This firefly, rather than the Adze-possessed ‘ witch‘, would be the one to exact the jealousy-induced, bloodsucking curse to the unknowing victim. What happens is, as soon as the Adze host 一 locally known as adzeto 一 selects a victim 一 typically, a person from their tribe that they envy 一 a firefly would emerge out of their mouth, nose, or head. They do this to gain the shapeshifting abilities and supernatural powers the vampire spirit has 一 attainable, at the expense of their physical body, being a vessel for the Adze to come near communities and walk alongside people without anyone getting suspicious. Those who do so are believed by the Ewe people to be sorcerers or witches. In the same way, humans can also willingly summon the Adze to possess their bodies. And even the human form that it sometimes takes when it enters a person’s body is nothing but a temporary ‘ shelter‘.
The firefly form is a mere 一 and, at that, convenient 一 facade to mask the real Adze. No one knows exactly what the Adze 一 in its spirit form 一 looks like. Some even believe that the Adze only feeds off of the blood of “ the tribe’s most beautiful children“.Īnd that applies even when the Adze is forced into a firefly form, while it is taking over another human’s body. The innocent are the Adze’s Favorite victims. To them, the younger and more innocent, the better. And it is said that the favorite victims of the Adze are children. While it preys on both men and women, it still maintains its preferences. The Adze will suck blood from people 一 be they awake or asleep. With that form, it would be easier for the Adze to sneakily attack a potential victim 一 not to mention, it would also allow the vampiric spirit to enter any supposedly secure house through small ‘entrances’, such as keyholes, wall crevices, or tiny gaps under doors. The glow? Perhaps, it is to lure children or draw those who are unfortunate enough not to know the lore of the Adze.Īnd the itty-bitty size? Well, that is for the element of surprise.įireflies 一 similar to other insects 一 can sometimes appear right in front of you, without you noticing it was even drawing near.
#Definition of adze full
The Adze shapeshifts into this form deliberately and full of ill intent.
Up close, however, it could appear more or less as a common firefly or as an unusual kind of glowing beetle.īut, don’t let yourself be fooled by its looks!
Much like the corpse candles of Welsh and Irish folklore, the Adze could look like small balls of light from afar. The Ewe people of the area call it the Adze. In some parts of West Africa, there is a long-established belief about a vampiric creature that typically goes out at night, mimicking the form of an illuminated insect. Should we fear the Adze? What is the Adze? On most occasions, the Adze announces its presence with a faint glow of light 一 as it flies around town, taking on its firefly form.īut, everyone who knows about the lore of the Adze also knows better 一 and that is to steer clear of the flickering firefly.īecause, if anything, that firefly gleam signals trouble.Īn ironically bright omen that misfortune is on the way. Vampire, in a sense that it feeds off of human blood that it usually comes out to hunt at night and that it can shapeshift into a different form whenever it wants to.Īnd spirit, seeing that it can possess any human being, at any time it wishes. That might not sound like your typical midnight monster, but that is how Ewe folklore, told by the people of southeastern Ghana, southern Benin, and the southern half of Togo, describes their region’s creature of terror 一 the Adze.Ī being, rooted in both history and mythology, the Adze 一 in its simplest definition 一 is a vampire spirit. By: Alex Postrado Adze: The Shapeshifting, Vampiric Firefly of Ewe Folklore
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