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Ahuna

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Tradition / Region: Norwegian Mythology
Alternate Names: Ahune; Ahunum; Hahune; Hahanie; Swamfisk
Category: Fish

The Myth

In the depths of the sea lives a creature called the Ahuna, feared not for speed or cunning, but for its boundless hunger. Of all fish, it is the most voracious. It eats without pause, consuming fish after fish until its belly swells larger than its own body, stretched and distended beyond what seems possible.

The Ahuna’s body is strange and ill-formed. Its mouth opens directly into its stomach, with no true neck or throat between, as if it were nothing but hunger given flesh. When danger approaches, the creature does not flee. Instead, it curls inward, tucking its head and limbs into its own body like a hedgehog, folding skin and flesh over itself until nothing vulnerable remains. In this state it lies still, waiting for the threat to pass.

But the Ahuna’s appetite never sleeps.

If hunger seizes it while it is curled tight, the monster turns upon itself. Unable to unfold without exposing itself to danger, it gnaws at its own body, devouring its own flesh to satisfy its need. Thus it survives by consuming itself, only to grow hungry again.

Some say the Ahuna bears a beak like a bird and is marked with wavelike stripes; others describe it as a sea-hedgehog, round and coiled, with a twisted tail. Whatever its shape, all agree on its nature: a creature trapped by endless appetite.

In northern waters it is also called the Swamfisk, a rare monster hunted for its fat and oil. Yet even when slain, the Ahuna is remembered as a warning—that hunger without limit devours not only the world, but itself.

Gallery

Sources

A Book of Creatures contributors. (n.d.). Swamfisk. In A Book of Creatures, from https://abookofcreatures.com/2019/04/26/swamfisk/

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Trollgädda

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Tradition / Region: Swedish Mythology
Alternate Names: Jättegädda; Krongädda; Skällgädda; Trollgäddor
Category: Fish

The Myth

In the lakes and waterways of Sweden there live creatures known as Trollgäddor—troll pike—vast, uncanny fish that dwell beneath dark waters and trouble those who cross their domain. They appear as enormous pike, sometimes merely troublesome, sometimes deadly.

Many Trollgäddor are bound to the Sjörå, the Mistress of the Lake. Some are said to be her servants, others her beloved pets, and a few are believed to be the Sjörå herself in fish form. She adorns certain pike with bells, hanging from them like cattle bells, and these are known as Skällgäddor, the bell pike. If a fisherman catches such a fish and returns it unharmed to the water, good fortune follows and fishing becomes abundant. But those who kill one earn the Sjörå’s anger, and soon their livestock begin to sicken and die.

Among her most treasured creatures is the Krongädda, the crown pike. It bears what appears to be a crown upon its head, though no one can say for certain what this crown truly is. Some believe it to be the talons of a great bird, torn free when the pike dragged its would-be predator beneath the surface and drowned it.

Not all Trollgäddor show signs of their nature at first. In Lake Odensjön, a man once caught a large pike and carried it home. As he walked, the fish grew heavier with every step. By the time he entered his house, it had become so massive that he was forced to drop it. The pike began thrashing, growing until it threatened to tear the house apart. Realizing his mistake, the man opened the door, and the Trollgädda flopped its way back to the lake and vanished.

Across Sweden, the stories differ. In Kvittinge, a monstrous pike is said to claim a human life every year. In Lake Mjörn, a huge, hairy, bearded pike lies bound with an iron chain. In Skåne, pike as thick as wooden beams haunt the waters. In Dalsland, a Trollgädda with eyes like saucers and scales as large as roof tiles barely fits within the coves, and its appearance foretells a day of failed fishing.

The greatest of all is said to live in Lake Bolmen. It is so long that it spans the lake’s width and so old that a willow shrub grows from its head and neck. Its back rises from the water like a rocky island. Once, a daring fisherman attempted to catch it, using a rope as a line and a dead foal as bait. When the Trollgädda bit, the man tied the rope to a barn on the shore and went to fetch help. When they returned, the barn itself had been dragged into the lake.

Thus the Trollgädda remains a warning beneath the water: that some fish are not meant to be caught, and some depths belong to powers older and stronger than men.

Gallery

Sources

A Book of Creatures contributors. (n.d.). Trollgadda. In A Book of Creatures, from https://abookofcreatures.com/2021/03/29/trollgadda/

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Osaba

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Tradition / Region: Japanese Myhtology
Alternate Names: Big mackerel
Category: Yokai, Fish, Mackerel

The Myth

Long ago, in the seas near Irabu Island, there lived a monstrous fish known as the Osaba. Vast and terrifying, it rose from the deep whenever a boat passed, overturning vessels and devouring the people who fell into the water. So great was the fear it inspired that no one dared to sail from Irabu, and the island was left cut off by the sea.

At that time, the village head was a man named Tomomi Ujichika. Seeing his people trapped by terror and loss, he resolved to face the Osaba himself.

After offering prayers to the gods, Ujichika armed himself with a dagger and set out alone in a small boat, sailing far into the open sea. The waters were calm until, without warning, the great Osaba appeared, parting the waves as it opened its enormous mouth and rushed toward him.

