Mythology

Duotou Gui

by

Tradition: Chinese Mythology
Alternative Names: 多頭鬼, Many-Headed Ghost, Double-Headed Ghost, Nine-Headed Ghost, Congtou Gui
Category: Ghost

The Myth

Duotou Gui, meaning the Many-Headed Ghost, is a type of supernatural monster in Chinese tradition characterised by its unusual abundance of heads. The category includes several different forms, such as the Double-Headed Ghost, the Nine-Headed Ghost, the Congtou Gui, whose body is covered in numerous small heads, and the Faceless Ghost, which has no eyes, nose, ears, or mouth. Stories of these strange beings appear in the Qing dynasty collection Ershi Lu by Yue Jun.

One tale describes a scholar who went into his courtyard early one morning for a walk. On reaching the corridor, he saw someone sleeping on the steps and snoring loudly. When he approached to investigate, he discovered that the sleeper was a monster with a single body but two necks and two heads. Each head possessed human-like eyes, ears, a nose, and a mouth, but one had the face of an old man while the other resembled a young man.

The Double-Headed Ghost later returned with a Nine-Headed Ghost. A third creature then appeared: the Congtou Gui, which had a human body covered with numerous small heads piled together like peach stones. The three monsters were eventually chased away by the arrival of the Faceless Ghost, a strange being without eyes, a nose, ears, or a mouth.

Many-headed ghosts also appear among the supernatural figures represented in traditional practices of the Yi people of Liangshan. In these customs, people make ghost effigies from wild grasses and create ritual boards marked with animal blood and incantations to drive away harmful spirits. The figures represented include male and female ghosts, many-headed and headless ghosts, one-legged ghosts, and spirits with severed hands.

Sources

“多头鬼 (Duōtóuguǐ).” Chinese Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed October 16, 2026. https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%A4%9A%E5%A4%B4%E9%AC%BC

Jixing Gui

by

Tradition: Chinese Mythology
Alternative Names: 疾行鬼, Abhichata, Swift-Running Ghost
Category: Ghost

The Myth

Jixing Gui, meaning the Swift-Running Ghost, is a supernatural being in Chinese tradition known for its extraordinary speed. It can run as swiftly as the wind, travel a thousand li in moments, and appear or disappear without a trace. According to traditional descriptions, it moves at night by pressing its body against walls and travelling sideways without its feet touching the ground.

Jixing Gui is counted among the thirty-six kinds of hungry ghosts described in the Buddhist scripture Sutra of the Remembrance of the True Dharma (Zhengfa Nianchu Jing). It is also known as Abhichata and is described as a type of yaksha. According to the tradition, these spirits are the rebirth of monks who broke their religious vows during their previous lives.

Despite its remarkable speed, Jixing Gui suffers from a terrible curse concerning food. It can eat only filthy things, and whenever it consumes them, its entire body bursts into flames, causing it intense agony. Some accounts also describe the swift-running spirit as pursuing and dealing with fugitives, using its supernatural speed to catch those attempting to escape.

Sources

“疾行鬼 (Jíxíngguǐ).” Chinese Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed October 16, 2026. https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%96%BE%E8%A1%8C%E9%AC%BC

Yimu Wu Xiansheng

by

Tradition: Chinese Mythology
Alternative Names: 一目五先生, Wuqigui (五奇鬼), Five Extraordinary Ghosts
Category: Ghost

The Myth

Yimu Wu Xiansheng, meaning the One-Eyed Five Gentlemen, is a group of five supernatural beings from Zhejiang, China, recorded in Yuan Mei’s Qing dynasty collection Zibuyu. The five ghosts share a single functioning eye: four of them are blind, while the fifth possesses the only eye and uses it to guide the entire group. The other four cannot act independently and must obey the commands of their one-eyed leader, who determines whom they may approach.

The five ghosts are said to appear during years of widespread epidemic. They travel together and approach people while they are deeply asleep, sniffing them with their noses. If one ghost sniffs a person, that person falls ill; if all five sniff the same person, the victim dies. The four blind ghosts stumble and move uncertainly, relying entirely on the one-eyed ghost’s judgment to direct their actions.

In one account, a man named Qian stays overnight at an inn where the other guests are asleep. He remains awake and witnesses the five ghosts arriving after the lamp suddenly dims. The ghosts prepare to sniff a sleeping guest, but their leader forbids them because the person is exceptionally virtuous. It then rejects another guest who is greatly blessed, as well as a third who is profoundly wicked. When the four ghosts ask whom they may feed upon, their leader points to two people who are neither good nor evil and possess neither fortune nor blessings. The four ghosts surround these unfortunate sleepers and sniff them together. Their breathing gradually fades as the ghosts’ bellies swell. The story portrays the five beings as supernatural agents of disease who select their victims according to a person’s moral character and fortune.

