Tradition: Fang Mythology, Cameroon Mythology, Gabon Mythology, Equatorial Guinea Mythology
Alternative Names: Ebigane
Category: Rat

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The Myth

The Ebigane is a mysterious supernatural creature in the folklore of the Fang people of Central Africa. It can appear as an animal, a human, or a combination of both. Ebigane feature in heroic legends and sagas performed by mvett players, traditional storytellers and musicians who recount the adventures of legendary heroes.

In a heroic tale told by Tsira Ndong Ndoutoume, the hero Mefoumou Mba Foumou encounters a bridge formed from twisted, knotted pythons. To overcome this obstacle, he takes a mouse from his satchel and spits on its head. The tiny animal transforms into a monstrous Ebigane: its ears expand like the petals of a gigantic flower, horns emerge from its head, its legs lengthen, its claws sharpen, and its enormous tail stretches behind it. It develops powerful fangs and great bat-like wings, becoming a terrifying hybrid resembling a bat, a buffalo, and a vampire.

Mefoumou Mba marks the creature’s head with a red line running from the base of its skull to the tip of its nose, then commands it to attack the python bridge, promising enough meat to feed it for two years. The Ebigane responds with loud, flapping ears and a whinny before taking to the air like a bird of prey. It dives upon the pythons, seizes one in its claws and teeth, and carries it away to Mount Bèghlé to devour at its leisure. In this tale, the Ebigane serves as a formidable supernatural ally, transformed from an ordinary mouse into a powerful predator capable of overcoming an otherwise impassable obstacle.

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Sources

“Ebigane.” A Book of Creatures. https://abookofcreatures.com/?s=Ebigane

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