Mythology!

Udug

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Tradition: Sumerian mythology, Iraqi Mythology
Alternative Names: Udug, Udug Hul, Utukku
Category: Demon

The Myth

The Udug is an ambiguous class of demons in ancient Mesopotamian mythology, found in the traditions of Sumer, Akkad, Assyria, and Babylonia. The beings were associated with the underworld, Kur, and were distinct from the dingir, the divine beings of Mesopotamian religion.

The appearance of the Udug is deliberately difficult to define. No certain visual representation has been identified, and ancient descriptions emphasize that the demon is essentially nameless and formless. An Old Babylonian incantation describes the Udug as one who, from the beginning, was never given a name and never appeared in a definite form.

Descriptions of the evil Udug instead focus on its terrifying supernatural characteristics. It is described as having a towering stature, a malignant appearance, a dark or pitch-black shadow, and no light within its body. It hides rather than standing openly, its claws drip with bile, and it leaves poison behind it. Its arms enclose its victim, while its terrifying battle cry is so powerful that it cannot be restrained.

The Udug could attack and afflict human beings, particularly through disease and supernatural possession. Its presence could bring painful illness into the body, while curses, poison, evil forces, and other forms of supernatural harm were attributed to its influence.

The Udug is especially prominent in the Udug Hul incantations, ancient Mesopotamian texts concerned with the exorcism of evil Udug. These texts describe the demon as a source of illness and suffering and place the exorcist in the role of removing the supernatural affliction and restoring the victim.

The word Udug was not always restricted to one precise type of demon. It could be used more broadly for demons as a whole, making the identity of an individual Udug difficult to distinguish from the wider world of Mesopotamian supernatural beings.

The Udug was also associated with other demons, including the Gallû and Lilu. Some traditions additionally connect the name with Hanbi, a mysterious figure described as the father of Pazuzu and associated with evil forces, although little is known about Hanbi himself.

The essential nature of the evil Udug was therefore not a particular physical form but its supernatural presence: darkness, poison, terrifying sound, possession, disease, and the unseen forces that afflicted human beings.

Sources

“Udug.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed September 7, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Udug

Oni no Nembutsu

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Tradition: Japanese mythology
Alternative Names: Oni no Nembutsu, Demon Soliciting Alms
Category: Demon

The Myth

The Oni no Nembutsu is a mischievous demon depicted as an oni dressed in the robes of a Buddhist priest and begging for alms.

The creature belongs to the tradition of the oni, supernatural demons commonly portrayed as frightening but also capable of humorous and mischievous behavior. In the depiction, the demon takes on the appearance and role of a Buddhist religious figure, humorously placing a fearsome supernatural being in the position of a priest who depends upon others for offerings.

The figure was used in the popular tradition of Otsu-e, where mischievous demons could be portrayed in humorous situations and accompanied by moralizing text. The image of the demon dressed as a priest and soliciting alms became one of these humorous supernatural subjects.

Sources

University of Michigan Museum of Art. “Ôtsu-e: Demon Soliciting Alms (Oni no Nembutsu).” University of Michigan Museum of Art. 18th century. Accession no. 1964/2.102. Accessed September 6, 2026. https://umma.umich.edu/objects/otsu-e-demon-soliciting-alms-oni-no-nembutsu-1964-2-102/

Cihuateteo

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Tradition: Aztec Mythology, Mexico Mythology
Alternative Names: Cihuateteo, Cihuātēteoh, Cihuātēotl
Category: Demon

The Myth

The Cihuateteo, meaning “Divine Women,” are the spirits of women who died in childbirth. Because childbirth was understood as a struggle equivalent to battle, women who died giving birth were likened to male warriors who had died in violent conflict. A woman in labor was said to capture the spirit of her newborn child in the same way that a warrior captured an enemy in battle.

The Cihuateteo resided in Cihuatlampa, the “place of women,” in the west where the sun sets. Each day, they accompanied the sun toward the west from noon until sunset. Some traditions suggest that they could even carry the sun through the underworld until it rose again. They performed this duty alongside the spirits of male warriors who had died in battle, and this privilege was reserved for these two groups of the dead.

On five particular days of the Aztec calendar—1 Deer, 1 Rain, 1 Monkey, 1 House, and 1 Eagle—the Cihuateteo descended from Cihuatlampa and returned to the earth.

When they appeared on earth, the Cihuateteo were feared as demons of the night. They were particularly associated with crossroads, where roadside shrines were erected to appease them. They were believed to steal children, cause madness and seizures, and tempt men into adultery. Individual Cihuateteo could be associated with the particular calendar day on which they descended.

