Growing up as a little child in Nigeria surrounded me with myths and misconceptions that seemed to be to be very common. These myth stories, shared by families, friends, and neighbors, had a way of weaving themselves into our childhood experiences. It's like they were rub all over us then, just to trigger our curiosity and imagination.
Even in this age of the internet, these mythical tales refuse to wave us farewell. It's like they have their own little corner in the vast realm of misinformation. Sometimes, I can't help but wonder if there's a group of dedicated myth-makers secretly typing away fallacies.
But what grips me so hard is how these things have been handed down from one generation to another. It's like they've been etched into our cultural DNA. You can't escape them even if you tried.
Let's dive into a few of these myths that I encountered while growing up in Nigeria:
Swallowing Seeds Will Sprout and Grow Plant in my Tommy :
Ah, the fear of accidentally becoming a walking plant. I vividly remembered being terrified of star apple seeds, convinced that swallowing one seed of it would sprout within me. I could almost see myself blossoming into a full-grown tree one day I mistakenly swallowed a seed of it, hahaha. It was only later in life, after consuming seeds with reckless abandon, that I realized this myth was just a fruitless endeavor.
Whistling at Night Summons the Evil Spirits
In the village, who dares whistle once the time is 7pm upward. The way an elder nearby will shout at you eh, will make it look like the spirits are already standing by. Whistling was like sending out a Signal for evil spirits. That myth made me imagined the spirits congregating like a neighborhood witches for the supernatural. Years later, I found myself whistling away in the moonlight, wondering if the spirits were on vacation. Hahaha.
Stepping on Someone's Urine and the Childbirth Chronicles:
Oooh, the lengths we go to avoid stepping on a female's puddle of liquid. I couldn't understand the idea that a simple misstep could determine the outcome of childbirth but I believed it. My grandma's stern warning echoed in my ears: "Mind where you pee, young lady!" Back then, I genuinely believed that my pee-soaked footsteps could alter destiny. All thanks to biology classes because it rescued me, and I realized that my urine had nothing to do with childbirth complications.
Owls Hooting
Owls, the majestic creatures of the night, these creatures find themselves to be very unfortunate with the tales of how they are harbingers of bad luck. I imagine how they would have felt if they were humans and hear such rumors. Their hoots were considered to carry doom. To this day, I'm unsure whether to believe what I have heard about them or to just consider them as being creatures that simply find pleasure for night-time vocal exercises. Please if you know about this particular one, I will like to hear your contribution in the comment section.
Itchy Palms = Money Showers:
Whenever your palm starts tingling, it's supposedly a signal that a financial windfall is heading your way. If I had lots of money coming my way for every time my grandma says this to me, maybe by now, I would have been a millionaire. As I grew up, my palms continues to itch but nothing comes my way. I understood that money does not come by luck but only by hard work and perseverance .
Backward Dressing Spells Good Luck?
Oh, the joy of discovering I am wearing my dress backward. As a child, I celebrated this accidental fashion faux pas, thinking it was the key to unlocking good luck. But as I advance in age, I realized that luck doesn't care much about which direction my clothes are facing. That helped me realize that success requires more than just misplaced cloth turns.
As I grew older, I began to see these myths to be fallacies born from a blend of imagination, culture, and the desire to explain the inexplicable by our ancestors.
Myths helped in shaping our childhoods and sparking our curiosity. However, critical thinking, time and education, help me realize that these myths were nothing more than shadows cast by our ancestors' limited understanding of the natural world.