Bori

Bori is a vampire creature in Nigeria particularly in the legend of the Hausa people.  This vampiric creature is described as a human with hoofed feet and sometimes with no head.  Bori is not generally a wicked creature.  It has the ability to grant someone with good fortune, but it can also curse someone and infect them with a disease.

The Bori has the ability to shape shift.  Hausa believes that it usually takes the form of a python.  But it doesn’t only take the appearance of the snake; sometimes it can also take the identity of a family member of its target in order to lure their victim.  If people wanted to make sure that their companion is a human or a bori, they need to look into its feet.  But sometimes, Bori wears a long dress in order to hide their feet; fortunately, the bori leaves a footprint.  A bori disguise as a human would leave a track similar to a chicken.

If a person would meet a bori, he does not need to worry, since it does not entirely kill its prey.  He is only known for taking an ample amount of life force to his victim in order to keep its existence.  Victims of bori often exhibit a zombie-like behavior and appear as if they are in a trance.

If one manages to reveal the true identity of the bori, the creature would be bound to him and act as if it’s a familiar. But if the owner accidentally burned it, the Bori will be set free from its master.

The Bori can also take control of the body of a living person.  The Hausa believes that if a woman is possessed by a Bori, she cannot be held responsible for anything she does against her husband or the government.