Tradition: Nkundo Mythology, Congo Mythology
Alternative Names: Biloko
Category: Dwarf
The Myth
The Eloko is a small but terrifying forest creature said to dwell inside hollow trees in the forests of the Congo. It is described as a cannibalistic dwarf or troll, with grass growing as a beard and leaves serving as its clothing. An Eloko often carries a small bell, whose sound is used to lure unsuspecting people deeper into the forest and place them under its enchantment.
Despite its small stature, the Eloko possesses tremendous strength and is far more powerful than an ordinary human. According to the tradition, only exceptional heroes or sorcerers are capable of defeating one. The creatures embody the dangers of entering the forest alone and of deliberately tempting fate.
One story tells of a man who built a fenced hut deep in the forest so that he could hunt game. Whenever he left to return to his village, he warned his wife never to answer if she heard the sound of a little bell. The bell, he told her, belonged to an Eloko, and answering its call would bring death.
One day, while her husband was away, the woman heard the bell. Its monotonous ringing seemed to come from deep within the forest, gradually drawing closer to the hut. Eventually she could no longer resist and ran outside, calling for the creature to come to her.
The Eloko appeared and announced that it had come. The woman welcomed it and prepared food, but the creature refused the meal. It told her that it ate only human flesh and demanded a piece of her body. The woman willingly offered her arm, and the Eloko cut away a piece of flesh, roasted it, and ate it before disappearing into the forest.
When her husband returned, he found her lying in bed with a serious wound. She claimed that she was suffering from sores and refused to explain what had happened. The following day, however, the same thing happened again. The Eloko returned while the husband was away, and the woman once again allowed it to take flesh from her body.
This time the husband suspected that something was terribly wrong. Instead of returning to the village, he secretly remained nearby and waited for the creature. When the Eloko came again, he confronted it. The creature declared that this time it wanted the woman’s liver.
The husband immediately attacked. He shot the Eloko with an arrow, pierced it with his spear, and finally cut off its head. But the creature had already wounded the woman in the liver, and she died from the injury. The story ends as a warning that those who deliberately play with danger may eventually be destroyed by it.
The Biloko could also appear as an organized enemy rather than solitary forest monsters. In another tale, Likinda, Itonde, and Lianja went to war against the Biloko. They scattered mbole fruits along a path and used them to lure the creatures into an ambush, killing almost all of them.
Only the sorcerer Inkankanga and his wife survived. Likinda pursued them and transformed himself into a baby, causing Inkankanga’s wife to pick him up and care for him. Later, Likinda climbed a tree and appeared to throw fruit down to the couple. Instead, he transformed himself into one of the fruits and allowed Inkankanga to swallow him.
The sorcerer realized that Likinda was now inside him and became terrified. He killed his own wife, blaming her for the disaster, and spent the rest of the day begging Likinda not to destroy him. Eventually he gave up hope, and Likinda killed him from within before returning to his village, where his strange victory became a source of laughter and celebration.
Sources
“Eloko.” A Book of Creatures. November 21, 2016. https://abookofcreatures.com/2016/11/21/eloko/