Urban Legends

El-Naddaha

Origin: Egypt

El Naddaha is a sea nymph-like genie. Her name means "the caller" in Arabic, making her akin to the sirens of Greece. Many people in rural Egypt, and some in other cities, still believe in her to this day.

She is said to be tall and beautiful, with long black hair flowing down her back. She wears long transparent dresses and lives in the Nile Delta. At night, particularly nights of the full moon, she comes out of her watery den and sits on the shore, waiting for a young man to walk by. She usually goes for men traveling alone, though she can appear to a group but only picks one of them.

She calls their name and hypnotizes them. They follow her to the river where they swim to their deaths or drown in the cold water. The next day, she does it all over again. If you were to stop the man "called" by El Naddaha, you would become cursed. Your life would become a living hell until you are finally driven to suicide.

In rural Egypt, she will call to men in their homes. They become called "the kidnapped by the caller". They say her call is loud and clear with a sad, melodic tone to it. It takes three days for the call to take effect. The "kidnapped" will spend this time in a semi-catatonic state before finally running away with El Naddaha.

She has been known to fall in love with her prey on rare occasions. When this does happen, she will take him to her watery den where they make love for months on end. However, she eventually kills him in the fear he might escape. She buries his bones in her cavern. The next day, she returns to the bank to hunt again.

Those who have encountered El Naddaha said that they ran away before getting a good look at her face. None dared look her in the eye. If they had, they wouldn't have been alive to tell their stories.