Al Naddaha

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Al Naddaha

Creature

Name:	Al Naddaha
AKA:	El Naddaha (Egyptian Arabic)
Classification
Grouping:	Genie; Sea nymph
Data
First Reported:	Unknown
Last Sighted:	Unknown; still takes place
Country:	Egypt
Region:	Nile delta region
Status:	Legend

The legend of Al Naddaha (Arabic: النداهة) (translated: the caller), also known as El-Naddaha (in spoken Egyptian Arabic) is a fairly modern legend about a female sea nymph-like genie (jinniyah in Arabic), known by this title, who calls men to the Nile, most likely to their death. It's quite popular in the northern agricultural-based area of Egypt, typically north to Cairo, where the Nile constitutes a main part of the environment.

[edit] History

It is unknown when exactly the legend was first told, or what was the incident that caused its rise. The story became popular around the 1950s where Egypt was less urban than it is now, and people would spend more time closer to the Nile. Children would play by its shores after school had released them, and young men would chat there at night. It has become less popular at present though it's still familiar to the youth.

[edit] Description

The legends tells the story of an amazingly beautiful female who appears accidentally to men walking by the Nile at night. The men are usually two, where the creature calls one by his first name, rendering him speechless, hypnotized, and totally obedient to her voice which he blindly tracks, while the other man is not affected, and tries to pull the called man back, under severe resistance from the latter. The creature keeps calling in a soft, sleepy, hypnotizing voice until the second unaffected man succeeds in reviving the called man from his hypnosis, and the two run away as fast as they can, hearing her voice still echoing as they run.

Usually the men do not get close enough to the Nile to get a glimpse of what the creature looks like before they run away. In rare instances, they do get close enough, and they see her. She's described as being a very beautiful white female; tall, slender, and with long flowing hair down her back. She stands steadily very near to the bank of the river, her hands placed at her sides, and wearing a loose long semi-transparent dress. In many instances she's described as having a semi-transparent body. Thus, thought by many people to be a genie. Her voice is calm and soft, yet loud.^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4]

Not a single instance has been recorded where a man actually reached her. But many old local citizens say if that happened, she would fiercely pull him into the Nile and drown him.