Within Eswatini Strange
When Strange Belief Becomes a Real Risk
Snakebite beliefs and witchcraft fears show how Eswatini's strange stories can shape urgent medical choices and real social harm.
On this page
- Snakes as wildlife, ancestors, omens, or witchcraft
- Traditional healers, hospitals, and delayed antivenom
- Why accusation stories need moral clarity
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Introduction
In Eswatini, beliefs about snakes, witchcraft, and traditional healing are not simply colourful folklore. They shape real decisions made during medical emergencies, especially after snakebite. That makes this subject unusual within the country’s strange-history record: the “mystery” lies less in unexplained creatures than in the powerful meanings attached to ordinary wildlife. Snakes may be regarded as dangerous animals, ancestral messengers, bad omens, or instruments of witchcraft, depending on the circumstances. Those interpretations can influence whether someone goes immediately to hospital for lifesaving antivenom or first seeks spiritual or traditional treatment. The result is a subject where folklore, public health, and moral responsibility overlap in ways that have genuine human consequences.[PLOS]journals.plos.orgsnakebite victims often first consult traditional healers or self-medicate using traditional remedies…. illness, counteract witchcraft…
When a Snake Means More Than a Snake
Eswatini is home to several medically important venomous snakes, and snakebite remains a recognised rural health problem. Yet encounters with snakes are often understood through cultural as well as biological ideas.
Research carried out in Eswatini found that many people inherit beliefs that snakes can represent ancestral spirits or appear because of bewitching. Such ideas do not mean every snake is viewed as supernatural, but they provide a framework through which frightening encounters are interpreted. A snake entering a homestead, appearing unexpectedly, or biting a particular individual may therefore invite questions about spiritual intention alongside practical concerns about venom.[PLOS]journals.plos.orgsnakebite victims often first consult traditional healers or self-medicate using traditional remedies…. illness, counteract witchcraft…
These beliefs are part of a much broader southern African tradition in which snakes occupy an ambiguous position. They can symbolise fertility, ancestral presence, protection, or danger. From a Fortean perspective, this makes snake stories culturally significant even when no genuinely anomalous animal is involved. The mystery lies in interpretation rather than zoology.
Traditional Healers and Hospital Medicine
One of the clearest findings from recent research is that traditional healing and modern medicine often operate as parallel systems rather than complete alternatives.
Traditional healers hold respected social positions in Eswatini. They are commonly consulted for physical illness, spiritual imbalance, suspected witchcraft, and family problems. Researchers note that many people regard healers as uniquely qualified to understand illnesses believed to involve supernatural causes because they are thought able to communicate with ancestors and restore spiritual harmony.[PLOS]journals.plos.orgsnakebite victims often first consult traditional healers or self-medicate using traditional remedies…. illness, counteract witchcraft…
For snakebite, however, this creates a medical dilemma.
Venomous snakebite is a time-critical emergency. Severe envenoming may require antivenom administered in hospital together with supportive medical care. The Eswatini study found several reasons why people may delay reaching hospital:
- deep-rooted beliefs that snakebite has a spiritual cause;
- consultation with traditional healers before seeking clinical treatment;
- transport difficulties and travel costs;
- uncertainty about hospital services or antivenom availability;
- lack of public knowledge about which bites are medically dangerous.[PLOS]journals.plos.orgsnakebite victims often first consult traditional healers or self-medicate using traditional remedies…. illness, counteract witchcraft…
The researchers emphasise that cultural belief is only one factor. Practical barriers such as distance, poverty and healthcare access also contribute to dangerous delays, meaning the issue cannot fairly be reduced to “superstition”.
When Witchcraft Changes Medical Decisions
The strongest Fortean element appears when snakebite is interpreted not as an accident but as deliberate supernatural attack.
Some interview participants described beliefs that snakes may be sent through witchcraft or that certain bites require spiritual rather than biomedical treatment because their true cause lies beyond ordinary nature. In those cases, treating the venom alone may be considered insufficient if the underlying spiritual attack remains unresolved.[PLOS]journals.plos.orgsnakebite victims often first consult traditional healers or self-medicate using traditional remedies…. illness, counteract witchcraft…
Researchers studying similar beliefs elsewhere in Africa have documented comparable interpretations in which snakebite may be attributed to sorcery, curses or deliberate supernatural action. Although these studies come from different countries, they help explain why such ideas remain culturally coherent across the wider region.[PLOS]journals.plos.orgThey felt the witch doctors sent snakes to bite…Read more…
From a sceptical standpoint, there is no scientific evidence that witchcraft causes snakebite. Wildlife biology explains bites through snake behaviour, habitat, seasonal activity and human exposure. Nevertheless, belief in supernatural causation remains socially meaningful because it offers explanations for events that appear unusually selective or tragic.
