At Cornellskop in the Richtersveld, the Wondergat sinkhole is linked to Nama lore and called Heitsi Eibib, meaning “spirit” or “emptiness,” and is believed to be home to a giant snake known as the Grootslang (“big snake”). Stories say the creature can change into a young woman to lure men to the river and drown them, and that the hole itself can make people vanish or return with terrified eyes and grey hair. Others say the snake protects diamonds hidden at the bottom of the pit, and that anyone who goes looking risks never coming back.