A woman’s death in childbirth was understood as the result of losing a violent struggle. The gods were believed to have sent the child down to earth, and the woman had to fight and struggle to bring it into the world. If she succeeded, the newborn child was her reward; if she failed, she died and her soul became a Cihuateteotl.

The body of a woman who had died in childbirth was believed to retain extraordinary powers after her soul had departed. Her remains therefore required special protection. An armed group consisting of her widowed husband, his friends, midwives, and elderly women guarded the body against male warriors, who sought parts of it because of their supposed magical power.

The left middle finger and the hair were considered particularly potent. Warriors who obtained these relics could place them on their shields, where they were believed to give them courage and strength while blinding their enemies.

Cihuateteo were depicted as fearsome women with clenched, claw-like fists, bared teeth and gums, and aggressive poses. Their clawed feet could be tucked beneath their skirts, giving them an appearance that was simultaneously seated and ready to attack.

Their bodies often emphasized the physical consequences of childbirth. They were depicted with taut stomachs, exposed breasts, and prominent nipples, emphasizing their unrealized role as mothers who had died before being able to nurse their newborn children.

Their hair was often depicted as long, unkempt, and swirling, sometimes orange in color. Their skirts could be fastened with serpent belts, while some figures from El Zapotal carry staffs bearing heads as trophies and appear covered in flayed skins.

The serpent around the waist may refer to Cihuacoatl, a goddess associated with war, sacrifice, political power, fertility, childbirth, and midwifery. Their unkempt hair was associated with darkness and the earth, while Cihuatlampa itself was a place of darkness. The earth and earth goddesses likewise carried associations with both childbirth and sacrifice, two central aspects of the Cihuateteo.

Sources

“Cihuateteo.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed September 6, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cihuateteo

Alp

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Tradition: German Mythology
Alternative Names: Alpe, Alpen, Trud, Mar, Mart, Mahr, Schrat, Walrider
Category: Demon

The Myth

The Alp is a supernatural being from German folklore associated with nighttime oppression, nightmares, illness, and the bewilderment or deception of humans. The word Alp is the German form of the same ancient Germanic word that eventually became English elf.

In older German traditions, the Alp was understood as a nature spirit or nature demon. It was regarded as an eerie and sometimes ferocious being, and was particularly associated with the mare, a supernatural creature that tormented people during sleep.

The Alp was believed to approach sleeping people and oppress them during the night. This association is preserved in the German word Alpdruck, literally “elf-oppression,” meaning a nightmare. The Alp could also be associated with illness, including epilepsy.

Medieval German traditions frequently portray elves as beings capable of deceiving or bewildering people. A recurring expression described a person as being deceived by the elves or by the Alp. Elves could also have a seductive aspect, with medieval poetry describing people as being enchanted or bewitched by them.

By the later medieval period, elves had increasingly acquired a threatening and demonic character. A fourteenth-century German prayer known as the Münchener Nachtsegen invokes protection from the Alp, the Trud, and the Mare, asking these beings not to oppress, pinch, ride, or mount the sleeper.

The Alp was therefore closely connected with other Germanic nightmare spirits. Names such as Trud, Mar, Mart, Mahr, Schrat, and Walrider were used for related forms of supernatural beings, while surrounding European traditions preserved similar figures such as the Drude and the Old Hag.

The Alp was also associated with supernatural influence over human beings beyond sleep. In Northern Germany during the early modern period, elves were described as carrying out the evil wishes of witches. Martin Luther himself believed that his mother had been afflicted in this manner.

German traditions also preserved older associations between elves and other supernatural races. Elves could be connected with dwarfs in German heroic literature, particularly figures whose names or characteristics preserved the older idea of elf power.

Thus, the Alp represents an older Germanic conception of the elf as a potentially dangerous supernatural being: a spirit capable of deception, illness, nocturnal oppression, and supernatural influence over humans.

Sources

“Alp (folklore).” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed September 6, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alp_(folklore)

Black Gentleman

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Tradition: Swedish Mythology
Alternative Names: Black Gentleman
Category: Demon

The Myth

The Black Gentleman appears as a fine gentleman dressed entirely in black, arriving in a black coach drawn by two black horses. He comes to claim the wicked Lady of Pintorp and take her away for punishment.

The Lady of Pintorp was a cruel noblewoman who abused the people living on her estate. She imprisoned innocent people in underground dungeons, set vicious dogs upon children and beggars, and brutally punished workers who failed to arrive at the appointed time.

One morning, she ordered a farm-hand who had arrived late to cut down the largest oak on the estate and bring it to the castle courtyard before evening. When the man despaired over the impossible task, he encountered an old man in the woods who told him to sit upon the fallen tree. Invisible bearers then carried the tree rapidly to the castle. The Lady recognized that Erik Gyllenstjerna and Svante Banér were somehow helping the farm-hand, but responded with anger rather than remorse.

