly ‘curse’ – The Washington Post 

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Madam Koi Koi and The School Hauntings in Nigeria

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‘Koi Koi’ goes the sound of high heels in the hallways. And this sound is terrifying for students at the haunted boarding schools in Nigeria. Because Madam Koi Koi is after them in this terrifying urban legend about a dead teacher out for revenge. 

The myth of Madam koi koi and her high heels is an urban legend about a ghost of a female teacher in Nigeria that has spread throughout many African countries and is today a well known legends among students. The ghost of Madam Koi Koi is said to have been haunting boarding schools in Nigeria for decades and there is no way of telling where the now urban legend surfaced. Many sources attribute the legend to the surface in the 90s. However, on the internet, she first appeared in the forums as Madam Koi Koi in 2011. 

As the fear of Madam Koi Koi grew, it spread to more countries as well and the ghost of the former teacher goes by many names. In Ghana for instance, she is known as Madam Moke, Ghanian for high heels. She is also known as Miss Konkoko in Tanzania and Pinky Pinky in South Africa. 

The Urban Legend of Madam Koi Koi

With such a popular and saturated story, there are bound to appear variations of the legend of Madam Koi Koi as all good urban legends do. But the most popular goes something like this: 

Madame Koi Koi was said to be a beautiful and fashionable teacher in a federal government secondary school. She was known for her beauty as well as her red high heels that would make a sound every time she walked the hallways of the boarding school where she worked. Thereby the name: Koi Koi as it mimics the sound of clicking heels. 

Madam Koi Koi: The ghost of Madam Koi Koi is described as the ghost of a mean teacher that used to wear red high heels that you could hear clicking when she came down the hallways of the school she worked at.

Although beautiful, she was not known for being a kind woman and was also said that she was a very strict teacher and mean to the students. She was a brutal and violent woman that would beat the students up for no reason and enjoyed punishing them. This is also why she was deeply despised by them. 

Madam Koi Koi was eventually fired after another violent incident where she took it too far and hit a female student. The slap she gave the young student was so hard that Madam Koi Koi injured the little girl’s ear. On her way home that day, Madam Koi Koi got into an accident and died. But before dying, she swore revenge on both the school as well as the students for firing her. 

From the Netflix Adaptation: In 2023 Netflix made a mini series about the urban legend from the 90s called The Origin: Madam Koi-Koi .

After her death, the students at the boarding school said they could hear the clicking of her heels during the night throughout their dormitories. Even today the story persists and it is told between frightened students that Madam Koi Koi comes out in the night to haunt the students that wander out of their beds in the night. 

The Different Versions of Madam Koi Koi

Another version of her ending was when the students took matters into their own hands after they couldn’t take anymore beatings from her. In this version of the legend, the students captured and gagged her and beat her to death. To conceal their crime they threw her body over the school fence after realizing what they had done and hoped they would blame someone else.

But although they had their reasons, she came back for revenge. One by one, the students that killed her started to disappear from the school and ended up dead. After the last person involved with it died the school was shut down forever as they had no way of knowing how to stop the wrath of the former teacher. The students that were transferred started new schools and spread the urban legend about the teacher that haunts boarding schools. 

Popular Urban Legend: In Nigerian schools, especially in boarding schools, they tell the story about Madam Koi Koi to each other and is known as some of the most famous haunted stories in Nigeria. //Photo: Emmanuel Ikwuegbu

Sometimes the legend is retold that she loses one of the shoes, and she comes back to haunt the premise for her other one. Or sometimes, as in the Ghanaian version, it is specified that she was given the rude and bad students and that they one time locked her in a closet where she died and she was more of a victim than a perpetrator.  

Read More: For more ghost stories from schools around the world, check out the The Kong Kong Ghost

In the South African one where she goes by the name Pinky Pinky and is a very different version than the Nigerian one. Here she is only part human, animal, male and female and prays in children’s school toilets to rape the girls if they wear pink underwear. The boys can’t see her, but feel the presence through a slap or scratch on the cheek. 

No matter the version is told, she is always after the students. You can always hear her before you see her. She walks the corridors, opening doors, singing and whistling while her shoes click on the floor. And if you are caught by her ghost in the hallways or in the toilets, she may become violent.

Netflix Series About the Legend of Madam Koi Koi

In 2023, Netflix released a two part series about the urban legend called, The Origin: Madam Koi-Koi that are based on the story of the former teacher haunting the schools.

The series focuses on a young student named Amanda that are sent to an isolated boarding school called St Augustine Catholic College in the 1990s. The school is plagued with a history of sexual violence that seemingly has gone unpunished because of the powerful parents to the perpetrators.

At the new school, Amanda has troubles to fit in and starts having nightmares about something dark that are lurking in the forest outside of her school. Meanwhile, inside of the school she has to deal with the sexual harassment for the male students and the urban legend about revenge starts to unfold.

