Mythology

Kurikara Ryūō

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Tradition: Japanese mythology
Alternative Names: Kurikara Ryūō, Kurikara Dairyu, Kurikara Dragon King, Kurikara Fudō Myōō, Kurikara Myōō, Karaka
Category: Dragon

The Myth

Kurikara Ryūō appears as a gigantic black dragon wrapped in flames, coiling around an upright sacred sword, usually a three-pronged sword, and attempting to swallow it from the tip. In other depictions his body is golden, with a jade horn growing from his forehead, while flames of samadhi surround his coiling body. His four legs are associated with four other Myōō: Gosanze Myōō, Gundari Myōō, Enmaten Myōō, and Kongōyasha Myōō.

Kurikara Ryūō is regarded as a manifestation of Fudō Myōō. His most famous legend tells of Fudō Myōō’s battle against heretics in Maheshura’s City, in the highest realm of the Form Realm. Fudō transformed himself into a sword of wisdom fire, while Chitatsu, leader of ninety-five kinds of heretics, likewise transformed into a sword of wisdom fire.

Fudō’s sword of wisdom fire then transformed into the enormous Kurikara Dragon. The dragon coiled itself around the heretics’ swords and attempted to swallow them. When it opened its mouth and breathed, the sound was so tremendous that it was compared to twenty billion thunderclaps roaring at once. The heretics heard the terrifying sound and abandoned their evil attachments.

The Kurikara Great Dragon was said to be 100,000 yojanas tall. His sacred dharani possessed immense magical power: those who recited it were believed to be able to remove misfortune and subdue demons. Praying to Kurikara Ryūō or chanting his name was likewise believed to dispel fear and evil obstacles and secure a peaceful afterlife.

Kurikara Ryūō was also believed to possess the power to drive away illness and disease and to summon clouds and control rainfall. His image was therefore used in prayers for protection from sickness and for rain.

Another legend tells of a demon king who once lived in the place that later became Kurikara Village and tormented its people. The monk Zenmui enshrined Kurikara Fudō there, and the deity subdued the demon king. The village and the mountain pass subsequently came to be known as Kurikara.

The legend further tells that Kurikara Fudō appeared from Kurikara Fudō Pond, where many miraculous events were said to have occurred. The deity thus became both the dragon coiled around the sword of wisdom and the divine protector who subdued demons, overcame evil, drove away disease, and brought protection to those who called upon him.

Sources

Takahashi, Toshihiro. “俱利伽羅龍王 [くりからりゅうおう] (Kurikara Ryūō).” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). February 1, 2024. https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1083042301.html

Lagar

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Tradition: Japanese mythology
Alternative Names: Lagaru, Lagarto, Lakarta
Category: Dragon, Crocodile

The Myth

Lagar was a gigantic reptilian sea monster, described as having a crocodile-like body, four legs, a long slender tail, and a body completely covered in extraordinarily hard scales. Its claws were sharp and its teeth were like saws. The scales were said to be so hard that spears, swords, arrows, and even poisoned arrows could not penetrate them. Its belly, however, contained a soft and vulnerable spot.

Lagar could reach around twenty feet in length. It lived in the sea, where it hunted fish, but when it came ashore it attacked and devoured animals and people. Despite its terrifying strength, it was slow-moving, allowing fish to escape it and people to attempt to flee. It did not eat small fish, instead swimming behind them so that they would not become prey to other creatures.

The monster was said to lay eggs, each roughly the size of a goose egg. When Lagar came ashore, it spat saliva onto the ground. Anyone who stepped in the saliva could slip and fall, leaving them helpless before the beast, which would immediately attack and devour them. It was also said to pursue anyone who tried to flee from it, although the strange creature would itself run away if a person chased after it.

Lagar had several natural enemies. One kind of fish was said to attack the soft underside of its body and stab it to death. A smaller creature could cover itself in mud, leap directly into Lagar’s mouth, and devour its internal organs from within. The monster was also unable to approach places where a plant called Zatsuburaran had been planted.

A terrifying tale from the seas of Ezo tells of another creature believed to be the same monster. This beast was around ten feet long, with sharp claws, saw-like teeth, a crocodile-like body, and scales resembling those of a shark. Even poisoned arrows could not pierce its body. It was powerful enough to kill and devour enormous fish and would sometimes come ashore to eat animals.

Because the creature moved slowly, people attempted to capture it, though many were killed in the process. Eventually they discovered the vulnerable spot beneath its belly. By firing poisoned arrows into this soft place, they managed to kill three of the monsters. After those three were slain, no similar creature was said to appear again.

There was an even more frightening account of Lagar. It was said to imitate the sound of a human crying, luring people toward it from a distance. Once they came close, it would bite and devour them. Its saliva could make people slip and fall, while its eyes, dull and lifeless beneath the water, were said to shine brightly when it came ashore.

