Classification: Ethereal Entities

Temporal Range: Unknown

Geographic Range: Nigeria

Diet: Your child’s favorite snacks

Horde: West African

The haunting Ogbanje is a child spirit from Nigeria, similar to the Changeling of Europe but with a much sadder story. These spirits bring incredible bad luck upon the families they are born into and are filled with deep sorrow.

It is said that if a child dies, its spirit can reincarnate within the same family and become an Ogbanje, reborn as an omen of ill fortune. There are visual clues that something is amiss. An Ogbanje may be born with a birthmark or even carry over physical scars from its previous life. They are described as looking like beautiful, ethereal children, often with very striking eyes. These eyes might be an unusual color, mismatched, or simply have the ability to hold a mesmerizing and unsettling stare.

These spirits are anchored to our world by possessing a “iyi-uwa,” a stone that allows them to travel between the spirit realm and ours. They hide this stone to remain here and cause mischief. However, if you manage to find the “iyi-uwa” and destroy it, the Ogbanje will leave the child it inhabits and be gone for good.