The Legend about Madam Koi Koi

In conclusion, the legend of Madam Koi Koi continues to captivate and intrigue students and Madam Koi Koi legacy has left an indelible mark on the haunted boarding schools across the African continent. And for every year that the new students arrives at the schools, the legend about Madam Koi Koi evolves.

So the next time you find yourself near the haunted boarding school, take a moment to reflect on the tales of Madam Koi Koi. Listen closely, and you might just catch the faint echo of a haunting laughter or the distant sound of high heels.

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References

The legend of the dead teacher who haunts secondary school students | Pulse Nigeria

Was Madam Moke real or not? – Opera News

https://www.nairaland.com/search?q=madam+koi+koi&search=Search

The Origin: Madam Koi-Koi (TV Series 2023) – IMDb 

article, Dark Tourism, Ghost

Dead Men Walking in Old Provost in Grahamstown

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In Grahamstown, South Africa there is a ghost story about a convict haunting the place where he was hanged by the Old Provost. His ghost can forever seen walking the last walk he ever did on the way to the gallows, still bitter about receiving the death penalty.

Today Grahamstown or Makhanda wich it is now officially known as in South-Africa is a city with a well known university town, housing Rhodes University, one of South Africa’s oldest as being a popular place for backpackers. The town on the Eastern Cape also have a big Art festival, the biggest one in the country, and is otherwise for those people that wish to live a quiet life.

The Town Under Military Law

But this wasn’t always the case however as it was founded as a frontier military outpost built after the Fourth Xhosa War in 1812. and has an old prison known as the Old Provost. A long time ago Grahamstown was better known as a place under militant law, public punishments and public hangings, watched by a lot of people. The legend is that the ghost of one of these hanged people are still haunting the place next to the botanical gardens.

Read Also: More ghost stories from Africa like Madam Koi Koi and The School Hauntings in Nigeria

Built in Grahamstown in 1838, the Old Gaol or Old Provost was a military prison when martial law ruled in the old town during colonial times. The fortress was designed as a Panopticon prison, meaning a design that allowed for constant surveillance of the prisoners.

Grahamstown: The Town, officially renamed to Makhanda in 2018 was built as a military frontier, and is today a university city. The town has many haunted ghost stories, like the ghost of the dead man walking from the military prison old provost. Pictured is the view of the city from an old fort.// Source: Wikimedia

During this time the town was seen as rather uncivilized and it was said of it in 1833:  “two or three English merchants of considerable wealth, but scarcely any society in the ordinary sense of the word. The Public Library is a wretched affair”

A few decades after this was said about the town however, Grahamstown was the second biggest town after Cape Town in the English colony.

The Haunted University in Grahamstown

The Old Provost is not the only ghost haunting the university town, as most of the faculty buildings have some sort of history and its local ghosts roaming around on the campus.

There are according to campus rumours, witnessed a young boy and girl in the journalism department haunting the halls. There is also whispers of ghosts that used to live in the small cottages the Institute of Biodiversity is now built on top over.

Read Also: Have a look at our ghost stories from the most Haunted Schools in the world like The Kong Kong Ghost

Even the botanical garden close to Old Provost has a ghost wandering in the green garden, smelling like perfume and feeling like a cold wind passing by. This is the ghost of Lady Jana Maria de los Dolores de Leon Smith.

But who was this ghost from the Old Provost, and why is he still haunting the place?

Dead Men Walking by Old Provost

The Old Provost prison was built for military offenders, and although a small building, ruthless punishments were put in place. Those who were convicted and served their time were put in these cells completely designed that you would never have a private moment inside the walls.

Those even more unfortunate and convicted to death were chained on their feet and hands, humiliated as they were lead from the fortress of the Old Provost to the plaza they were going to be punished in front of the entire population of Grahamstown. “Dead men walking”, as they were called.

The last person we know of that was publicly hung was in these parts were Henry Nicholls and is also known as the ghost that walks this final walk forever as a ghost. He pleaded guilty and was convicted for a rape happening in 1862.

The Old Provost: The military prison in Grahamstown was design for constant surveillance and is now a place were ghosts roams according to local legends.

He had already confessed to the crime, but didn’t really think it was a crime he had to pay with his life. Nicholls spent four months in the Old Provost, hoping to get of with his life as rape was not a capital punishment under English law but only prison time.

Read More: Have a look at all our ghost stories from Haunted Prisons like Ghost Stories of The Haunted Prison Alcatraz or The Ghosts From Security Prison 21 in Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum

But since he was a military man, he was under military law. And according to that, the punishment for his crime was death by hanging.

The Last Hanging on the Eastern Cape

Watching a hanging like this was great entertainment for the people of Grahamstown and the rest of the surrounding areas. According to the stories, people rode for as long as seven days to behold the execution of Henry Nicholls by Old Provost. This hanging was the last execution in the Eastern Cape.

