Atlas Obscura and Epic Magazine have teamed up for Monster Mythology, an ongoing series about things that go bump in the night around the world—their origins, their evolution, their modern cultural relevance. In the village of Atuga, Ethiopia, on any given night in late October, the local farmers make sure to return from tending their livestock well before the sun sets. Markets close up and mothers beckon their children home from play, a distinct note of urgency in their voices. “Were you playing by the blacksmith’s house?” a mother might…
