Creature Feature: Eloko
(Image from http://ctaudubon.blogspot.co.uk)
The Eloko can be found in the deepest, darkest regions of the rain forest in Zaire. They are dwarf-like in stature, live in hollow trees, and grass grows in place of hair. They often encourage beard growth, so in many stories the Eloko has a lengthy grass beard - sometimes down to the knees! They fashion clothes from the leaves around them, and yes, I know what you’re thinking. They sound adorable. Like Ewoks, except, the Eloko aren’t Ewoks. They really really really aren’t Ewoks. I haven’t told you about their sharp claws, razor-like teeth and a snout nose with a mouth that can open like a snakes. It can eat a human whole.
How the Eloko came to be is conflicted. Some sources say that they are the spirits of those who died in the forest in extreme circumstances. Their spirit was unable to move on, and so an Eloko forms from the bones of the trapped deceased. They guard the treasures of the forest (wild fruits and raw resources) from local hunters, and it is said that only hunters with magical defences and honed skills can slip by these creatures, and harvest the treasures of the forest.
The magical properties of the Eloko emanate from a small bell they carry around with them. They use this bell to paralyse and manipulate those who do not have any magical defences, and these bells are particularly effective on women. The wives of hunters are often bewitched by the bells of the Eloko, and in their madness they give themselves to these small creatures, who devour them piece by piece.
I told you, the Eloko are *definitely* not Ewoks.
One particular tale tells of a hunter and his wife heading in the forest. They camp on the edge of the dangerous region, and the hunter tells his wife not to move if she hears the sounds of the bell. He leaves, and not long after he has left, she hears a little bell growing louder as the Eloko approaches. She relents to the sound of the bell and lets the Eloko inside, then cooks fruit for the small creature.
The dwarf however said that he did not like it. ‘Then what do you eat?’
‘I eat only human flesh… I am very hungry. I have not eaten since many days. You are a delicious woman. Give me a piece of your flesh.’
‘All right,’ said the woman, ‘Have a piece of my arm.’
The Eloko frequents the home over a few days, and the poor woman is entranced by the bell. One day the hunter hides outside instead of heading into the forest, and watches as the Eloko enters his hut. He surprises the creature - launches a spear into its back, and even cuts off its head - but he’s too late. The Eloko has already sunk a blade deep into his wife's torso.