On 19 February 1862 was the last day for the convict and it was also his last walk. He was led out from the Old Provost and had to walk past the gathering crowd towards the gallows. He never got a chance for last words or prayers. He was simply strung up and hanged to his death in front of a blood thirsty crowd.

Read More: The ghost of Henry Nicholls is not the only ghosts haunting after being executed. Have a look at The Wizard of West Bow and His House of Horrors or The Pirate Haunting Burgh Island

But why is he still haunting the place? It’s perhaps difficult to answer for a ghost, but one of the theories was that Nicholls was unhappy and bitter about receiving a death punishment some only served prison time for.

The Bitter Ghost Haunting

Rape rarely got the death sentence, even back in that time and you mostly got sent away or served prison time, although being actually convicted for it was a lot harder than today.

A lot retelling the story of the ghost wandering from the Old Provos think that because of this, Nicholls meant that the punishment he received was too hard and the humiliating Nicholls ended his life, his soul can never be free.

Instead of going forward in his afterlife he is convicted of a life sentence, lasting for eternity, and must wander in all the remaining days between the Old Provost, now turned into a cute cafe, and the gallow, passing through the entrance to the now so modern university.

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References:

https://www.grocotts.co.za/2010/05/13/walking-the-dead-mans-walk/

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Khonsuemheb and the Ghost of Theban Necropolis

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Khonsuemheb and the Ghost is one of the oldest ghost stories we have in written form about a high priests quest to honor the dead whose tomb were disturbed in the Theban Necropolis in ancient Egypt. The question remains: did he actually complete his mission?

When did people start to tell ghost stories? It is difficult to say exactly when as the earliest ghost stories were probably older than our written language and so old that it is lost like any of the first original stories. What we do have though, are fragments of those who were carved in stone and scribbled on the walls. Perhaps human have always told ghost stories and the real question is if we will ever stop.

One of the more ancient ghost stories we have in writing is the story of Khonsuemheb and the Ghost. This ghost legend comes from Egypt, around 1200 B.C during the Ramesside period. The story was found in four pieces of pottery by  Ernesto Schiaparelli, and translated in 1915 by Egyptologist, Gaston Maspero (1846-1916).

The Normalising of Ghosts in Ancient Egypt

The ancient Egyptians believed in life after death, and in the book “Book of the Dead”, they wrote down a series of spells they thought would help them reach the afterlife. The people living at the time thought of the afterlife as a sort of continuation of life were it would be paradise to end up in. So why on earth do we still have ghost stories of people that never reach this perfect afterlife?

In ancient Egypt ghosts (called akh) were somewhat similar to their former self, more a piece of the soul of the living person, the immortal and transformed part of the soul. Interactions between ghosts and living people were seen in a lesser supernatural way than in modern depictions, just as the ghost in Khonsuemheb and the Ghost was more of a task to be handled than something unnatural happening.

Anubis God of Lost Souls: is the god of funerary rites, protector of graves, and guide to the underworld, in ancient Egyptian religion, usually depicted as a canine or a man with a canine head. If the family didn’t do the funeral rites correctly or were cheap with the money, the Gods would sort of grant the part of the soul, the akh permission to go back and complain and haunt the family or its grave.

The akh was a consequence of the burial ritual not being right, the tomb being destroyed or so forth. This ritual was important as it was the way into the afterlife. An akh could harm the living, giving them nightmares, feelings of guilt, punish people or sickness. But it could also do good deeds to help their living family members, influencing for the better etc.

As well as coming on their own volition, they could be invoked by prayers or written letters left in the tomb’s offering chapel, just like what happened in Khonsuemheb and the Ghost.

Read Also: If graves or tombs are not well kept, bad things can happen. Read about The Haunted Barbie Doll in The Shrine and how they take care of that ghosts final resting place.

The Story of Khonsuemheb and the Ghost

The beginning of the story is lost forever, as it being a fragment of some pottery. So the full length of it, is nowhere to be found. But it is implied the story is set in Theban Necropolis, a burial place near the Valley of the Kings and Valley of the Queens.

The burial city was built at the west bank of the Nile, near the ancient city of Thebes, which at the time was the capital and the perhaps even the biggest city in the world at that time. The ruins of the city lies within the modern day city, Luxor, in Upper Egypt. At this time in the New Kingdom, Thebes reached new height of prosperity. It was the time right before the decline of the great city, and it would soon fall into unrest, strikes, looting of the Necropolises.

Ruins of Medinet Habu (Arabic: مدينة هابو)  is an archaeological locality situated near the foot of the Theban Hills of the River Nile opposite the modern city of Luxor, Egypt. it is the Mortuary Temple of Ramesses III. This is where the ruins of Thebes can be found.