Sources

“一目五先生 (Yīmùwǔ Xiānsheng).” Chinese Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed October 16, 2026. https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E4%B8%80%E7%9B%AE%E4%BA%94%E5%85%88%E7%94%9F

Obake

by

Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: Bakemono (化け物), お化け
Category: Ghost

The Myth

Obake and bakemono are terms used in Japanese folklore for supernatural beings associated with transformation and shapeshifting. Their names refer to things that change form. Although they are sometimes translated as ghosts, they primarily describe living creatures or supernatural entities that temporarily transform into different shapes. In a secondary sense, obake can also refer to the spirit of a deceased human, making it a synonym for yūrei.

The true form of an obake or bakemono may be an animal, a plant spirit, or even an inanimate object. Foxes known as kitsune, raccoon dogs called bake-danuki, badgers known as mujina, and supernatural cats called bakeneko are all associated with transformation. Plant spirits such as kodama may also fall within this broad category, while objects believed to develop souls are known as tsukumogami.

A bakemono may disguise itself as a human or appear in a strange and frightening shape. Examples include the one-eyed childlike hitotsume-kozō, the towering ōnyūdō, and the faceless noppera-bō. In common usage, obake and bakemono can refer to a wide range of bizarre apparitions and supernatural beings, making them broadly similar to the term yōkai.

The concept of obake also spread into Hawaiian local culture through the influence of Japanese communities. Japanese supernatural stories became part of local folklore, including tales of the water-dwelling kappa and faceless apparitions known as noppera-bō. In Hawaii, these faceless ghosts are also called mujina, a name confusion associated with a story by Lafcadio Hearn in which a badger transforms into a faceless being. Hawaiian folklorist Glen Grant further documented reports of supernatural incidents, including many involving Japanese-style obake.

Sources

“Obake.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed October 16, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obake

Dakhuul

by

Tradition: Mongolian Mythology, Russian Mythology
Alternative Names: Dahul, Dakhul
Category: Ghost

The Myth

Dakhuul are malevolent spirits in the lower mythology of the Mongols and Buryats, believed to harm children and inflict illnesses upon their victims. These supernatural beings are described as invisible, ghost-like entities that bring sickness and suffering to the living.

According to the tradition, Dakhuul may originate from people who died under particular circumstances, including poor people, virgins, or young women. After death, they are believed to become dangerous undead spirits capable of afflicting the living with illness, with children being especially vulnerable to their harmful influence. The name Dahul is a Latinized variant of Dakhuul.

Sources

“Дакхуул (Dakhuul).” New Bestiary (Bestiary.us). https://www.bestiary.us/dakhuul

Painted Skin

by

Tradition: Chinese Mythology
Alternative Names: Huapi (畫皮), The Painted Skin Demon
Category: Ghost

The Myth

Painted Skin is a supernatural tale recorded by Pu Songling during the Qing dynasty in his collection Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio. The story tells of Wang Sheng, a man from Taiyuan who encounters a beautiful young woman claiming to have fled from home. Captivated by her appearance, he takes her into his household despite his wife Chen’s warnings. However, the woman is not human but a monstrous demon capable of disguising itself by wearing a painted human skin.

After encountering a Taoist priest who warns him that he is being haunted by an evil spirit, Wang Sheng grows suspicious. Peering through a window at home, he witnesses the horrifying truth: a green-faced monster with saw-like teeth is using a coloured brush to paint a human skin. Once its work is complete, the creature puts on the skin and transforms into the beautiful woman. The terrified Wang Sheng returns to the priest, who gives him a fly whisk to hang at his bedroom entrance. The demon initially hesitates to enter, but eventually destroys the charm, breaks into the room, tears open Wang Sheng’s chest, and steals his heart, killing him.

The Taoist priest later tracks down the demon while it is disguised as an old woman. He strips away its human skin with a wooden sword, revealing its monstrous form, and beheads it. The creature’s body dissolves into thick smoke, which the priest captures in a gourd. Yet Wang Sheng remains dead, and the priest claims he lacks the power to revive him. He directs Chen to seek help from a filthy, mad beggar in the marketplace. The beggar humiliates and strikes her, then forces her to swallow a mouthful of his phlegm before departing. When Chen returns home and mourns her husband, she feels an unbearable lump in her chest and vomits up what proves to be a human heart. She places it inside Wang Sheng’s chest and binds his wound. His body gradually warms, his breathing returns, and by dawn he is alive again.

The tale warns against being deceived by outward beauty and mistaking evil for something desirable. The demon’s painted skin conceals a hideous reality, while Chen’s willingness to endure humiliation for her husband becomes the means of his restoration. The story combines horror, shapeshifting, Taoist supernatural practices, and a moral lesson about desire, deception, and the consequences of foolish infatuation.

Sources

“画皮 (Huàpí).” Chinese Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed October 16, 2026. https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%95%AB%E7%9A%AE

Jibakurei

by

Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: 地縛霊, Earth-Bound Spirit, Land-Bound Ghost
Category: Ghost

The Myth

Jibakurei are spirits of the dead believed to remain bound to a particular place, such as a piece of land or a building. They may be unable to accept their own death or may not realise that they have died. Other spirits remain in a location because of a special attachment or unresolved reason connected to that place.

