Myths And Misconceptions

Growing up, there were some things told by my parents and also people around me that I considered a myth.

There are lots of stories, and folklore that have been passed down from our grandparents to our parents and they in turn pass it down to us(some of which I find somewhat ridiculous).

I remembered one story we were constantly told. It is a story about the supernatural. It was about a forest spirit called EGBERE(A gnome). This forest spirit is said to be short in stature and always carries a mat all around, crying and wailing.

It is said that those in search of riches will seek out this forest spirit in search of ENI EGBERE(which translates to the Mat of the forest spirit) and when encountered, they would try to devise means of collecting this mat. If they are successful, the forest spirit will chase after them crying for its mat.

It is also said that even when those in search of riches successfully collect the mat and run away from the forest spirit, it still finds a way to track them to their home and keep crying and wailing around them for some time. Only when they can resist its cries and it finally leaves them for good, will they begin to acquire riches. Now how that riches comes to be was not well analyzed.

Of course, I didn't believe in such back then, but something in me was curious, not for the riches aspect but just wanting to see what the forest spirit looked like, maybe to see how it cries as well. I could recall how some of our neighbors' children who were then much older than us would talk about how they wished they could see this forest spirit and take her mat, then they wouldn't have to work or toil before they became rich.

Now, there is a little difference between myths and misconceptions. There was also a time when a neighbor of ours told us something about coconut water.

I could remember how this neighbor of ours used to pluck coconut for his children and tell them to drink the water and eat it every day especially when they were about to write their exams in school. I always wondered how my brother and I still managed to get a higher percentage than them without a single drop of coconut water.

Now I am not saying I rule off that belief, from some of the research I did back then, I knew coconut has a lot of benefits, ranging from its trees down to the fruits they bear. Not only is it edible but the water from coconut also has a lot of benefits to the body. I learned it helps boost the brain but then the misconception here is that you can't just consume gallons of coconut water and expect to know book automatically. There is a need to study hard, if one is to pass their exams.

Now, some of these myths might be true, they might have happened back in those days but then I think there is no way of knowing for sure.

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