Um El Sa'af Wel Leef

spirit · Bahrain · Middle East and North Africa

Um El Sa'af Wel Leef ('Mother of Palm Leaves and Fiber') is a tree spirit of Bahraini folklore who dwells behind palm trees in the darkness, her name drawn from the palm fronds (sa'af) and palm fiber (leef) of date cultivation. Parents invoke her to warn children against wandering into palm plantations alone or staying out after dark.

Open in the interactive archive →