Cryptids in the Ultus series

The Ultus series is very creative for featuring a massive cast of cryptids, monsters and creatures alike, such as northern lions, Diehl’s gorillas and, oh my god, inaccurate prehistoric creatures. Then again, it should be noted that in its original time period, even a bunch of mythical West-Central African creatures, like the Dodu (Doduo) and the Bung Bung, were barely even noticed outside their now independent countries of origin, apart from gossipy tall tales made by fucked up explorers about them and all that. 

Some of my favourite creatures who appear in my dreams are furry giant apemen (apish men) called Dodus (Doduos). They, though still dangerous, do have a rather unfair rap, which is mainly thanks to primate poachers (regardless of ethnicity) misappropriating them a lot. That said, they might’ve begun their cultural lives as simply wild jungle bogeymen that scare not only gorillas and chimps but also young children, before being labelled misleadingly as ‘cryptids’ decades later. 

To break the (somewhat inaccurate) stereotypes surrounding Dodus outside of their native Cameroon, they can indeed be presented as wild gentle giants who do their best to stay out of the goddamn spotlight when in danger, eating mainly maggots, fruits and veggies, with an occasional antelope in between. 

A bunch of them will be recurring characters in the final soon to be released books of the whole Ultus series. 

Bung Bungs are amongst the more well known mythical Cameroonian creatures alongside Olentyas, as they’re based rather loosely on sightings surrounding smallish lions who retain their juvenile spots. Olentyas themselves began lives as folk spirits who were once more forgotten than even today. 

An increasingly known cryptid turns out to be the Nzimenzim, which means river tiger in Pahuin, although it kinda looks a lot more like a mix of both pythons and bears. Then there’s the slimmer and more modest Damballa. Damballas are a naming portmanteau of both the eponymous Vodun snake loa and the Pahuin meaning for water tiger. The individual Damballas who will appear in the Ultus series do not frequently have names, unless they’re a recurring character like Tokan.