Why Do Hyenas Become Monsters at Night?

Introduction

In Eritrea, the most enduring “monster” of the night is not an unknown beast but a very real animal: the hyena. Across the Horn of Africa, hyenas occupy a strange position between wildlife and folklore. They are scavengers, hunters, night wanderers, and familiar neighbours of villages and towns. Yet in stories told after dark, they often become something far more unsettling—a creature linked to devils, evil powers, shapeshifting, and attacks on lonely travellers. The result is a tradition that outsiders often describe as the “werehyena”: a being that blurs the line between human and animal. These tales reveal less about hidden monsters than about how people made sense of danger, suspicion, and the uncertainties of the night.[Eritrea Ministry Of Information]shabait.comEritrea Ministry Of InformationHyenas, wrestling demons, serpent kings and screaming…November 2, 2019 — 27 Aug 2020 — In our tradition…Published: November 2, 2019

Why Do Hyenas Become Monsters at Night?

The foundations of werehyena folklore are surprisingly practical. Hyenas are among the most visible large predators in the Horn of Africa. They are largely nocturnal, possess powerful jaws, produce eerie vocalisations, and frequently appear on roads, near settlements, and around graveyards after sunset. For communities without electric lighting, encountering a hyena at night could be a frightening experience even when no attack occurred.[PMC]pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.govLinking Human Perceptions and Spotted Hyena Behavior in…by JK Young · 2020 · Cited by 25 — Spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta) in Ethi…

Over time, ordinary fear merged with supernatural storytelling. Eritrean oral traditions include accounts of hyenas acting as agents of evil forces or as creatures capable of taking human form. One widely repeated motif describes a hyena used by the devil that transforms into a person to carry out secret missions before returning to the shadows. Another places the creature beside roads and trees, waiting to ambush travellers who are foolish enough to walk alone after dark.[Eritrea Ministry Of Information]shabait.comEritrea Ministry Of InformationHyenas, wrestling demons, serpent kings and screaming…November 2, 2019 — 27 Aug 2020 — In our tradition…Published: November 2, 2019

Unlike many European werewolf stories, these traditions do not always portray a human becoming an animal. In some Horn of Africa narratives, the creature may instead be a hyena masquerading as a human being. This reversal makes the werehyena especially unsettling because the danger might already be among the community in human form.[PBS]pbs.orgwerehyena the terrifying shapeshifters of african lore ttabatWerehyena: The Terrifying Shapeshifters of African LoreOct 4, 2021 — - The students have been possessed by the hyenas? - Yes. So let's…

Hyenas, Devils, and Shapeshifting Motifs

The werehyena tradition belongs to a broader pattern found across parts of eastern and north-eastern Africa. Folklore often portrays hyenas as creatures that move between worlds: between wilderness and settlement, life and death, the ordinary and the supernatural. Their habit of scavenging carcasses and appearing around burial grounds reinforced associations with spirits and the dead.[Atlas Obscura]atlasobscura.comAtlas ObscuraThe Myth of the Werehyena and the Fear of the Other in…Oct 27, 2020 — Fortunately, “Dog” warns our ancestors, foiling Hye…

Several recurring themes appear in Eritrean and neighbouring traditions:

These themes helped explain misfortune while giving communities memorable cautionary tales. A child tempted to wander at night or a traveller considering a risky journey received a powerful warning wrapped in a monster story.

Buda Beliefs and Social Suspicion

One of the most important ideas connected to werehyena folklore in Eritrea and Ethiopia is the belief known as buda. In many traditions, buda refers to the evil eye and to people thought capable of transforming into hyenas or acting through supernatural hyena powers. The belief has been documented in both Ethiopian and Eritrean folklore for generations.[Wikipedia]WikipediaBuda (folkloreBuda (folklore

What makes buda significant is that it is not merely a monster tale. Historically, accusations were often directed at socially marginal groups, outsiders, craftspeople, or communities viewed with suspicion. Folklore therefore became intertwined with social tensions. The feared werehyena was not just a beast lurking outside the village; it could be imagined as a neighbour, rival, or outsider living within the community itself.[wikipedia.org]WikipediaBuda (folkloreBuda (folklore

This helps explain why werehyena stories survived for so long. They served several functions at once:

For historians and folklorists, the werehyena is therefore as much a social symbol as a monster.

Why Night Roads Became Places of Fear

The image of the hyena waiting beside a road is especially important in Eritrean storytelling. Before modern transport and widespread lighting, travel after sunset carried genuine risks. Roads could be isolated, landmarks difficult to see, and encounters with wildlife more common.

Folklore amplified these realities. A rustling animal in the dark became a shapeshifter. A pair of glowing eyes beside the path became evidence of something supernatural. The traveller walking alone entered a space where normal rules no longer seemed certain.[Eritrea Ministry Of Information]shabait.comEritrea Ministry Of InformationHyenas, wrestling demons, serpent kings and screaming…November 2, 2019 — 27 Aug 2020 — In our tradition…Published: November 2, 2019

Stories about roadside werehyenas also functioned as practical advice. They encouraged people to travel in groups, avoid unnecessary journeys at night, and remain cautious in places where predators might genuinely be present. In this sense, the folklore transmitted useful survival knowledge while presenting it in dramatic form.[arXiv]arxiv.orgSystematic quantitative analyses reveal the folk-zoological knowledge embedded in folktalesJuly 9, 2019…Published: July 9, 2019

