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Overview
A handsome, silent stranger appears only once a month and attracts the village women. One young woman follows him into the forest despite warnings. There she sees a leopard skin lying at the foot of a tree. His song explains that he is a leopard permitted to appear as a man each month, but that returning to his animal shape also restores a dangerous appetite. The skin marks the setting of his disclosure; the account does not say that he puts it on to transform.
He throws himself down, becomes a leopard and pursues the woman. Her flight is checked by a river she cannot cross, but a compassionate tree falls across the water and provides a bridge. She reaches the village, while the leopard returns to the forest and the human stranger is never seen again. The account gives this particular creature a cycle of appearance and a failed hunt; it does not assert that every leopard possesses the same disguise.
Origins & earliest records
Selected tale in M. I. Ogumefu’s Yoruba Legends (1929); this edition is the stated witness.
Records & interpretation
The cited Leopard-Man chapter attests the skin-based transformation, pursuit and rescue.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
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Yoruba Legends
Selected witness: XII. The Leopard-Man
Family & connections
A source-supported family tree or inspiration record has not yet been compiled for this profile. Related reading below indicates a connection in subject matter, not a proven lineage or creative influence.
References
Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.
- Collected oral narrative in translationXII. The Leopard-ManResearch access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.