Why Accusations Need Moral Clarity
Stories about witchcraft are not harmless entertainment when they identify supposed human agents.
Across southern Africa, accusations of witchcraft have sometimes resulted in intimidation, social exclusion or violence. For that reason, it is important to distinguish clearly between documenting belief and endorsing accusations.
The evidence supports several conclusions:
- people genuinely report beliefs linking snakes with witchcraft;
- traditional healers occupy respected and complex roles within their communities;
- snakebite is a real medical emergency requiring prompt clinical assessment;
- there is no reliable evidence that accusations of witchcraft identify genuine supernatural offenders.
Confusing these points risks causing unnecessary harm while obscuring the real medical danger posed by venomous snakes.
Why This Matters in Eswatini’s Strange-History Record
Many Fortean traditions concern mysterious lights, monsters or unexplained events that remain largely matters of curiosity. Snake and witchcraft beliefs in Eswatini are different because they influence decisions with immediate consequences.
The country’s unusual folklore demonstrates how one event can be understood through multiple lenses at once. A biologist sees venom delivery by a wild reptile. A clinician sees a race against time to administer antivenom. A believer may also see ancestral messages or evidence of witchcraft. Each interpretation reflects a different way of understanding the same frightening experience.
That tension explains why this topic belongs within Eswatini’s wider catalogue of strange traditions. The remarkable story is not that snakes possess supernatural powers, but that enduring beliefs about them continue to shape behaviour, healthcare choices and community relationships in the modern world.
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Endnotes
1.
Source: journals.plos.org
Link:https://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article?id=10.1371%2Fjournal.pntd.0009731
Source snippet
snakebite victims often first consult traditional healers or self-medicate using traditional remedies.... illness, counteract witchcraft...
2.
Source: journals.plos.org
Link:https://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article?id=10.1371%2Fjournal.pntd.0010579
Source snippet
They felt the witch doctors sent snakes to bite...Read more...
Additional References
3.
Source: researchgate.net
Link:https://www.researchgate.net/publication/350932292_%27The_medicine_is_not_for_sale%27_Practices_of_traditional_healers_in_snakebite_envenoming_in_Ghana
Source snippet
disease and snakebites can be related to witchcraft and curses, but also personal and... antivenom in preventing snakebite-induced tissu...
4.
Source: researchgate.net
Link:https://www.researchgate.net/publication/354486148_How_beliefs_in_traditional_healers_impact_on_the_use_of_allopathic_medicine_In_the_case_of_indigenous_snakebite_in_Eswatini
Source snippet
How beliefs in traditional healers impact on the use of...9 Sept 2021 — Myths and superstition surround snakes, with illness from snakeb...
5.
Source: pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Link:https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8428564/
Source snippet
by S Nann · 2021 · Cited by 37 —... medicine: In the case of indigenous snakebite in Eswatini. Sarah Nann... witchcraft and any snak...
6.
Source: researchgate.net
Link:https://www.researchgate.net/publication/403224137_Persistent_use_of_black_stone_for_snakebite_envenoming_in_tropical_and_subtropical_Asia_and_Africa_a_literature_review
Source snippet
snakebites included snakes are related to traditions, ancestral spirits and witchcraft.Read more...
7.
Source: facebook.com
Link:https://www.facebook.com/InyoniTV/posts/over-80000-witches-and-wizards-in-eswatini-says-traditional-healers-associationm/122227387952544171/
Source snippet
The Swaziland Traditional Healers Association claims...In rural areas especially, accusations of witchcraft can lead to violence, isolat...
8.
Source: academia.edu
Link:https://www.academia.edu/92024844/_The_medicine_is_not_for_sale_Practices_of_traditional_healers_in_snakebite_envenoming_in_Ghana
Source snippet
Practices of traditional healers in snakebite envenoming...Traditional healers (THs) are primary care providers for ~50% of snak...
9.
Source: youtube.com
Title: Africa Matters: Antivenom campaigner taming Eswatini’s snakebite scourge
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PiDoKqTvhw
Source snippet
Solving snakebite in Sub-Saharan Africa: Jordan Benjamin at TEDxWhitmanCollege...
10.
Source: youtube.com
Title: Snakebite Risk Worsens in Eswatini Because of Antivenom Scarcity
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6NmW0JiDU4
Source snippet
Africa Matters: Antivenom campaigner taming Eswatini's snakebite scourge...
11.
Source: youtube.com
Title: NGO Addresses Eswatini Snake Bites Amid Antivenom Shortages
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNiPqmoWOy8
Source snippet
Snakebite Risk Worsens in Eswatini Because of Antivenom Scarcity...
12.
Source: youtube.com
Title: Solving snakebite in Sub-Saharan Africa: Jordan Benjamin at TEDx Whitman College
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmkTAqRH2xk
Source snippet
Eswatini Snake Park November 2024...
Published: November 2024
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