Lagar was also said to stop eating entirely during winter and, strangely, to possess no tongue inside its mouth.

Sources

Takahashi, Toshihiro. “ラガル (Lagar).” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). April 14, 2018. https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1070581868.html

Dragon of Gelre

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Tradition: Dutch Mythology
Alternative Names: De Draak van Gelre, Gelderse Draak
Category: Dragon

The Myth

A fearsome dragon lived beneath an ancient medlar tree. It terrorized the surrounding countryside, seizing both people and animals and tearing them apart. The dragon’s terrible cry was always the same: “Gelre, Gelre!”

Lupold and Wichard, sons of Otto, lord of Pont, heard of the beast and set out to destroy it. Beneath the old medlar tree they found the dragon and confronted it. After a fierce struggle, the brothers succeeded in killing the monster.

Where the dragon had been slain, the brothers founded a castle and named it Gelre, after the strange cry that had come from the dragon’s mouth.

Lupold later died without children, and his younger brother Wichard succeeded him. Wichard was married to a daughter of Zutphen, sometimes named Margaretha, daughter of Herman of Hameland. From that time onward he bore three medlar flowers in his coat of arms, preserving the memory of the dragon that had been defeated beneath the ancient medlar tree.

Sources

“De draak van Gelre.” Mijn Gelderland. Accessed September 30, 2026. https://mijngelderland.nl/inhoud/verhalen/de-draak-van-gelre

Dragon of Wasmes

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Tradition: Belgian Mythology
Alternative Names: Gilles van Chin’s Dragon
Category: Dragon

The Myth

A fearsome dragon lived in the dangerous marshes of Wasmes, where it made its lair in a cave. The beast had captured a young girl and carried her into its den, holding her prisoner there.

In 1133, Gilles van Chin came to Wasmes and confronted the dragon. The battle lasted for hours, continuing until evening. In one telling of the tale, the imprisoned girl managed to help Gilles by giving him a thorny branch. He used it against the dragon, and the branch became lodged in the creature’s mouth.

At last Gilles struck the dragon through the heart and killed it. He then cut off its head and carried the monstrous trophy to Count Baldwin. The rescued girl was brought back to the village in triumph, freed from the creature that had held her captive in the marshes.

Sources

“Gilles van Chin.” Wikipedia, de vrije encyclopedie (Dutch Wikipedia). Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed September 30, 2026. https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilles_van_Chin

Bokkenrijder

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Tradition: Belgian Mythology, Dutch Mythology
Alternative Names: –
Category: Sheep

The Myth

The Bokkenrijders were spirits who rode through the night sky upon goats. Mounted on their supernatural steeds, they could fly through the air by reciting a magical formula:

“Over huis, over tuin, over staak en dat tot Keulen in de wijnkelder!”

Once a year, the Bokkenrijders were said to ride to the Mookerheide, where they gathered to honor their master, the Devil.

The fear surrounding these spectral riders later became entangled with a very real band of robbers who operated throughout Limburg during the eighteenth century and called themselves Bokkenrijders as well. They appear to have exploited the existing fear of the supernatural riders. After being tortured, members of these gangs confessed to the most horrifying deeds, including having made a pact with the Devil and being able to fly through the air on the backs of goats.

More than 180 of these accused Bokkenrijders were eventually sentenced to death. Thus the name came to describe both the legendary spirits who supposedly crossed the night sky on goats and the eighteenth-century criminals who were accused of being their human counterparts.

Sources

“Aardmannetje tot zwarte juffer: een lijst van Nederlandse en Vlaamse elfen en geesten.” Abe de Verteller. Accessed September 30, 2026. https://abedeverteller.nl/van-aardmannetje-tot-zwarte-juffer-een-lijst-van-nederlandse-en-vlaamse-elfen-en-geesten/

Starkhans

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Tradition: Luxembourg Mythology
Alternative Names: –
Category: Giant

The Myth

Starkhans was a giant-like figure whose enormous strength was said to represent the giants of old. His extraordinary power was already apparent in childhood. He continued drinking at his mother’s breast until the age of seven, and this was said to have made him so strong that, scarcely grown beyond his mother’s care, he could uproot young oak trees as thick as a man’s arm merely for amusement.

One of the most famous tales of his strength tells of a mischievous shepherd who boasted that he could outdo Starkhans in a contest. They agreed that each would throw a stone against a wall with such force that it would remain stuck to it.

Starkhans picked up a boundary stone and hurled it against the wall with tremendous force. Instead of sticking, the stone shattered into pieces like sand, and the wall itself shook from the impact.

The clever shepherd had no intention of competing honestly. He picked up a piece of cheese instead, threw it against the wall, and watched as it stuck firmly to the surface. Starkhans believed that he had been defeated.

Overcome with furious rage at losing the contest, Starkhans struck the unfortunate shepherd such a tremendous slap across the face that the poor man was hurled all the way up to the clouds. He did not fall back to earth for seven days.