The Real Hyena Behind the Legend

The power of werehyena folklore becomes easier to understand when considering the behaviour of actual hyenas. Spotted hyenas are intelligent, highly social carnivores that can thrive near human settlements. Research in Ethiopia has documented long-standing coexistence between people and hyenas, with the animals frequently entering towns at night in search of food.[PMC]pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.govLinking Human Perceptions and Spotted Hyena Behavior in…by JK Young · 2020 · Cited by 25 — Spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta) in Ethi…

Their characteristics naturally lend themselves to myth-making:

Interestingly, not every Horn of Africa tradition views hyenas negatively. In the Ethiopian city of Harar, hyenas are associated with protection against harmful spirits and are fed as part of a long-standing local relationship between people and animals. This contrast shows that the same creature can become either a monster or a guardian depending on local cultural traditions.[strangertalk]strangertalk.cothe hyena man // harar, ethiopiathe hyena man // harar, ethiopia - strangertalk25 Jul 2018 — In Harar, Ethiopia, hyenas are a revered beast, said to be the o…

Folklore, Not a Cryptid

From a cryptid perspective, the werehyena differs from reports of unknown animals. There is no evidence that Eritrea harbours a hidden species of human-hyena shapeshifter. The stories are best understood as folklore rooted in encounters with a real predator, combined with beliefs about spirits, evil powers, and social suspicion.[Wikipedia]WikipediaBuda (folkloreBuda (folklore

Yet the werehyena remains one of Eritrea’s most memorable monster traditions precisely because it sits between reality and imagination. Unlike a lake monster or an undiscovered beast, the creature begins with an animal that people genuinely see. The mystery emerges when fear, darkness, and storytelling transform that familiar hyena into something far stranger.[Eritrea Ministry Of Information]shabait.comEritrea Ministry Of InformationHyenas, wrestling demons, serpent kings and screaming…November 2, 2019 — 27 Aug 2020 — In our tradition…Published: November 2, 2019

Amazon book picks

Further Reading

Books and field guides related to Why Do Hyenas Become Monsters at Night?. Use these as the next step if you want deeper reading beyond the article.

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The World of Lore: Monstrous Creatures

By Aaron Mahnke

Explores how real fears become supernatural creatures.

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The Hero with a Thousand Faces

By Joseph Campbell

Useful for understanding recurring folklore motifs and transformations.

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Monsters

By David D. Gilmore

Examines why cultures create frightening hybrid beings.

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Evolutionary Ecology of the Spotted Hyena

By Kay Holekamp

Explains the real animal behind many werehyena beliefs.

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Browse more on Amazon:The World of Lore: Monstrous CreaturesThe Hero with a Thousand FacesMonsters

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Endnotes

1. Source: Wikipedia
Title: Buda (folklore)
Link:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buda_%28folklore%29

2. Source: pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Link:https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7765435/

3. Source: pbs.org
Title: werehyena the terrifying shapeshifters of african lore ttabat
Link:https://www.pbs.org/video/werehyena-the-terrifying-shapeshifters-of-african-lore-ttabat/

4. Source: Wikipedia
Link:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Werehyena

5. Source: arxiv.org
Link:https://arxiv.org/abs/1907.03969

Published: July 9, 2019

6. Source: strangertalk.co
Title: the hyena man // harar, ethiopia
Link:https://www.strangertalk.co/the-hyena-man-harar

7. Source: shabait.com
Link:https://shabait.com/2019/11/02/hyenas-wrestling-demons-serpent-kings-and-scream-ing-corpses-all-in-a-nights-bed-time-story/

Published: November 2, 2019

8. Source: atlasobscura.com
Link:https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/monster-mythology-werehyena

9. Source: intothewonder.wordpress.com
Link:https://intothewonder.wordpress.com/tag/werehyena/

10. Source: itsmth.fandom.com
Link:https://itsmth.fandom.com/wiki/Werehyena

11. Source: pdsh.fandom.com
Link:https://pdsh.fandom.com/wiki/Werehyena

12. Source: werecreature.fandom.com
Link:https://werecreature.fandom.com/wiki/Werehyena

Additional References

13. Source: rangerbucksafaris.com
Link:https://rangerbucksafaris.com/hyenas-in-african-culture/

14. Source: theguardian.com
Link:https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/apr/05/hyenas-harar-ethiopia-how-city-fell-in-love-with-its-bone-crunching-scavengers-aoe

15. Source: reddit.com
Link:https://www.reddit.com/r/mythologymemes/comments/1n7lk5g/werehyenas_in_ethiopia/

16. Source: lewisrhystwiby.wordpress.com
Title: myths legends religion and faith werehyenas
Link:https://lewisrhystwiby.wordpress.com/2025/10/04/myths-legends-religion-and-faith-werehyenas/

17. Source: beastsoflegend.com
Title: Bouda: Ethiopian Werehyena Shapeshifter
Link:https://beastsoflegend.com/bestiary/africa/east-africa/bouda-ethiopian-werehyena/

18. Source: facebook.com
Link:https://www.facebook.com/groups/704609660332475/posts/1614308656029233/

19. Source: oriire.com
Link:https://oriire.com/article/the-bultungin-were-hyena

20. Source: rmpbs.org
Title: By day it walks the earth nearly
Link:https://www.rmpbs.org/shows/monstrum/episodes/werehyena-terrifying-shapeshifters-african-lore-legx57

21. Source: africanhorrorpodcast.transistor.fm
Title: fm Ethiopian Story: Bouda
Link:https://africanhorrorpodcast.transistor.fm/episodes/ethiopian-story-bouda-the-case-of-the-werehyenas

22. Source: youtube.com
Title: Werehyena: The Terrifying Shapeshifters of African Lore | Monstrum
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ba19Lemgu2U