5 myths we were made to believe as kids

As Nigerian kids we have heard a lot of myths, here is a list of the top five.

As kids, there were stories that were told to us by our parents, grandparents, aunties and uncles.

These were no ordinary stories. They were myths and legends that we believed were true. You couldn't blame us. We were just young Nigerian kids who were eager to hear crazy stories. 

1) India beat Nigeria 100-1

This story has been told so many times that it nearly became a fact. As kids, we were told that Nigeria once played a friendly match with India at lost by an unbelievable margin 100-1. According to myth, the Indians played with juju and any time the Super Eagles had the ball it turned to a lion. 'They' told us that it was because of India's black magic that they were banned from football. We later grew up to know this was a big fat lie. 

2) Whistling at night

Our mothers and grandmothers warned us never to whistle at night because it attracted snakes. We held on to this scary myth for a while until we figured out it was a silly story meant to discourage kids from whistling at night.

3) When someone walks over your legs

We were told that anyone who walks over our legs will end up having kids who look just like us. This is a baffling one cos it really makes the least sense out of the five.

4) Do not beat a boy with a broom

Another crazy myth is the one concerning beating a boy with a broom. According to what we were told, if you beat a boy with a broom it would shrink the size of his penis. As a remedy, if a boy has been beaten with a broom, he would have to beat by the same person seven times with a broom. Wow. 

5) Sun and rain

This myth is probably the most popular. Once in a while nature does freakish things like raining while the sun is out. The Nigerian explanation for this? A lion is giving birth.