En-Naddāha (Egyptian Arabic: النداهة “ the caller “) is an Egyptian legend of a naiad-like female spirit who calls men to the Nile, most likely to their death or disappearance. It is specially well known in rural Egypt, both within Lower and Upper Egypt, along the Nile and the Nile’s water canals, the agricultural-based area of Egypt.
You want to know who I am?
They think I am just a myth, but I am as real as the moon in the night sky. I see them but they cannot see me; they can only hear my silvery voice, but I will let you know how I look like anyway. My skin is as white as ice. Pale, you could say. My eyes are as blue as the ocean. My lashes are long, and my hair is golden. I am always dressed in a silk white dress. I am always barefoot. I live by the Nile River in El Minya, in Upper Egypt, where more than 100,000 people live. I study their every move, the exact posture of their bodies and memorize their names by heart so I can call for them at night as I lay there by the Nile River in the starry night.
I wonder: which name will roll of my tongue first, which name will I utter for the night when the water is calm as mill pond and clear as crystal? The river is like a silver ribbon, laid across the land. The rampaging river moves swiftly, stealing everything in its path. Do I call on Abd El Haleem, tonight? Or do I wait? He is a man in his early 30s. He dark skinned and has green eyes. He has no kids. He only lives with his parents who are quite old, and he supposedly takes care of them. If I call for him, who will take care of these old souls? Who would check on them or find out when they are dead?
People think I’m a villain, but I am a heroin. I only call on corrupted people even when nobody know that they are. People think I call on men because I’m lonely, but I am only trying to use my voice to make a change in the world. How about his friend Abd El Samiee? Abd El Samei’s existence is useless. He adds nothing to himself or to the world around him, but he causes no harm. So, what’s the point of calling on him?
I keep picturing corpses floating on the surface/ I do not kill them I only lure them with my enchanting voice, and I might sometimes suck away their souls. I am not a murderer I am only a woman in need of a better society for human beings to live in harmony and peace. I lay here and spot from a distance two men walking by. Whom do I call first? Who do I lure into my eternal world? When they are both walking as light as a feather it is so tempting to lure them but who should I pick to be my first guest. It doesn’t matter anyway because as I call for one the other is most likely to stop him and that is who I call the next day but who shall be my gift for tonight? Who shall keep me company until the morning comes? In this urban area where all men almost look the same, it is hard to pick my guests. Especially when it is my duty to carry out the same thing each night. I think I might have figured out who I will call.
“Mansour” the vowels in his name sound so musical, especially when I remember what he does to society and how excited I am to help the world get rid of him. What Mansour does for a living is the core of corruption. He sells drugs and weapons to the people of Upper Egypt. He is a senseless criminal. He doesn’t deserve to live. I am doing the world justice by calling on him, by luring him into my world and to his fate. His children will mourn him for a while, but they are too young to know the truth. People of Upper Egypt blame me for the death of men while Mansour himself has potentially caused the deaths of many more because Mansour controls “El Menya and anyone who makes a mistake is shot and killed. He deserves to be called upon. How long it will take him to reach me? How many more times do I have to call his name before he finally arrives? He is coming closer. I can almost see the features of his face his skin is as black as coal and his teeth are as white as snow. He is here now, and everything is as silent as the grave. What shall I do with him? I will let him meet his fate and I won’t be there in the morning to watch his corpse floating on the Nile River for I am only alive at night. My voice is only alive when the moon is bright.
“El Nadaha”, they call me, but they shall never see who I truly am. For I am only a soft voice who waits by the Nile for the unfortunate souls who dare to wander there at night after they have caused so much corruption of the society, they live in.
Rahma Qader.