Ebu Gogo are humanoid creatures that appear in the mythology of Flores, Indonesia. In the Nage language of central Flores, ebu means "grandmother" and gogo means "he who eats anything." A colloquial Spanish equivalent would be something like "hungry ancestor".
Appearance[]
The Flores nage describe the Ebu Gogo as good walkers and fast runners, around 1.5m tall. They are said to have wide, flat noses, broad faces with large mouths, and hairy bodies. Females have "long pendulous breasts". They are said to murmur in what appears to be their own language, and are also capable of repeating what is said to them like parrots.
Appearance in Nage folklore[]
The legends that spoke of the Ebu Gogo were traditionally attributed to monkeys, according to the magazine Nature. The Nage believe that the Ebu Gogo was alive at the time the Portuguese trading ships arrived in the 17th century, and some maintain that they survived into the 20th century, but now they are no longer seen. They are believed to have been hunted to extinction by the human inhabitants of Flores. They believe that the extermination, which culminated around seven generations ago, was undertaken because the Ebu Gogo stole food from human villages and kidnapped children.
An article in the New Scientist (Vol. 186, No. 2504) gives the following account of the Flores folklore surrounding the Ebu Gogo: The Nage of central Flores tell that, in the 18th century, villagers tricked the Ebu Gogo into accepting gifts from palm fiber to make clothes. When the Ebu Gogo brought the fiber to his cave, the villagers threw a brand into it to make it burn. The story indicates that all the occupants of the cave were killed, except for perhaps a couple, who fled into the deeper forest, and whose descendants may still be alive today. There are also legends about the Ebu Gogo kidnapping children because he hoped to learn how to cook from them. Children always easily outwit the Ebu Gogo in stories.
Possible Exctintion[]
The Nage people believe that the Ebu Gogo were alive at the time of the arrival of Portuguese trading ships in the 17th century, and some hold that they survived as recently as the 20th century, but are now no longer seen. The Ebu Gogo are believed to have been hunted to extinction by the human inhabitants of Flores. They believe that the extermination, which culminated around seven generations ago, was undertaken because the Ebu Gogo stole food from human dwellings, and kidnapped children.
An article in New Scientist (Vol. 186, No. 2504) gives the following account of folklore on Flores surrounding the Ebu Gogo: The Nage people of central Flores tell how, in the 18th century, villagers disposed of the Ebu Gogo by tricking them into accepting gifts of palm fiber to make clothes. When the Ebu Gogo took the fiber into their cave, the villagers threw in a firebrand to set it alight. The story goes that all the occupants were killed, except perhaps for one pair, who fled into the deepest forest, and whose descendants may be living there still.
Trivia[]
- There are also legends about the Ebu Gogo kidnapping human children, hoping to learn from them how to cook. The children always easily outwit the Ebu Gogo in the tales.
- The discovery of the remains of a meter-tall hominid on Flores Homo floresiensis, alive at least as recently as 13,000 years ago, has inspired more literal interpretations of the Ebu Gogo stories.
- Anthropologist Gregory Forth, Professor of Anthropology at the University of Alberta, Canada has stated that "wildman" myths are prevalent in Southeast Asia and has investigated their linguistic and ritual roots, speculating that H. floresiensis may be evidence that the folktales of Ebu Gogo and similar creatures such as the Orang Pendek on Sumatra may be rooted in fact.