Mythology

Wieżtyca

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Tradition: Polish Mythology
Alternative Names: None recorded
Category: Insect

The Myth

The Wieżtyca is a winged, translucent specter resembling a gigantic moth. It is a restless and resentful ghost that envies the living for the life it has lost. During the new moon, it howls beneath the windows of peasant cottages, lamenting its existence and seeking victims among those who sleep inside.

The ghost can slip into a house through even the smallest opening, passing beneath a door or through a keyhole. Once inside, it selects a victim, usually the youngest-looking member of the household. Using powerful magic to keep the person asleep, the Wieżtyca opens their chest and bites into their heart. The victim does not awaken during the attack, and after the ghost has fed, it flies away and magically seals the wound.

By morning, the victim awakens in terrible pain. Despite the apparently closed wound, the damage is fatal, and the person is said to die within the following few days.

Garlic is believed to offer protection against the Wieżtyca. People smear it on their breasts before going to sleep, particularly during Shrovetide, when nocturnal demons are thought to become more active. This practice is intended to keep the ghost away and prevent it from reaching the heart of a sleeping victim.

Sources

“Wieżyca.” Wikipedia, wolna encyklopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed October 18, 2026. https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wie%C5%BCtyca


Aburamushi-tata

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Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: The Curse of the Cockroaches
Category: Insect

The Myth

Aburamushi-tata is associated with a tale of supernatural retribution involving cockroaches. The story appears in Kidan Zashishi (Miscellaneous Stories of Strange Tales) and concerns a woman from Osaka who had hated cockroaches since childhood. Whenever she encountered one, she would kill it by pouring boiling water over it.

Years later, the woman became seriously ill. As she lay close to death, a multitude of cockroaches suddenly appeared beside her. Terrified, she cried out that the cockroaches were going to seize her and kill her. She eventually died in a fit of madness.

People feared that the woman’s terrible death was punishment for her lifelong habit of killing cockroaches. The tale presents the insects as agents of supernatural vengeance, returning at the moment of death to torment someone who had repeatedly destroyed them.

Sources

“Aburamushi-tata.” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1075816535.html


Mosquito of Bukhe Beligte

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Tradition: Mongolian Mythology
Alternative Names: None recorded
Category: Insect

The Myth

The giant mosquitoes of Mongolian mythology are monstrous insects created by evil spirits and demons. They are described as being as large as scrawny horses, with enormous bodies and a loud, persistent buzzing. Their appearance is terrifying, and they are capable of overwhelming the landscape in vast swarms. According to the legend of the infant hero Bukhe Beligte, these creatures were created to torment him while he slept on a hilltop.

Although only a few days old, Bukhe Beligte was already fighting supernatural enemies. After defeating two black ravens with iron beaks and talons, he was left alone on the hilltop for another night. He prepared seventy snares around his sleeping place. His cries shook the earth, prompting nine hundred evil spirits and ninety black demons to create two giant mosquitoes. These monstrous insects came from a desolate, scorching land in the east, a place of marshy rivers, slippery slopes, and darkness, where demons and evil spirits made their home.

The two mosquitoes flew around the sleeping infant, pestering him with their buzzing. However, they became caught in the seventy snares he had prepared. Bukhe Beligte seized a black whip with eighteen tails and thrashed the enormous insects until they were reduced to a mass of ordinary mosquitoes and gnats, numerous enough to fill a river.

After defeating them, the infant pronounced a powerful oath. From that moment onward, the mosquitoes and gnats would live among the stems of grasses, buzzing about in search of food. Their transformation explained how the terrifying horse-sized insects of the ancient world became the smaller, numerous pests found among vegetation.

Bukhe Beligte celebrated another victory, declaring that he had defeated three enemies before reaching the age of three days. He then fell into a deep sleep. Yet his extraordinary strength continued to trouble his parents. Because of the terrible stench that accompanied him, they eventually abandoned him in a bears’ den. When his father returned the following morning, the boy ran to embrace him. The infant had already killed the black bear that lived there, revealing once again that even at such a young age, Bukhe Beligte possessed immense supernatural power.

