An African Dragon by artist Airaly. Most likely represents a Wyvern from the Dragonology series, with the species being known to be typically located in Africa.
Dragons in African folklore have evolved independantly from the dragons in European and Asian folklore and religions, and therefore do not share too many similarities with them. However, myths of giant, supernatural serpentine or reptilian creatures persevere even in environments where real 'dragons' exist (pythons and crocodiles) and so this page will serve as a brief overview of dragons found throughout the continent of Africa.
[NOTE: WORK IN PROGRESS, REQUIRES RESEARCH AND REFERENCES]
Egyptian Dragons[]
The most notable dragon in Egyptian mythology is the serpent Apep or Apophis, enemy of Ra. When the sun sets in the evening, it must travel under the earth throughout the night: this underworld is home to a vast dark sea where Apep waits to leap out and swallow the sun, along with Ra (guardian of the sun). Every night Ra must evade and vanquish Apep for the sun to rise the next morning.
One god with draconic attributes in Egyptian mythology is Nehebkau. Nehebkau is a serpent god depicted as a serpent but with human arms and legs. He guards the entrance to the underworld and serves Ra, his position making him a useful ally for Ra in his eternal battle with Apep. The serpent god appears to be massive in iconography, being so big that it's suggested the entire world rested upon him. These depictions show Nehabkau clenching his tail in his mouth, forming an ouroburos.[1]
Another notable draconic creature is Denwen, a serpentine monster composed entirely of fire who dates back 2,000 years before the rise of Christianity. His firery nature was so impactful that it's said he almost destroyed the Egyptian pantheon as part of causing a great fire. The Pharoah would end up stopping Denwen, which serves as one reason for the Pharoah's position as a divine authority.[1]
The Akhekh is a mythological hybrid believed to be an ally or incarnation of the god Set, earning it an association with darkness and water. Although being generally seen as a malevolent symbol, the creature was sometimes associated with the power of the Pharoah, Ramses II having been described as an Akhekh by his Hittite adversaries and the Metternich Stele showing a chariot drawn by an Akhekh trampling over two crocodiles, a king riding in the chariot.[2]
The African Rainbow Serpent[]
West African Vodun traditions include worship of rainbow serpents, specifically Aido-Hwedo. Aido-Hwedo has many roles in many different versions of vodunism; for example, in Dahomean religion (precursor to modern Vodun) she carried the creator spirit Mawu-Lisa (formed by the energies of Mawu and Lisa, twins born from Nana-Buluku, the greater goddess) in her mouth. Mawu-Lisa populated the land with life while Aido-Hwedo carved out valleys in the landscape with her sinous serpentine movements, forming mountains and hills with her dung. In Fon religion, Aido-Hwedo was made to serve Nana-Buluku by holding up the sky.
Aido-Hwedo also appears in Hatian Vodou, a religion related to Vodun.
European Bestiaries[]
Many European Bestiaries and Geographies place dragons in Africa and India: these dragons are large, elephant eating serpents. Some maps also mark Ethiopia with a small green wyvern, and the wyverns in Edward Topsell's 'History of Serpents' are called 'Draco aethiopicus' (dragon of Ethiopia) - the winged serpents and dragon-eating serpents do not match any African mythology closely, and it is likely that the authors were just placing dragons from European mythology (wyverns and wyrms) in Africa as it was an exotic location.
Cryptozoology[]
In the Congo Basin there are many descriptions from western explorers of 'dinosaur like' animals, such as Mokele-Mbembe (a semi-aquatic sauropod) or emela-ntouka (reptilian rhino): as these are mysterious reptiles associated with water, stories of the Congo crytpids are modern dragon legends.
The Grootslang[]
The great snake or Grootslang is believed to live under the earth in South Africa, deep in caves. The name 'Grootslang' comes both from Dutch and African meaning 'Big snake'.