According to descriptions of these spirits, a sudden death caused by war, an accident, or a disaster may leave the deceased unable to accept what has happened. Strong emotions, such as hatred, can also keep a spirit tied to the place where it died. Some accounts describe spirits of people who died by suicide as unaware of their death, repeatedly reenacting the act. Until they become conscious of their death, these spirits are believed to remain bound to the location as Jibakurei.

Sources

“地縛靈 (Dìbǎlíng).” Chinese Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed October 16, 2026. https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%9C%B0%E7%B8%9B%E9%9D%88

Huangfu Gui

by

Tradition: Chinese Mythology
Alternative Names: 黃父鬼, Huang Father Ghost, Yellow Father Demon
Category: Ghost

The Myth

Huangfu Gui is a malevolent supernatural being recorded in Chinese literature as appearing around the fifth and sixth centuries, particularly in Hubei Province. It is described as wearing yellow clothing, and some accounts portray its entire body, from head to toe, as yellow. The spirit is associated with the spread of disease and was greatly feared by local inhabitants.

Huangfu Gui is said to enter people’s homes, often remaining invisible or taking on different forms. It can transform into a woman, birds, other animals, or even smoke, making its true appearance difficult to determine. Despite its threatening nature, the creature is described as constantly smiling or laughing. According to the legend, if it stands before a household’s entrance and laughs aloud, the people living inside will fall ill with an epidemic disease.

The spirit was also worshipped as a supernatural deity by inhabitants of Yuzhang Commandery, and some accounts say that it claimed to be a mountain god. Its ability to change shape, enter homes, and bring sickness made it both a feared and mysterious presence. Stories of Huangfu Gui appear in classical Chinese collections, including the Taiping Guangji and the Shuyi Ji.

Sources

“黄父鬼 (Huángfùguǐ).” Chinese Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed October 16, 2026. https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E9%BB%84%E7%88%B6%E9%AC%BC

Blauwe Gerrit

by

Tradition: Dutch Mythology
Alternative Names: Blauw Garrit, Blue Gerrit
Category: Ghost

The Myth

Blauwe Gerrit, whose name means Blue Gerrit, is a mysterious spirit from Gelderland in the Netherlands. He is known for invisibly climbing onto carts and horses, preventing them from moving forward. When he reveals himself, he is described as having glowing eyes and wearing a fluttering, luminous blue cloak that makes him a striking and unsettling apparition.

Despite his frightening appearance, Blauwe Gerrit can act as a protector of the vulnerable. In one tale, a young girl was threatened with abduction by a predatory knight. Blauwe Gerrit secretly climbed onto the knight’s horse, causing the animal to refuse to move no matter how much the rider tried to make it go forward. Eventually, the knight dismounted to investigate. At that moment, Blauwe Gerrit leapt onto the knight’s neck, rendering him completely unable to move.

The spirit forced the knight to remain outside in the freezing cold for the entire night, giving the girl an opportunity to escape. The story portrays Blauwe Gerrit as a supernatural figure who uses his strange power over horses and people to obstruct wrongdoing and protect those in danger.

Sources

Van der Veen, Abe. “Van aardmannetje tot zwarte juffer: Een lijst van Nederlandse en Vlaamse elfen en geesten.” Abe de Verteller. https://abedeverteller.nl/van-aardmannetje-tot-zwarte-juffer-een-lijst-van-nederlandse-en-vlaamse-elfen-en-geesten/

Pastor of Nennig

by

Tradition: Luxembourg Mythology
Alternative Names: Der Pastor von Nennig
Category: Ghost

The Myth

The Pastor of Nennig is the ghost of an elderly priest who appears to a young boy tending cattle near the village of Nennig. The apparition sits in a tree where the first branches begin to spread from the trunk. Dressed in priestly vestments and holding a missal, the old man appears to murmur a prayer while gazing pleadingly at the boy. For six weeks, the boy sees the same apparition without telling anyone, until fear finally drives him to confess the matter to his spiritual father.

Following his confessor’s advice, the boy approaches the priestly apparition and asks what he wants. The ghost reveals that he was the penultimate pastor of Nennig and that he still owes the Virgin Mary a Mass. The boy, who was the priest’s last baptismal candidate, is the only person who can release him. The priest instructs him to pray the Ave Maria, make a pilgrimage to Luxembourg, and offer a consecrated candle at the high altar in honour of the Queen of Heaven.

The devout boy undertakes the pilgrimage accompanied by many other worshippers. At the Church of Our Lady in Luxembourg, he walks three times around the high altar in silent prayer and places the consecrated candle on its steps. He then declares that the priest has been released. The elderly ghost, who has accompanied the pilgrims throughout their journey, rises towards heaven. However, the boy is so deeply affected by these events that his health deteriorates, and he soon dies. According to the legend, the priest had been praying after him, calling him to follow into death. The tale reflects a local belief that the dead can summon the people they loved most in life to join them in the afterlife.

Sources

La Fontaine, Edmond de. Luxemburger Sagen und Legenden. Gesammelt und herausgegeben von Ed. de la Fontaine. Luxemburg: Jos. Beffort, 1882.