Sources

“The Second Branch: Geser Comes Down to Earth (Part 1).” Buryat-Mongol. Internet Archive Wayback Machine, archived June 28, 2007. https://web.archive.org/web/20070628230811/http://www.buryatmongol.com/halaa2.html

Ka-sei

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Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: Mosquito Spirit
Category: Insect

The Myth

Ka-sei is a mosquito spirit that can transform into a human and disguise itself as a sumo wrestler. It appears in the Kyogen play Mosquito Sumo, where it comes from Moriyama in Ōmi Province, a place associated with mosquitoes. Taking advantage of the popularity of sumo wrestling, the spirit travels toward the capital in search of employment, intending to drink human blood.

The spirit encounters Taro Kaja, a servant tasked by his daimyo with finding a new retainer. Believing the stranger to be an ordinary sumo wrestler, Taro Kaja brings him to his master. The daimyo is delighted to discover that the newcomer is a wrestler and immediately challenges him to a match. However, the supposed wrestler moves with a buzzing, flying motion, making the daimyo dizzy and causing him to fall before he can touch his opponent. During the encounter, the mosquito spirit also bites him and sucks his blood.

In the Ōkura school’s version of the play, the daimyo eventually realizes the stranger’s true nature and devises a plan with Taro Kaja. During their next match, Taro Kaja uses a large fan to disrupt the spirit’s flight. Unable to move freely against the gusts of wind, the mosquito spirit is caught by the daimyo, who pulls out the stinger that has emerged from its mouthparts. Defeated, the spirit staggers away.

The Izumi school’s version ends differently. Although the daimyo initially manages to defeat the mosquito spirit with the help of Taro Kaja’s fan, the spirit throws him again while he celebrates his apparent victory. Having ultimately lost the match, the daimyo angrily throws Taro Kaja to the ground instead.

On stage, the mosquito spirit is represented using a mask called Usobuki or Usofuki, which has a narrowed mouth, along with a costume resembling mosquito wings. During the sumo scene, a long, thin roll of paper is inserted into the mask’s mouth to represent the mosquito’s needle-like proboscis.

Sources

“Ka-sei.” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1070069162.html


Okiku Mushi

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Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: Okiku Bug; Okiku Mushi (於菊虫, おきくむし)
Category: Insect

The Myth

The Okiku mushi is a caterpillar-like yōkai with the torso of a human woman. It is associated with wells around Himeji Castle and is believed to have originated from the lingering vengeance of Okiku, the murdered servant girl whose ghost haunts the castle’s folklore. The creature is identified with the caterpillar of the Chinese windmill butterfly (Byasa alcinous), whose chrysalis was thought to resemble the body of a woman bound with ropes.

According to the tale of Banchō sarayashiki, Okiku was murdered by her lover. Her body was tied up and tortured before being thrown into a well at Himeji Castle. After her death, strange occurrences were attributed to her vengeful ghost. Among them was the sudden appearance of large numbers of unusual caterpillars. Because their chrysalises resembled a tied-up woman, people connected the insects with Okiku’s fate and believed they were manifestations of the resentment her spirit had left behind.

The butterfly is commonly known in Japan as the jakō ageha, but it also acquired the nickname Okiku mushi because of the popularity of the ghost story. During the Edo period, local shopkeepers near Himeji Castle reportedly sold the insects’ chrysalises as souvenirs to visitors at nearby shrines, further spreading the association between the caterpillars and Okiku’s tragic story.