At that moment the earth shook, and the Black Gentleman arrived at the castle in his black coach. He descended, bowed to the Lady, and ordered her to prepare herself and follow him.

Knowing who he was, the Lady desperately begged for more time. She first requested three years, then three months, three weeks, and finally three days. The Black Gentleman refused every request and granted her only three minutes to put her affairs in order.

She then asked that her chaplain, chamber-maid, and valet accompany her. The Black Gentleman permitted this, and they entered the coach. The horses immediately carried them away with such supernatural speed that the people at the castle saw only a black streak.

After travelling for some time, they arrived at a magnificent castle. The Black Gentleman led the Lady inside, where she removed her costly clothes and put on a coarse coat and wooden shoes. He then combed her hair three times until she could no longer endure it and danced with her three times until she was exhausted.

After the first dance, the Lady gave her golden ring to her valet, but it burned his finger like fire. After the second, she gave her bunch of keys to her chamber-maid, but the keys seared the girl’s hand like red-hot iron.

After the third dance, a trapdoor suddenly opened in the floor. The Lady disappeared through it amid smoke and flames.

The chaplain looked down into the opening, and a spark rose from the depths and struck him in the eye, leaving him blind in that eye for the remainder of his life.

The Black Gentleman then allowed the three servants to return home, but warned them not to look behind them. They entered the coach and travelled along a broad, even road. Eventually, however, the chamber-maid could no longer resist her curiosity and looked back.

Immediately the coach, horses, and road disappeared. The three travellers found themselves in a wild forest, from which it took them three years to find their way back to Pintorp.

Sources

Stroebe, Clara, ed. The Swedish Fairy Book. Translated by Frederick H. Martens, with illustrations by George W. Hood. New York: Frederick A. Stokes Company, 1921. https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/37193

Puer

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Tradition: Chinese Mythology
Alternative Names: Puer (疟鬼)
Category: Demon

The Myth

Puer is a Chinese supernatural being associated with malaria and other fevers. It was believed to be a demon responsible for causing illness.

In ancient Chinese accounts, Puer could appear before sleeping people in the form of a small animal, a bird, or a human. It would then approach the person’s body and cause them to fall ill. If the victim tried to drive the creature away, it would gradually grow larger.

Because Puer was associated with disease, people developed various customs intended to prevent it from entering their homes. A common practice was to seek refuge in temples or in other people’s houses before the illness was believed to strike, thereby avoiding the demon.

The Taiping Guangji records a story concerning a person from Jiangxi who was suffering from malaria. He encountered two people who told him that they had been sent to treat his illness.

In Anhui, there was also a custom connected with Puer. Before the local disease season, people would make a paste from soybeans, flour, and water, believing that this mixture could suppress the disease demons and prevent them from spreading illness.

Ancient Chinese medical and literary works likewise associated Puer with recurring fevers and disease. Its appearance and influence were understood through the supernatural framework of illness, with the demon serving as an explanation for the sudden onset of fever and other symptoms.

Sources

“疟鬼 (Nüèguǐ; Malaria Ghost).” Chinese Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed September 6, 2026. https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%96%9F%E9%AC%BC

Ao Andon

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Tradition: Japanese mythology
Alternative Names: Ao Andō, 青行燈
Category: Demon

The Myth

The Ao Andon, meaning “blue lantern,” is a supernatural spirit associated with the Japanese tradition of hyakumonogatari kaidankai, gatherings in which people told one hundred ghost stories. It appears as a demonic woman with long black hair, blue skin, blackened teeth, sharp claws, and horns. She wears a white or blue kimono and emits an eerie blue light.

During the Edo period, hyakumonogatari kaidankai became a popular summertime activity, particularly among the aristocratic classes. Groups gathered together to tell frightening stories in the hope that the fear would provide relief from the intense summer heat.

One hundred candles were placed inside blue paper lanterns called andon. The guests took turns telling increasingly frightening stories about yokai, demons, ghosts, and other supernatural beings. After each story, one candle was extinguished. As the night continued, the room gradually became darker until only the hundredth candle remained, its dim blue light casting long and unsettling shadows.

According to superstition, something terrible would happen when the final candle was extinguished. The accumulated fear of the participants would cause an actual spirit to materialize from the darkness. This spirit was called the Ao Andon.

The Ao Andon was said to emerge from the smoke of the final candle and attack the storytellers. Exactly what happened during this attack was never established. It might slaughter the participants in a horrific finale resembling the stories they had told, or it might simply appear suddenly and give them one final fright before disappearing.

