Sasabonsam

When most people think of vampires, they imagine a pale—yet darkly handsome—European aristocrat in fine clothing. But not all vampires come from Europe. Vampire-like beings appear in folklore around the world, and this one comes from the Ashanti traditions of Ghana and the Ivory Coast.

Known as the asanbosam or asasabonsam, the sasabonsam is a vampiric forest spirit. It is usually depicted with long limbs and clawed hands and feet, perfectly adapted for life in the treetops where it hunts. Its appearance is distinctly bat-like: long black hair, a lean humanoid body, sharp iron teeth, pointed ears, and wild, glowing red eyes. Its feet are not merely clawed but hook-shaped, allowing it to hang upside down from branches and snatch victims from below. Some tales even describe it with leathery wings or a snake-like tail.

According to Ashanti belief, the land itself is a supernatural feminine spirit called Asasseyaa, and the sasabonsam serves as her enforcer. Thursdays are sacred days of rest, meant to allow the land to renew itself, and one rule is absolute: no hunting in the forest on Thursdays. Those who break this rule risk drawing the attention of the sasabonsam.

The creature lurks high in the forest canopy, waiting for travelers or hunters to pass beneath it. It can distort time and space, disorienting even the most skilled woodsman. As its prey stumbles through the forest, desperately searching for a way out, the sasabonsam toys with them—leaping from tree to tree or tapping a shoulder from behind. When it finally tires of the game, it stretches down from the branches, seizes its victim, and bites into their neck to drain their blood. Unlike many vampires, it does not stop there: it devours flesh and bone as well, leaving no trace behind.

So how do we know about the sasabonsam at all?

Occasionally, it lets someone live. Survivors serve as a warning. Do not hunt on Thursdays. Do not enter the forest.

When Christian missionaries arrived in Ghana, they reframed the sasabonsam as a servant of the devil, using fear of the creature to undermine traditional beliefs. As Christianity spread, the sasabonsam grew increasingly malevolent in popular stories. No longer a forest spirit with a sacred role, it became a purely evil monster—one that prowled the woods every day and preyed on anyone not protected by God.

Modern interpretations have continued this trend, portraying the sasabonsam as ever more violent and malicious. Some later stories claim it was drawn to human suffering and followed enslaved West Africans to the Americas, feeding on both their blood and their misery. Notably, these legends faded in those regions with the end of that brutal institution.

Today, the sasabonsam is little known outside its homeland.

But that doesn’t mean it isn’t still out there.

Be careful where you go on Thursdays. Stay out of the forest.

A sasabonsam might get you.