Mythology!

Bès Kěmwar

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Tradition: Jah Hut Mythology, Malaysian Mythology
Alternative Names: Maggot Spirit; Bès Kěmwar Jě’la; Bès Kěmwar Sòk; Bès Kěmwar Těrbang
Category: Insect

The Myth

The Bès Kěmwar, or maggot spirit, is one of the many disease spirits known to the Jah Hut people of Malaysia. It can appear as a maggot or caterpillar, with different forms distinguished by features such as hair, thorns, and wings. These spirits inhabit vegetation and trees, feed on crops, and inflict painful illnesses on humans. Some cause aches in the bones, joints, and muscles, while others bring swelling, itching, throat irritation, and hair loss.

One kind of maggot spirit lives in rotten tree trunks, where it feeds on the decaying wood. Anyone approaching its fallen tree risks being bitten on the leg. The bite causes redness, swelling, and itching, and eventually all the victim’s toenails fall off. According to the account, the swelling disappears after two or three months. Another variety lives beside rivers and appears only during the jungle-fruit season in February. It flies onto the heads of elderly people, causing their hair to fall out.

The tip-of-leaf maggot spirit feeds on coconut and rice leaves, threatening cultivated crops. To protect the plants, a pawang, or ritual specialist, blesses them with a pounded mixture of daun setawa and kunyit mulai. The mixture is burned to ashes, which are then scattered over the plantation.

Bès Kěmwar Jě’la, the thorny-maggot spirit, lives on leaves and causes restlessness and rheumatism. Bès Kěmwar Sòk, the hairy caterpillar spirit, lives at the tips of tree branches. Its hairs may fall into drinking water, causing irritation and swelling in the throat. A poyang can cure the affliction in its early stages, but untreated victims eventually die because they can no longer eat or drink.

Bès Kěmwar Těrbang, the flying-maggot spirit, lives in bushes and feeds on the leaves of the daun mengkirai tree. Its urine and faeces fall onto people passing beneath the tree, causing baldness and swelling. At night, it flies onto house roofs and opens them up. Children who see its eyes reflecting like mirrors become terrified and cry. Burning daun-kesim is said to keep this nocturnal spirit away.

Sources

“Bes Kemwar.” A Book of Creatures, April 17, 2020. https://abookofcreatures.com/2020/04/17/bes-kemwar/

Kijikui

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Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: Pheasant Eater
Category: Insect

The Myth

Kijikui is a strange monster recorded in the Edo-period work Himeguni Sankai Roku. It resembles a giant snail, with a spotted shell and a blue neck protruding from its opening. Despite its unusual body and apparent lack of legs, the creature is described as remarkably agile and capable of moving at extraordinary speed.

According to the account, the monster was witnessed in 1726 by a man named Heitayu from Fukasawa Village in Chikugo Province. He encountered it in a valley, where it chased down and captured a wild pheasant. When the creature noticed the presence of a human, it fled towards a cave with the speed of the wind. It disappeared inside, and its whereabouts remained unknown.

The name Kijikui, meaning “Pheasant Eater,” was not given to the creature in the original account. It was assigned later by Susumu Zenyoji in his 2015 book Edo no Yōkai Zukan (Illustrated Scroll of Edo’s Monsters).

There is some uncertainty surrounding the creature’s depiction. A neighbouring entry in Himeguni Sankai Roku describes a monster from Chikugo Province during the Kan’en era, with a tortoiseshell-like covering, possibly the remains of a snail, and a large pattern on its shell. However, the illustration associated with Kijikui makes it difficult to identify such a pattern. This raises the possibility that the illustrations and descriptions were accidentally placed in the wrong order during the compilation or copying of the work.

Despite these uncertainties, Kijikui remains a curious creature in Japanese monster lore: a snail-like predator capable of catching pheasants and vanishing into a cave with astonishing speed, even though its illustrated body appears poorly suited to running.

Sources

“Kijiku.” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1077606809.html

Mukade Nyōbō

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Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: Centipede Wife
Category: Insect

The Myth

Mukade Nyōbō is a centipede bride from a short folktale recorded in Kōka District, Shiga Prefecture, Japan. She is described through the unusual appearance of the centipede she represents: a creature with a black body and red legs. Someone found this combination of colours so charming that he declared he wanted to marry a centipede.

His wish was granted, and he took the centipede as his wife. However, married life soon became troublesome. The centipede required an enormous number of sandals, forcing her husband to make pair after pair for her many feet.

Eventually, the burden of producing so many sandals became too much, and the marriage ended in divorce. The story offers a humorous explanation for why a man who wished to marry a centipede ultimately regretted his decision. Rather than presenting the creature as a terrifying monster, the folktale turns its many legs into the source of an impractical and ultimately unsuccessful marriage.

Sources

“Mukade Nyōbō.” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1061416806.html

Qinyuan

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Tradition: Chinese Mythology
Alternative Names: Qinyuan-bird, Yuanyuan, Zhiyuan
Category: Insect

The Myth

The Qinyuan is a strange and dangerous creature that inhabits Mount Kunlun, the legendary Pillar of Heaven. Although it is classified as a bird, it resembles a bee and is said to be as large as a mandarin duck. Its appearance combines the familiar shape of a stinging insect with the extraordinary size of a bird.

The Qinyuan possesses a highly venomous sting capable of killing other animals and causing trees to wither. Despite its size, it is therefore a formidable creature, able to bring death to living beings and destruction to vegetation with its venom.

