- Mamlambo
Mamlambo is the
mother goddess and the goddess of rivers in theZulu pantheon.The Mamlambo is a mythical creature in African cultures. It resembles a
fish with a horse's head. It is said to live in theMzintlava River , located in SouthernAfrica .It is said to enjoy thunderstorms, and frequently appears during them. Eyewitness accounts state that it pulls people underwater, drowning them. Personal Accounts say that it has killed seven people, and other accounts say it has killed nine, the latest being a schoolgirl, found and buried a month later.Effects on African Culture
The Mamlambo has scared many South Africans to the point of not traveling near the water. It's reputation states that it has killed Nine people.
"'It eats their faces off and sucks out the people's brains,' said an elderly Mr. Matshunga, walking the lonely track with his dogs. 'It is a big snake, and I have seen what it does.'" Witnesses describe Mamlambo as being about 20 meters (67 feet) long, with short, stumpy legs, a crocodilian body, plus "the head and neck of a Horse, and it shines at night with a green light.'""'A group of women returning from a meeting at the village school assured (Cape Argus reporter David Biggs) that the monster was real.'"However, it bites and sucks the brain off of its victim's body
"'We are not just ignorant, superstitious people.'We are teachers. Educated. And we know that the monster is there. That is why we do not cross the river any more.'". All of the above was stated in a news report in Cape Argus.
Disproving The Myth
On the other hand, the victims were all found after heavy rains, when the river banks were swollen, as it was during the wet season. "'I have seen some of the bodies of the so-called monster's victims,' Captain G. Mzuko of the Mount Ayliff Police told (the Cape Argus). 'They had all been in the water for some time and, as is often the case, river crabs had eaten away the soft parts of the faces and throats. In one case, the crabs were still clinging to the body when it was brought in. As far as we are concerned, these were cases of drowning, plain and simple.'"
ources
* [http://www.pantheon.org Encyclopedia Mythica]
* [http://web.ncf.ca/bz050/mamlam.html.com link title]
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