The Bloody Mary of Northern Africa

In the United States and across other Westernized cultures walking into the restroom, turning off the lights and whispering Bloody Mary three times will summon your worst nightmare. Just like the legend of Bloody Mary, the legend of Aisha Kandisha also varies.

In Northern Africa, such as Morocco, people hesitate to say her name. Aisha Kandisha is a demon that goes after men. Locals say you can summon her by pouring boiling water down the drain. The legend varies depending on the region.  Some say she’s a mermaid while others say she has the legs of a goat. Regardless of which version you hear she is always taking the lives of men.

This demonic entity or Succubus seduces men and possesses them. She usually appears as a tall beautiful, topless woman with the legs of a goat. Other people say she turns into an ugly hag before possessing you. The possessed become impotent, unhygienic, and depressed. If you’re ever alone and you hear the sounds of rusty chains dragging on the ground, you know Aisha Kandisha is nearby.

Locals say she lives under the rivers and around bodies of water. Some people claim to see her reflection as they look in the river.

The Jinn

This popular Arabian tale comes from the Jinn or as we know it, the genie. The jinn is a spirit with free will. They are bad or good, depending on the person. Evil jinns possess the living and make them do bad things. Although most people call Aisha Kandisha a demon, she is a jinn in Morocco.

Like any jinn, she can do as she pleases. She can possess life or take it. Thousands of men have fallen victim to this Jinn. Unlike the story of Aladdin and the genie, Aisha was never bound to an object and continues to have free will. However, every urban legend is rooted in truth.

Moroccan History as Pertaining to Aisha Kandisha 

Morocco, at the northernmost point of Africa, is now a Muslim country with Arabian culture. But, it was not always this way. The official language of Morocco is Arabic, but everyone speaks French, English, and Spanish. Considering its French influence over the culture, one can see that the French tried to 

conquer this territory. The Spanish and French fought over this country for decades. At one point it was a lawless land, a land that belonged to nobody.

“The sheriff doesn’t like it, Rock the Kasbah…” Lyrics from a popular song about Tangier being the party city of the African World. Artists came to do drugs and have sex since it did not belong to any country, people did as they please. In the 1920s Tangier became a gay mecca. Once it became an Arabian country it all stopped.

So how did Aisha Kandisha come to be? During the wars and the take-overs of Morocco’s past, soldiers of all kinds tore through this small country. A woman named Aisha Kandisha, a resistance fighter helped fight these men. She seduced the soldiers one by one and killed them. She killed so many men everyone began to talk about her. The soldiers began to fear her. The locals thought she had superpowers. She killed so many soldiers they thought she wasn’t human. The people of Morocco credit Aisha for taking back the country and getting rid of the invaders.

Today, the story is mostly told to children as a way to make them behave. At the opposite end of this creepy urban tale, some people consider her to be a spiritual leader considering she made Morocco what it is today.

Urban legends are fascinating and sometimes downright scary. Whether you are in the United States or across the globe, there is always a demon waiting for you… in Morocco, her name is Aisha Kandisha.

More on Morocco:

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