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// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did Ninki Nanka say to its date? "You're a dragon my heart.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Ningin)

A Ninki Nanka is a legendary creature in West African folklore.

Description

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The Ninki Nanka has been described as "the most frightening spirit around the lower Gambia" and as "a sea spirit, a dragon-like creature with the attributes of a 'devil'." According to Lady Southorn, local residents were "dogged by fear of devils and chief among these is the Ninki Nanka... [If] seen by a man is a sure sign of approaching death." The Ninki Nanka kept many lower Gambians away from fertile swamps, rivers, hills, and creeks, and the creature was often believed to inhabit swampy forests and caves.[1][2] Various accounts have also described it as a river dragon or a swamp dragon.[2][3][4][5] The Mandinka people have also described the Ninki Nanka as a dragon with a "large body and small legs".[6][7] Additionally, the Mandinka people often use "Ninki Nanka" as a term for dragons.[8] Some accounts cover the possibility of the Ninki Nanka being a winged creature with the ability to breathe fire.[4][9][10][11]

Descriptions of the creature vary across different tribes, but most contend that the animal is reptilian. It is depicted as having the head of a crocodile with the body of a donkey or a blend of hippopotamus and giraffe, and sometimes simply as a large snake.[12] Some accounts of the legendary creature describe it as a 9m or 30-foot long marsh-dwelling beast having a body like that of a crocodile, mirror-like scales and long neck like that of a giraffe with a horse's head along with three horns.[2][11][13] Common across descriptions is its believed fatal stare, akin to Medusa, which is said to cause death upon eye contact. Folklore advises carrying mirrors to deflect its gaze.[12] Another belief is that it has the ability to camouflage, using its scales which shimmer in various colors.[14] The animal is said to be extremely large and very dangerous. Furthermore, the Ninki Nanka is said to have a gem inside its head, from which it derives its powers from.[15]

A 1906 commissioner's report describes the creature:

The Mandingoes are firm believers in genii; every village is supposed to have two of these, a bad spirit and a good spirit. In some cases they say the village spirits or genii are male and female, sometimes the male is good and the female bad, and vice versa. A well-known Mandinka myth is the “ninki nanko”; this is supposed to resemble a gigantic crowned serpent which resides in the thickest bush. If a native sees the body of this creature he believes that he will be afflicted with dangerous sickness but that if he sees the eyes or crown it means instantaneous death. No native will go anywhere near where one of these creatures is supposed to be.[1]

Evil spirits such as the Ninki Nanka were believed to bring about drought or famine. While there is no direct historical recollection of a drought or famine caused by these spirits, local sources believed that environmental catastrophes documented in written records might have been interpreted as the work of supernatural forces.[1]

Tales of the creature were never recorded in any sort of non-modern text but the story of it has spread from tribe to tribe all over Africa.[16] There is a song called "Ninki Nanka" on the album Casamance au clair de lune (1984) by the Senegalese music group Touré Kunda.[11][17]

Appearances

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A group of "dragon hunters" from the Centre for Fortean Zoology (CFZ) went to Gambia in the summer of 2006 to investigate the Ninki Nanka and take testimony from those who have claimed to have seen the mythical creature.[16] One interviewee who claimed to have had an encounter with a Ninki Nanka said it looked similar to an image of a Chinese dragon. The expedition, known as the "J. T. Downes Memorial Gambia Expedition 2006", received a fair amount of media attention, including coverage in a BBC Online article.[9][11] Furthermore, cryptozoologist, Richard Freeman, claimed that there were Second-hand accounts on the sightings, with some claiming the creature "looked like a crocodile". Others described it as a "snake with wings and spitting fire".[9][11]

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Ninki Nanka are featured in the 2021 fantasy novel, Skin of the Sea by Natasha Bowen. It is also depicted in the 2022 fantasy novel, "Moon Witch, Spider King" by Marlon James.

The creature is featured on "Ninki Nanka; Kikiyaon," episode 13 of Destination Truth's season 2.

References

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  1. 1 2 3 Sarr, Assan (2016). Islam, Power, and Dependency in the Gambia River Basin: The Politics of Land Control, 1790-1940. Boydell & Brewer. pp. 91–92. ISBN 978-1-58046-569-4.
  2. 1 2 3 Kaiser, Brianna (2025). Dragon Folklore, A Field Guide. Lerner Publishing Group. p. 4. ISBN 9798765677025.
  3. ↑ "Monster Hunters". Fortean Times: 19. May 2006.
  4. 1 2 "Gambian Folktales: Ninki Nanka | My Gambia". www.my-gambia.com. 2023-05-01. Retrieved 2026-03-27.
  5. ↑ "The Journal of the Centre for Fortean Zoology". Animals and Men (24): 30.
  6. ↑ "Project Red Book". UFO Magazine. 5: 8. 2 August 2001.
  7. ↑ "Animals & Men: The Journal of the Centre for Fortean Zoology". UFO Magazine (24): 35. 2001.
  8. ↑ Briggs, Philip (2014). The Gambia. UK: Bradt Travel Guides Ltd. p. 21. ISBN 9781841625638.
  9. 1 2 3 "Hunt for Gambia's mythical dragon". BBC. 2006-07-14. Retrieved 2023-01-26.
  10. ↑ Krensky, Stephen (2020). The Book of Mythical Beasts & Magical Creatures. p. 114. ISBN 978-0-2414-2395-0.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 Iheka, Cajetan (2018). African Migration Narratives Politics, Race, and Space (1st ed.). University of Rochester Press. p. 205. ISBN 9781580469340.
  12. 1 2 "Exploring the Gambia's new Ninki Nanka Trail". National Geographic. 2021-10-01. Retrieved 2024-07-13.
  13. ↑ "The monster detectives: on the trail of the Ninki-Nanka". The Independent. July 12, 2006.
  14. ↑ D, M (2024-10-27). "OUR HERITAGE - Ninki Nanka, The Fascinating Creature from The Gambian Folklore - WADR". WADR. Archived from the original on 2025-12-31. Retrieved 2026-03-19.
  15. ↑ Shuker, Karl (2013). Dragons in Zoology, Cryptozoology, and Culture Book. Coachwhip Publications. pp. 18, 56. ISBN 978-1616462154.
  16. 1 2 Iheka, Cajetan (2024). African Migration Narratives Politics, Race, and Space (2nd ed.). University of Rochester Press. p. 219. ISBN 9781648250064.
  17. ↑ "Music And Arts Scene - African Records Review By Kwabena Asamoah - Talking Drums - April 9, 1984". talkingdrumsmagazine.com. Retrieved 2026-03-28.
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