For any fans of Greek mythology, the Lamia might be a very familiar name. For the unaware, Lamias (like many Greek monsters) are half human, half animal. Lamias are women from the torso up and snakes from the hips down.

However, the Greeks do not have a monopoly on snake-women.

Imagine my surprise while looking for Cryptids of South Carolina that this Southern state is home to an African water spirit by the name of Cymbee.

Originally spelled Simbi, these creatures were supposed to have slipped aboard ships and survived the Middle Passage.

The reason for the change is spelling seems to be that the stories were communicated orally, but, regardless of the change, the history remains the same.

An up-close shot of a Cymbee’s face. (Contributed/Julyan Davis)

In an essay written by Natalie P. Adams examining African American beliefs about the Simbi (which I cannot recommend enough), the author follows a collection of accounts from St. John Berkley’s Parish. The focal areas include two plantations now located underneath Lake Moultrie.

The essay documents the presence of sinks and fountains, stating that the slaves of the plantations told an Edmund Ruffin that the strange spots of water contained bisimbi (the plural of the original name).

Another article (written by Darrel J. Pursiful) says that they act as guardians of the areas they settled in.

Multiple articles describe them as present mostly within the Lowcountry which is between the North Atlantic Ocean and Georgia in a triangular shaped region. It has a large quantity of marshes and wetlands. Descriptions range from web-footed humans to snakes, to some sort of combination between the two.

While there isn’t much to say about recent sightings, it is interesting. It would be foolish to say that these Cymbees are merely Cryptids when they represent so much more in mythology and folklore.

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