bizarre folklore facts from Egypt Italy Spain and Tunisia for curiosity content

Here are some bizarre folklore facts from Egypt, Italy, Spain, and Tunisia that are great for curiosity content:

In Egyptian folklore, El-Nadaha is a siren-like woman from the Nile Delta who calls men by name and lures them toward the water, where they drown.^[5]
Another Egyptian fear-story is Abu Regl Masloukha, the “man with the flayed leg,” a monster said to punish or kidnap badly behaved children.^[5]^[6]
Egyptian myth also includes Apep, a giant serpent who attacks Ra’s sun boat each night in the underworld, turning cosmic bedtime into a full-on fight scene.^[6]^[28]^[29]
In Italian folklore, the Befana is an old woman who flies on a broom on Epiphany Eve and leaves sweets for good kids and charcoal or garlic for bad ones.^[12]^[3]
The Krampus is a horned, demonic figure tied to Christmas traditions who scares misbehaving children instead of rewarding them.^[12]^[15]
Italy also has the Borda, a blindfolded witch said to appear near waterways and bogs, where she drags unlucky people away.^[12]^[15]
In Spanish folklore, El Coco is a child-eating bogeyman figure used by parents to scare kids into behaving and going to sleep.^[11]^[33]
The Santa Compaña is a procession of the undead led by a cursed local, and if you see it, the stories say you should lie face down on the ground.^[26]
Spain also has Caballucos del Diablu, little devil-horses that burst from bonfires on San Juan Night and wreak seasonal chaos.^[26]
In Tunisian folklore, there’s a legend that the Carthaginian Curse left by Dido keeps Carthage from prospering on its ancient ruins.^[8]
Tunisia’s folklore also includes jinn tied to caves, ruins, and specific places, where people may leave offerings to avoid bad luck.^[34]^[35]
Another local legend says Lake Ichkeul has no bottom, and that it connects to the sea through an underground tunnel.^[8]