When he finally came down, he landed in a meadow where his fellow shepherds were working in the hay. They were astonished to see their companion suddenly fall from the sky, alive after his extraordinary journey.

Sources

La Fontaine, Edmond de. Luxemburger Sagen und Legenden. Luxemburg: Jos. Beffort, 1882.

Roesschaert

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Tradition: Belgian Mythology
Alternative Names: Roessaart, Roesjhoart, Roesschaert
Category: Ghost, Witch, Dog

The Myth

Roesschaert was the ghost of a burned witch. She could appear in several frightening forms, most notably as an enormous black dog with a bell around its neck. At other times she appeared as a cat or a donkey. Whatever form she took, her presence was accompanied by the sound “Roes, Roes, Roes,” from which her name was said to derive.

Roesschaert was especially troublesome to fishermen. She would destroy their fishing nets or try to overturn their boats, bringing danger to those working at sea.

She could also rise suddenly from the water itself, appearing without warning beside fishermen and sailors. From the sea she would seize them and drag them into the depths, making Roesschaert a particularly feared spirit along the Flemish coast.

Sources

“Aardmannetje tot zwarte juffer: een lijst van Nederlandse en Vlaamse elfen en geesten.” Abe de Verteller. Accessed September 30, 2026. https://abedeverteller.nl/van-aardmannetje-tot-zwarte-juffer-een-lijst-van-nederlandse-en-vlaamse-elfen-en-geesten/

Wilde Schwein

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Tradition: Luxembourg Mythology
Alternative Names: –
Category: Pig

The Myth

The wild boar was a terrifying beast that appeared at night around the pastures where young horse herders brought their horses to graze. According to an old farmer, the creature would suddenly charge through the shepherds’ campfires, sending millions of sparks flying into the darkness. By morning, the boys’ faces were black with soot, as though they had been turned into Moors.

Whenever the terrifying beast appeared, disaster followed. The boys knew that they would soon have to search in every direction for their horses, which had scattered across the countryside in fear of the creature.

On one occasion, the wild beast suddenly sprang between the legs of one of the young herders. The terrified boy was carried away on a wild and dreadful ride, forced through every kind of terrain until the beast finally brought him to a distant, towering rock.

There he was forced to remain for seven days. Only on the eighth day did he manage to escape, doing so at great risk to his life. When he finally returned to the others, he was half-starved and covered in blood from his ordeal.

Sources

La Fontaine, Edmond de. Luxemburger Sagen und Legenden. Luxemburg: Jos. Beffort, 1882.

Vurige Wagen

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Tradition: Belgian Mythology, Dutch Mythology
Alternative Names: Korenwagen, Gloeiende Wagen, Hellewagen, Spookwagen
Category: Object

The Myth

The Vurige Wagen is a glowing, fiery coach that appears at night, usually between midnight and one o’clock. It is drawn by black or invisible horses and sometimes rises into the air, racing through the darkness with an infernal roar.

Inside the coach, blood-red lights glow ominously, while the coachman himself shines with heat and spits fire. The terrifying vehicle is said to be the punishment of wealthy sinners who exploited and oppressed ordinary people during their lives.

One late-night traveller once heard the dreadful carriage thundering toward him. As the noise grew louder, he expected the fiery vehicle to rush past him, but when it came close, it suddenly vanished. Only a few metres farther away did it appear again, continuing its supernatural journey through the night.

The Vurige Wagen could also be understood as the restless spirit of a dissolute nobleman, condemned after death to drive eternally through the darkness in his blazing coach.

Sources

Reuland, Heinrich Adolph. Luxemburger Volksbücher: Geschichten und Sagen aus dem luxemburger Volksleben. Luxemburg: St. Paulus-Dr., 1892.

Affener Weiher

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Tradition: Luxembourg Mythology
Alternative Names: Affener Weiher, Pitscher Weiher
Category: Bird

The Myth

The Affener Weiher is a pond near the village of Affen, known in Walloon as Ponehs, in the municipality of Haechel in Luxembourg. Around its waters gather flocks of lapwings, calling out their characteristic “Kibitz! Kibitz!”

Yet these birds are said not to be true lapwings. They are old maidens who were transformed into birds and condemned to remain at the pond until the end of the world. There they must endlessly circle the water and cry out “Kibitz! Kibitz!” without ever escaping their enchantment.

The legend gave rise to a local saying about an unmarried girl who seemed unlikely to find a husband. People would say of her: “Das kommt auf den Affener Weiher” — “She is going to end up at the Affener Pond.”

The same story is also attached to the Pitscher Weiher, where the cries of the lapwings are likewise said to come from enchanted old maidens.

Sources

Reuland, Heinrich Adolph. Luxemburger Volksbücher: Geschichten und Sagen aus dem luxemburger Volksleben. Luxemburg: St. Paulus-Dr., 1892.