Ujichika leapt into the sea and was swallowed whole.

Inside the belly of the beast, he fought desperately, slashing and stabbing until he tore through its entrails. Unable to endure the wounds, the Osaba died, and its blood spread through the surrounding waters.

Ujichika returned to shore victorious and was honored by the villagers, who praised him as their savior. Yet the struggle had drained his life. Not long after, he died from exhaustion, and the people wept for him.

The place where he was buried, Hiyaji, was later revered as a sacred mountain, for there rested the hero who gave his life to free his people from the terror of the Osaba.

Gallery

Sources

TYZ-Yokai Blog contributors. (n.d.). Osaba. In TYZ-Yokai Blog, from https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1059767734.html

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Xuanyu

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Tradition / Region: Chinese mythology
Alternate Names: Black Fish
Category: Fish

The Myth

In the ancient age of floods, Emperor Yao commanded Gun to bring the raging waters under control. For nine years Gun struggled, yet the rivers would not yield. At last, overcome by failure, he went to Yuyuan and drowned himself.

Death did not end him.

From the depths rose a vast black fish, its body dark as night. This was Xuanyu. It moved freely through river and wave, sometimes lifting its whiskers and shaking its scales so that the surface of the water rippled and stirred. When it glided across the waves, those who saw it said a river spirit had appeared.

At certain seasons, black fish and dragons were seen leaping from the water together, and people watched in fear and wonder. Some say Xuanyu later appeared where river meets sea, so immense that its presence shook the waters, causing them to surge and spray high into the air.

Thus Gun endured not as a man, but as Xuanyu—a dark spirit of the waters, carrying sorrow, power, and the memory of the floods wherever it swam.

Gallery

Sources

Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). 璋魚. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, from https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%8E%84%E9%B1%BC

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Ziph

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Tradition / Region: Medieval European Mythology, Russian Mythology
Alternate Names: —
Category: Fish

The Myth

In the cold northern seas described by medieval scholars, there lives a fearsome fish known as the Ziph. Vast in size, it is unlike ordinary fish in form, for where fins should grow at its sides, it bears webbed feet, powerful and broad.

Its head ends in a razor-sharp beak, capable of cutting through flesh with ease. Though the Ziph feeds mainly on smaller fish, its strength and ferocity are said to rival those of the sea serpent itself. When it moves through the water, it does so with sudden violence, striking swiftly and without warning.

Sailors who glimpsed its shape beneath the waves spoke of it with dread, counting it among the great terrors of the northern oceans. Thus the Ziph entered the bestiaries: a creature of cold seas, strange in body, and deadly in nature.

Gallery

Sources

Bestiary.us contributors. (n.d.). Zif. In Bestiary.us, from https://www.bestiary.us/Zif/

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Akugyo

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Tradition / Region: Japanese mythology
Alternate Names: Daigyo; Raichōgyo
Category: Fish, Yokai

The Myth

In the seas near Kibi Province, sailors spoke in fear of the Akugyo, the Evil Fish. Vast beyond measure, it rose from the depths to overturn ships as easily as toys, devouring the sailors who fell screaming into the water.

Some Akugyo breathed fire from their mouths, scorching ships before dragging them under. Others resembled enormous ningyo, their bodies covered in gold and silver scales that gleamed beneath the waves. There were also Akugyo shaped like colossal mermaids, bearing two white horns like those of an oni sprouting from their heads. Fishermen dreaded these monsters, for a boat could become trapped between the creature’s massive fins, leaving the crew helpless as the Akugyo fed.

In the sixth month of 1805, an Akugyo appeared off the coast of Echigo Province. Its body stretched more than eleven meters in length, and its horns were longer than a man’s arm. The terror it caused was so great that the Lord of Kaga dispatched a vast force—fifteen hundred men and four hundred fifty cannons—to hunt it down. After a great battle at sea, the monster was finally slain.

Another tale tells of Izutsuya Kanroku, a famed taiko drummer from Kaga. While crossing the Sea of Japan, his boat suddenly came to a halt. Beneath it lay the back of an Akugyo, and the vessel had become lodged upon the monster’s body. Believing death inevitable, Kanroku took up his drum and played with all the strength he had left. His drumming thundered across the sea and sky, echoing like a storm.

Moved—or perhaps startled—by the sound, the Akugyo shifted. The boat slipped free, and Kanroku escaped unharmed.

Thus the Akugyo remains a creature of terror and wonder: a destroyer of ships, yet sometimes driven away by courage, sound, and human resolve.

Gallery

Sources

Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). Akugyō. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akugyo

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Auñ Pana

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Tradition / Region: Yanomami Mythology, Brazilian Mythology, Venezualian Mythology
Alternate Names: Pehiwetinome
Category: Fish

The Myth

In the deep waters of the Yanomami world dwell the Auñ Pana, enormous fish feared by all who travel rivers and crossings. Though they are fish, they bear arms like humans, and their bodies are covered in coarse hair. They are said to possess dark, uncanny powers, and their hunger is for human flesh.

The Auñ Pana do not swim alone. They move in schools with creatures known as the Pehiwetinome, beings just as vast and just as murderous as themselves. Together they haunt the deepest waters, waiting for the careless or the unlucky.