Sources

“Okikumushi.” Yokai.com. https://yokai.com/okikumushi/


Moskittos

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Tradition: American Mythology
Alternative Names: None recorded
Category: Insect

The Myth

Moskittos are enormous hybrid insects from American lumberjack folklore, known for their terrifying size and unusual stingers. They originated from the giant mosquitoes of the Chippewa River, which were so large that they could straddle a stream. These monstrous insects attacked lumberjacks by plucking them from floating logs and draining their blood. They were even large enough to be tied up and used as bridges when caught straddling a stream.

To combat the mosquito menace, the legendary lumberjack Paul Bunyan introduced deadly fighting bumblebees from Texas. These aggressive bees quickly began battling the giant mosquitoes, giving the lumberjacks a temporary reprieve from their bloodthirsty attackers.

The conflict eventually ended when the mosquitoes and bumblebees made peace and hybridized, producing the moskittos. These new creatures inherited the enormous size and blood-drinking habits of the mosquitoes, along with the bees’ stinging abilities. Their most distinctive feature was having a stinger at each end of their bodies.

Fortunately, the moskittos also inherited the bumblebees’ fondness for sugar. When they discovered a shipment of sugar being transported across Lake Superior, they descended upon it and gorged themselves. They ate so much that they became too heavy to fly and drowned in the lake, ending their threat to humanity.

Sources

Countess Sica. “Moskitto.” A Book of Creatures, April 19, 2021. https://abookofcreatures.com/2021/04/19/moskitto/


Nimeriarjuaq

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Tradition: Inuit Mythology, Canadian Mythology, Greenlandic Mythology
Alternative Names: The Hairy Worm
Category: Insect

The Myth

Nimeriarjuaq, meaning the Hairy Worm, is a swift, worm-like spirit that moves by writhing its body in sinuous waves. It lives both on land and in the sea and is smaller and narrower than a bearded seal. Its hair grows only along its back and belly, leaving the rest of its body without hair.

Despite its unusual appearance, Nimeriarjuaq is a helpful spirit associated with healing and protection. It can assist in curing the sick and may also serve as a defender, protecting those who call upon it. Its speed and ability to move between land and sea make it a versatile spirit, valued for both its healing powers and its role as a guardian.

Sources

Rasmussen, Knud. Intellectual Culture of the Hudson Bay Eskimos. Copenhagen: Gyldendalske Boghandel, 1930. https://archive.org/search.php?query=creator%3A%22Rasmussen%2C+Knud%2C+1879-1933%22

Witch as a Fly

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Tradition: Swiss Mythology
Alternative Names: None recorded
Category: Insect

The Myth

The Witch as a Fly is a vengeful witch from a legend recorded in the canton of St. Gallen, Switzerland. She can transform herself into a fly, using her tiny form to approach a victim unnoticed and deliver a fatal bite.

The story tells of a young man from Grabs who abandoned his lover after accepting a bribe to serve in the Netherlands. He left his home and became a soldier, leaving the woman behind. One day, while he was away, a fly bit him. The bite proved deadly, and despite every effort to treat him, he died.

It was eventually revealed that the man’s abandoned lover had been a witch. Seeking revenge for his betrayal, she had transformed herself into a fly and delivered the fatal bite herself. The tale presents shapeshifting as a means of supernatural vengeance, allowing the witch to pursue her former lover across distant lands and kill him in a form that initially seemed harmless.

Sources

“Die Hexe Fleige.” SAGEN.at – Schweizer Sagen. Reproduced by SAGEN.at. https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/schweiz/st_gallen/hexe_fleige.html

Gold-Digging Ants

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Tradition: Greek Mythology, Indian Mythology
Alternative Names: Indian Gold-Digging Ants; Myrmekes
Category: Insect

The Myth

Gold-digging ants are enormous, powerful creatures said to inhabit gold-rich deserts in distant lands. Herodotus placed them in the sandy deserts of the Dards in India, within the Persian Empire, while later accounts, including the Ortus Sanitatis, relocated them to Ethiopia. Despite the differences in their supposed homeland, the stories describe creatures that dig up precious gold and fiercely defend their territory.

