Soul eater (folklore)

A soul eater is a folklore figure in the traditional belief systems of some groups, notably the Hausa of Nigeria.

In some folk belief systems, soul eaters are related to witchcraft, zombies, and other similar phenomena. The soul eater is supposedly able to consume an individual's spirit, causing a wasting disease that can be fatal.

In Hausa belief, the desire and capacity for the practice, termed maita, is rooted in special stones kept in a person's stomach. The trait allegedly can be inherited from one's parents, or can be acquired from an existing practitioner. The soul eater can take the form of a dog or other animal in pursuit of his or her practice.

Another belief about soul eaters is that they are men who were cursed by witches and have to eat the souls of humans to live their lives.

Some elements of the Hausa form of belief in soul eaters survived into African-American folklore of the United States and that of the Caribbean region. Related beliefs can be found in other traditional African cultures, like the Fulbe and the Serer, as well as among the groups of the Mount Hagen area of Papua New Guinea. The hix or ix of the Maya and related peoples is a comparable figure; the Pipil term teyollocuani translates literally as "soul eater".

Some traditional religions, including that of ancient Egypt and the Chickasaw, Choctaw, and Natchez of North America, contain figures whose names have been translated into English as "soul eater".

The concept of the soul eater also exists in Greek mythology, These types of mythological figures, however, are spiritual and not human beings, and so are distinctly different from the soul eater as conceptualized by the Hausa and some others.

The traditional belief in soul eaters has been adopted by a range of modern horror fiction and fantasy writers, contemporary songwriters, and anime and video game creators.