Once, a group of Yanomami people attempted to cross a bridge spanning the river. As they passed over it, Auñ Pana and Pehiwetinome rose from below and began to bite through the wooden supports. Their teeth tore the bridge apart until it collapsed into the water, breaking into a drifting raft.

Some of the Yanomami survived the fall, but they did not remain human. In the aftermath of the destruction, they were transformed into monkeys and pigs, condemned to live forever changed.

Thus the Auñ Pana are remembered as beings of the depths who devour flesh, destroy human works, and blur the boundary between human and animal through terror and transformation.

Gallery

Sources

A Book of Creatures contributors. (n.d.). Aun-pana. In A Book of Creatures, from https://abookofcreatures.com/2015/09/11/aun-pana/

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Ai-cheri

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Tradition / Region: Komi mythology, Russia Mythology
Alternate Names: —
Category: Fish, Spirit

The Myth

In the waters watched over by the Komi people dwells Ai-cheri, a powerful spirit who rules all fish. Rivers, lakes, and hidden currents fall under his quiet authority, and every creature with fins is said to move by his allowance.

Ai-cheri lives in harmony with the vasa, the spirits who govern the waters themselves. Together they keep the balance of streams and depths, deciding when waters are generous and when they are withholding.

When a fisherman casts a net and later finds it missing, the loss is not blamed on chance or current. It is said that Ai-cheri himself has taken it, either as a warning, a reminder of respect owed to the waters, or simply as an act of his unseen will.

Thus, every net drawn from the river is offered with caution, and every net lost is accepted as the hand of the lord of fish moving beneath the surface.

Gallery

Sources

Bestiary.us contributors. (n.d.). Ai-cheri. In Bestiary.us, from https://www.bestiary.us/ai-cheri/

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Saba-i-gusa

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Tradition / Region: Japanese Mythology
Alternate Names: —
Category: Fish, Yokai, Mackerel

The Myth

Among the sayings of the townspeople there was one about mackerel: that it rots while still alive. From this saying arose the strange creature known as Saba-i-gusa.

Saba-i-gusa has the head of a fish, the body of a man, and three legs. Thanks to these three legs, it is said to be a fast runner. One illustration shows it sprinting down the road, sweat pouring from its body, muttering to itself as it runs toward Osaka.

It complains bitterly of its fate. People praised it for being quick, urging it to hurry without rest, so it has been running day and night on all three legs. In its haste, its insides have turned inside out and begun to rot, even though it is still alive. Exhausted and foul-smelling, it worries that no one will hire it if they see its condition, yet it forces itself onward, trying to look lively and useful.

Despite its speed, Saba-i-gusa never reaches its destination in good condition. Its body decays as it runs, proving the truth of the saying that mackerel spoil even before their journey is done.

Thus Saba-i-gusa became a living joke: a creature born from words, embodying haste, overwork, and the misfortune of being praised for speed when speed itself leads to ruin.

Gallery

Sources

TYZ-Yokai Blog contributors. (n.d.). サバイグサ (Saba-i-gusa). In TYZ-Yokai Blog, from https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1071801435.html

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Tomoe

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Tradition / Region: Japanese Mythology
Alternate Names: —
Category: Fish, Carp, Yokai

The Myth

In Kawachi Province there lies a deep pool known as Uchisuke-ga-fuchi, whose waters were said never to dry. On its bank lived a fisherman named Uchisuke, a solitary man who made his living by catching carp.

One day, Uchisuke caught a female carp of uncommon dignity, marked by patterns unlike any he had seen before. Instead of selling it, he kept the fish. As years passed, a tomoe crest appeared upon its scales, and the carp grew strangely attached to him. It began to respond when called by name, lingered near him like a companion, and in time even left the water to sleep in his house and share his meals.

For eighteen years Uchisuke kept the carp in a tank. By then it had grown to the size of a young girl of fourteen or fifteen.

At last, Uchisuke married. One night, while he was away fishing, a beautiful woman wearing a pale blue kimono patterned with rising waves burst into the house. She spoke to the new wife with fury, saying that she had known Uchisuke for many years and was even carrying his child. Burning with resentment at being cast aside, she ordered the wife to return to her parents’ home at once, warning that if she did not, a great wave would rise within three days and drag the house into the pond.

Terrified, the wife fled and told Uchisuke what she had seen. He laughed it off, saying that such a woman could never have desired him, and that it must have been an illusion. As dusk fell, he returned to the pond in his boat.

Suddenly the water surged. Seaweed parted, and a massive carp leapt into the boat. From its mouth it spat out a small being shaped like a human child, with hair upon its head, yet with scales upon its body. Then the carp plunged back into the depths and vanished.

Uchisuke fled in terror. When he returned home and looked into the fish tank, Tomoe was gone.

After this, the villagers spoke among themselves and said, “In all things, it is not good for humans to keep living creatures too close to them.”

Gallery

Sources

TYZ-Yokai Blog contributors. (n.d.). 巴御前 (Tomoe). In TYZ-Yokai Blog, from https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1010655112.html

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