These creatures are smaller than dogs but larger than foxes. Pliny compared their size to that of an Ethiopian wolf and described their colour as resembling a cat. Skins attributed to the ants and presented before Alexander the Great were said to resemble panther skins. In the Ortus Sanitatis, however, the gold-digging ant looks unlike any ordinary ant or familiar animal. It has a rounded, bird-like head and four legs equipped with long talons. Whatever their appearance, the creatures are described as exceptionally swift, strong, and dangerous.

Gold-digging ants excavate their nests in areas rich in gold dust. As they dig underground, they bring sand containing the precious metal to the surface. This makes their nests tempting targets for treasure seekers, but the ants guard their riches aggressively. Anyone who attempts to steal their gold risks being caught and torn apart by the creatures.

Treasure hunters use camel caravans to raid the nests during hot summer mornings, when the ants remain underground. They rapidly collect the gold-bearing sand and load it into bags before the creatures detect their presence. However, the ants soon catch the scent of the intruders and rush to the surface. The camels must have a substantial head start, because the pursuing creatures are said to be fast enough to catch them and dismember them if they fail to escape.

The true identity of the gold-digging ants remains uncertain. Various explanations have suggested that they were not insects at all, but mammals whose digging habits and ferocity inspired the stories. Proposed candidates include hyenas, whose Persian name may have resembled the Greek word for ant, and Siberian foxes, which are known for digging and fierce behaviour. Another theory identifies the creatures as Himalayan marmots, whose extensive burrowing could bring gold-bearing material to the surface. According to this explanation, the Greek word murmex, meaning ant, may have contributed to confusion between ants and marmots.

Sources

“Gold-Digging Ant.” A Book of Creatures, August 22, 2016. https://abookofcreatures.com/2016/08/22/gold-digging-ant/

Indus Worm

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Tradition: Greek Mythology, Indian Mythology
Alternative Names: Worms of the Indus
Category: Insect

The Myth

The Indus worm is a gigantic aquatic predator said to inhabit the Indus River in India. It resembles the worms found in figs or rotten wood, but grows to an enormous size, measuring around seven cubits, or more than three metres, in length. Its body is so thick that a ten-year-old boy could barely wrap his arms around it, and its skin is approximately two fingers thick. Its most terrifying features are two enormous, square teeth, one in its upper jaw and one in its lower jaw, each measuring about eighteen inches long.

During the day, the worms remain submerged in the river, wallowing in the mud. At night, they emerge to hunt animals as large as cows and camels. They seize their prey, drag it into the water, and devour it at leisure, crushing flesh, bone, and even stone with their immense teeth. Only the animal’s paunch is left uneaten. There are also accounts of hungry worms attacking drinking camels and oxen in broad daylight, grabbing them by the nose and dragging them beneath the water.

Despite their terrifying nature, the Indus worms are prized for the oil contained within their bodies. This oil is extraordinarily flammable and can consume wood and animals alike. Fires started with it are said to be almost impossible to extinguish, requiring large quantities of clay and rubbish to smother the flames. Because the oil is so rare and valuable, only the king of India is permitted to possess it, and it is stored in clay vessels for use as a devastating weapon during sieges.

Obtaining the oil requires a dangerous expedition. Hunters capture a worm using a hook baited with a lamb or kid chained to it. Once the creature is hauled ashore, it is killed with javelins, swords, and clubs. The carcass is then suspended for thirty days, with vessels placed beneath it to collect the oil that slowly drips from its body. A single worm yields approximately five pints of oil before its remains are discarded and the precious substance is sent to the king.

The Indus worm has sometimes been compared to the Odontotyrannus, another legendary creature associated with India. Both are described as dangerous predators connected with aquatic environments, although their other characteristics differ.

Sources

“Indus Worm.” A Book of Creatures, October 3, 2016. https://abookofcreatures.com/2016/10/03/indus-worm/