Myths, Legends, and Creatures of the World

Hey there! I’ve always been interested in folklore and mythology. I love the weird, scary, and bizarre of the world. Here are a few monsters and myths from legends I have found through research on my quest to discover the best and most interesting that I'd like to share with you. First up are the Asian legends. Enjoy.

Akki

This monster, or demon, whatever you’d like to call it, is derived from an ogre-like creature known as Oni. Akki means “wicked Oni” and are like demons or trolls. They are very popular characters in Japanese folklore, and appear in numerous works of art, literature and theater. Their descriptions may vary but they are usually portrayed as humanoid in form. They are huge, hideous creatures that bear sharp claws, crazy, wild hair, and two long horns protruding from their skulls.

Sometimes they are depicted with strange features, like an odd number of eyes, or extra fingers and toes. Their skin color differs, but red and blue are the most common colors associated with Akki. They are shown wearing loin cloths and wielding huge, iron clubs, which leads to the expression “Oni with an iron club”, meaning a person is invincible.

Originally, Oni were invisible spirits that caused disasters, disease, and a host of unpleasant things. They could take different forms to deceive, and often times, devour humans. Oni are often depicted as lustful, glutinous and ill-tempered beings, easily distracted by crude humor. The ability to fly is sometimes attributed to it, and it is said it uses this ability to fall upon the souls of evil people.

Gashadokuro

Gashadokuro are very interesting creatures of Japanese folklore. They are depicted as giant skeletons, which can be many times taller than a human, sometimes reaching up to15 times taller! The creature is said to be made up of a compilation of the bones belonging to people who have starved to death. Gashadokuro are said to haunt the living and are the collective mass of several souls.

After midnight, the spirit roams the streets, making a ringing noise that reverberates in wandering people’s ears. If a person hears this ringing and does not flee when it approaches, the Gashadokuro will proceed to bite off his or her head with its gigantic teeth. The spirit is thought to be cursed with eternal hunger, unable to eat and thus left unsated in its damned form.

Ningyo

A Ningyo is a Japanese water fairy, in a form much like a mermaid, which is said to cry tears of pearls. They are depicted as having the head of a human and body of a fish. Many believe that it is clothed in sheer silken robes that float about it like the waves of the sea.

Ningyos live in beatufiul places in the sea and are known to be seductive. There is a famous story concerning the Ningyo, called Happyaku Bikui (The Eight-Hundred Year Buudhist Priestess), which tells the story of a fisherman who captures a Ningyo while out at sea. Upon returning to his village, he proceeds to cook the mermaid, planning to give it to his friends to eat. One man drinks too much and serves the flesh to his daughter, and after she consumes it she stops aging. She becomes a Buddhist nun and after 800 years returns home to die.

In earlier depictions, Ningyo were described with a mouth like a monkey’s, small, pointed teeth like a fish, shining golden scales, and a quiet voice that sounded like a flute. Its flesh is thought to be pleasant-tasting and anyone who consumes it will live a longer life, like in the story.

Catching a Ningyo is believed to bring storms and misfortune to fishermen, so those who caught Ningyo were believed to throw them back to the sea. If a Ningyo washed onto a beach, it is thought to be an omen of “war or calamity”.