The Servant in the Place of Truth

But before all this, a man had to spend the night next to a tomb in the Theban Necropolis, literally meaning the city of the dead. He is unnamed in the fragment of Khonsuemheb and the Ghost. Perhaps he was just walking by, perhaps he was a looter. Perhaps he was a Servant in the Place of Truth. That was an ancient Egyptian title of the people working in the Necropolis.

The servants in the Place of Truth constructed the eternal dwelling of the kings, and isolated themselves to safeguard their secrets. They lived in the village Set-Maat (Place of truth) in the Holy Land of the Dead, today known as Deir el-Medina. The village that happens to be were the last bit of fragment of the story was found.

A Night at Thebes Necropolis: The man in the story spent the night in the desolated place of Theban Necropolis, a place outside of today’s Luxor in Egypt. //Source: wikimedia

The man was woken by the ghost residing in the tomb. Was he afraid? Perhaps not if he worked there. Perhaps he was terrified, especially if he was a looter, trying to steal the possessions in the tomb. In any case, he went to the High Priest of Amun, Khonsuemheb, and told what happened in the tomb.

The High Priest Invoking the Ghost

The High Priest of Amun, takes matters into his own hands. He stands on his rooftop, calling to the gods to summon the ghost. Invoking the gods of the sky and the gods of the earth, southern, northern, western and eastern, and (the) gods of the underworld, saying to them: “Send me that august spirit.” And it does. “I grew, and I did not see the rays of the sun. I did not breathe the air, but darkness was before me every day, and no one came to find me,” the ghost says (translation by Maspero).

Khonsuemheb asks his name. Nebusemekh, son of Ankhmen and of the lady Tamshas, the ghost answers. So how does one please an ancient egyptian ghost? Khonsuemheb at least offered to rebuild his tomb, making it better with a gildet ziziphus-wood coffin to make peace with the ghost. But the ghost doesn’t trust Khonsuemheb and his intentions. So what do they do?

The Ghost story on the pottery: Ancient Egyptian ostrakon with the beginning of the Ghost story of of Khonsuemheb and the Ghost. Terracotta from Deir el-Medina, 19-20th Dynasty, New Kingdom. Found by Schiaparelli in 1905. Turin, Museo Egizio.

Khonsuemheb sits down with the ghost, starts to cry and shares his unhappy fate. “I will remain here] without eating or drinking, without growing old or becoming young. I will not see sunlight nor will I inhale northerly breezes, but darkness shall be in my sight every day. I will not get up early to depart.”

Then the ghost proceeds to tell about his life on earth, how he was an overseer of the treasuries and a military official under pharaoh Rahotep. When the ghost, Nebusemekh died in the 14th regnal year of pharaoh Mentuhotep, the ruler gave him a canopic set, an alabaster sarcophagus and a ten-cubits shaft tomb.

But time took over the tomb, and over the centuries, the tomb partially collapsed, allowing wind to reach the burial chamber. Nebusemekh also told Khonsuemheb that others before him offered to rebuild his grave, but never did. Khonsuemheb says to the ghost that he will do it and also offers to send ten servants to make daily offerings at his grave. But the ghost says that wouldn’t be necessary or of any use.

Only Fragments of the Ending Left

Here, the text of Khonsuemheb and the Ghost on the pottery breaks, and in the next fragment three men are sent out by Khonsuemheb to search for a proper place for Nebusemekh new tomb. They find it at Deir el-Bahari, near to the causeway of the mortuary temple belonging to pharaoh Mentuhotep the second.

This is the end, the text suddenly ends here. But perhaps Khonsuemheb honored the last wish of Nebusemekh, giving peace in his afterlife the Egyptians were all so desperate at having.

The Afterlife in Ancient Egypt: Egyptian religious doctrines included three afterlife ideologies: belief in an underworld, eternal life, and rebirth of the soul. The path to the afterlife for the deceased was a difficult one with gates, doors and pylons located in Duat, the land of the underworld. Ultimately, the immortality desired by ancient Egyptians was reflected in endless lives. By doing worthy deeds in their current life, they would be granted a second life for all of eternity.

The tale of Khonsuemheb and the Ghost is a piece of fragment, written in another era of time entirely and there are of course dispute how much of it is an historical account of something that happened and a cautionary tale of what could happen if the living didn’t honor the dead. And the details of the tale are still open to interpretations. Particularly the identity of the to pharaohs in Nebusemekh’s time, and in the ghost actually got to rest in peace and finally enjoy paradise in the afterlife.

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References:

Ghosts in Ancient Egypt – World History Encyclopedia 

Theban Necropolis – Wikipedia 

Khonsuemheb and the Ghost – Wikipedia

A Ghost Story of Ancient Egypt – World History Encyclopedia