Adze
Mythological Narrative
A vampiric creature from Ewe folklore of Ghana and Togo that takes the form of a firefly. In its insect form, it can pass through any barrier and drink the blood of sleeping victims without waking them. If captured, it transforms into a humanoid form with hunched posture and talons.
Scholarly Commentary & Evolution
## Firefly that Drinks
Ewe-speaking communities in Ghana and Togo know the adze as a witch's familiar that flies as a light, enters houses, and sucks blood or life. Captured, it may show a humanoid form. The notices are ethnographic (Spieth and later), not a written epic.
It sits with other West African night-harm beings; it is not a European vampire with a cape.
## The firefly and the witch
In Ewe belief described by Jakob Spieth in *Die Ewe-Stämme* (1906) and later ethnographers, adze is associated with witchcraft: a witch is thought to possess or send an adze, which enters a home as a firefly to feed on the blood of children or on palm oil and coconut water. Captured, it can take a human shape. Ideas about adze have been used to explain illness, and accusations have had serious social consequences.
Academic Discussion & Critique
Exchange peer-reviewed hypotheses, comparative Indo-European etymologies, and archaeological field interpretations regarding Adze.
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