In practice, however, the final story was traditionally never reached. By the time ninety-nine ghost stories had been told, the participants were supposedly too frightened to tell the hundredth. The gatherings therefore ended before the last candle was extinguished and the Ao Andon could appear.

The belief behind the Ao Andon was essentially that speaking about supernatural beings could cause them to appear. By gathering together, telling stories about ghosts and demons, and concentrating their fear upon them, the participants risked bringing the very spirits they discussed into the room.

Sources

“aoandon.” Yokai.com: The Japanese Yokai Encyclopedia. Accessed September 6, 2026. https://yokai.com/aoandon/

Amuku Pey

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Tradition: Tamil folklore, Sri Lanka Mythology
Alternative Names: Amuku Pey
Category: Demon

The Myth

Amuku Pey is an evil spirit in Tamil folklore, particularly among the Tamil people of Sri Lanka. It is associated with sleep and is said to press down upon the chests of sleeping people.

The Amuku Pey is a personification of sleep paralysis, appearing at night while a person is asleep and creating the terrifying sensation of pressure upon the chest.

Sources

“Амуку-пей (Amuku Pey).” New Bestiary (Bestiary.us). Accessed September 6, 2026. https://www.bestiary.us/amuku-pei/en

Al Basty

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Tradition: Sumerian Mythology, Armenian Mythology
Alternative Names: Al Basty, Al Kardai, Al Karısı, Albastı, Alvasti, Albasdı, Албасты
Category: Demon

The Myth

Al Basty is an ancient female spirit found in folklore across the Caucasus and Turkic-speaking regions. She is associated with guilt and is particularly connected with people whose families have committed bloody crimes that have gone unpunished.

The name is commonly associated with the Turkic words al, meaning “red,” and bastı, meaning “pressure” or “pressing.” The spirit is known under many different names across the region, including Al Karısı in Turkic folklore and Al Basty or Alvasti in various Turkic languages.

In some traditions, Al Basty has been associated with the ancient figure of Lilith. Later traditions connected with Lilith have also been attributed to Al Basty, although the stories vary according to the region.

In Turkic folklore, Al Basty has sometimes been confused with the Mare, the Succubus, and other female spirits said to visit people in their dreams. Unlike these spirits, however, Al Basty is not primarily described as a sexual being. Instead, she is said to visit people with guilty souls, particularly those descended from families responsible for violent crimes that were never punished.

Al Basty is especially feared by women during the period after childbirth. She is believed to haunt women during this vulnerable period and cause severe psychological distress. Traditional postpartum practices lasting forty days were consequently observed as a form of protection and care.

Those visited by Al Basty are said to awaken in an intense fever after suffering her torments. She is also associated with horses, which she is believed to steal during the night. Horses tormented by her are found the following morning sweating and exhausted and unable to work normally for the rest of the day. Because of this association, she is also known as the “red mother.”

In Armenian folklore, a related spirit called Āl appears as a demon of childbirth. She is said to blind unborn children and cause miscarriages and stillbirths to women who have committed crimes that have gone unpunished.

The Armenian Āl appears as a spirit of flame with snake-like hair, brass fingernails, and iron teeth. She hides in damp places and attacks women during childbirth. Similar traditions have also been recorded in Afghanistan.

Thus, the Al Basty tradition encompasses several related forms of a dangerous female spirit, particularly associated with guilt, childbirth, illness, and the consequences of violence left unpunished.

Sources

“Al Basty.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed September 6, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Basty

Nuribotoke

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Tradition: Japanese mythology
Alternative Names: Nuribotoke
Category: Demon

The Myth

Nuribotoke is a yokai depicted in Japanese picture scrolls and illustrated collections of supernatural creatures, including Hyakkai Zukan and Toriyama Sekien’s Gazu Hyakki Yagyō (Illustrated Night Parade of One Hundred Demons).

The creature is generally depicted as a completely black Buddhist monk with bulging eyes and a strange appendage resembling a fish’s tail extending from its back.

In Toriyama Sekien’s Gazu Hyakki Yagyō, the Nuribotoke appears emerging from inside a Buddhist altar. Its body is black, but unlike some other depictions, it does not have a tail on its back.

No accompanying text or explanation survives with the traditional illustrations, so there are no specific characteristics, legends, or stories associated with the Nuribotoke in these sources. In later children’s books dealing with yokai, it is sometimes described as suddenly appearing from a Buddhist altar to surprise people.

Sources

Takahashi, Toshihiro. “塗仏 [ぬりぼとけ] (Nuribotoke).” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). October 25, 2009. https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1010652662.html