Tantal

shapeshifter · Iraq · Middle East and North Africa

The Tantal (Arabic 'tanṭāl') is a shapeshifting being of Iraqi folklore, particularly among the Marsh Arabs of southern Iraq. It can appear as a human, animal, or object and is active at night; specific Tantals are associated with particular marsh territories, and one, Tantal Hafiz, is named as a chief of them. The figure is documented in Iraqi oral tradition and journalism.

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