Mount Kunlun, where the Qinyuan dwells, is a sacred mountain associated with immense spiritual energy and a brilliant, fiery aura. Four great rivers—the Black, Red, Yellow, and Oceanic Rivers—flow from the mountain. Its administration is attributed to the god Luwu, while later traditions associate it with Xi-Wangmu, the Queen Mother of the West. The Qinyuan is one of the many extraordinary birds and beasts said to inhabit this remarkable place.

Despite its traditional classification as a bird, the Qinyuan may be better understood as a gigantic supernatural insect. Its bee-like appearance and deadly sting distinguish it from ordinary birds, making it one of the unusual creatures inhabiting the mythological landscape of Mount Kunlun.

Sources

“Qinyuan.” A Book of Creatures, June 12, 2017. https://abookofcreatures.com/2017/06/12/qinyuan/

Nozuchi

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Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: Nozuchi, Wild Mallet
Category: Insect

The Myth

Nozuchi are ancient, snake-like yōkai associated with fields and grasslands throughout Japan. They have short, thick bodies shaped like mallets, measuring around fifteen centimetres in diameter and just over a metre in length. Their bodies are covered in coarse, bristly fur resembling that of a hairy caterpillar. They have no eyes, nose, or other facial features, only a large mouth on the top of the head that points towards the sky.

These strange creatures make their homes inside large trees, particularly those growing on hilltops. Nozuchi move slowly, often rolling and tumbling down slopes before gradually making their way back uphill. They are carnivorous and usually prey on small animals such as mice, rats, rabbits, squirrels, and birds. Despite their small size, they possess a fearsome appetite. In Nara, they are said to feed on deer, swallowing an entire animal in a single bite and drawing it into their surprisingly compact bodies.

Nozuchi are dangerous to humans who approach their nests. They may roll downhill towards intruders and snap at their feet, inflicting terrible, mangled wounds. Their attacks are believed to cause a severe fever that quickly leads to death. According to the folklore described in this account, even being touched or merely seen by a tumbling Nozuchi can bring on the deadly illness.

Fortunately, their unusual method of movement provides a means of avoiding them. Travellers are advised to remain on higher ground, beyond the creatures’ rolling paths, or to climb a tree if no suitable high ground is available.

Nozuchi can also assume a humanoid form, although they are rarely encountered in this shape. They then resemble human priests, but their heads lack eyes, noses, hair, and ears. Instead, they possess only a large, gaping mouth pointing upwards. According to the tradition described here, wicked monks banished from their temples and forced to live in the wilderness may gradually transform into Nozuchi. Those with this origin are more likely to retain a humanoid appearance than to take the usual snake-like form.

Despite their resemblance to another eyeless supernatural figure, the Nopperabō, Nozuchi are distinct creatures. Their characteristic mallet-shaped bodies, rolling movements, immense appetite, and deadly association with fever make them particularly dangerous inhabitants of Japan’s wild fields and hills.

Sources

“Nozuchi.” Yokai.com. https://yokai.com/nozuchi/

Kitai

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Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: 鬼胎
Category: Insect

The Myth

Kitai is a supernatural parasite that develops inside the human body and causes illness. According to the Japanese medical text Harimonsho (針聞書), it originates in the left armpit, where it first appears as a blood clot about the size of a large cup.

As the Kitai develops, the clot gradually transforms into a strange creature resembling a snake or a beast. It begins to move slowly within its host, and its movements are said to trigger fits of rage or hysterical states. Once these symptoms appear, curing the condition is considered difficult.

The Harimonsho describes acupuncture as a possible treatment for the Kitai. However, the precise method is not recorded in the text, as the knowledge was often transmitted orally.

The Kitai represents an unusual form of supernatural disease creature: rather than attacking from outside, it originates within the body and transforms from an abnormal mass of blood into a living, animal-like entity. Its movement is associated with severe disturbances in the host’s behaviour, while the secretive nature of its treatment suggests that knowledge of how to combat it was restricted to practitioners who had learned the method directly.

Sources

“Kitai.” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1010654267.html


Bruchus

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Tradition: Irish Mythology
Alternative Names: Bruch, Brucha (plural: Brucha)
Category: Insect

The Myth

Bruchus is the immature form of a locust, described in the Hortus Sanitatis as a yellow insect with absent or undeveloped wings. This stage lasts until the creature becomes capable of flight. Although it cannot yet fly, the young locust is considered especially destructive because it remains in one place and gnaws fruit-bearing plants down to their roots, leaving them unable to produce further crops.

The Epistil Ísu, an Irish version of the pseudo-epigraphic Sunday Letter, presents the Bruch, or Brucha in the plural, as a supernatural creature sent to punish people who disrespect Sunday. Here, the insect has iron bristles and fiery eyes, giving it a more monstrous appearance than the yellow, wingless creature described in the Hortus Sanitatis.

Swarms of Brucha descend upon the vineyards of sinners and attack the grapevines. They cut through the branches, then roll among the fallen grapes, impaling the fruit on their iron spikes. Once the grapes have been pierced, they carry them away to their lairs. This unusual behaviour resembles accounts of hedgehogs carrying fruit on their spines, particularly the description attributed to Pliny, which may have inspired the medieval legend.

According to the Epistil Ísu, Brucha eventually mature into adult locusts, which possess iron wings capable of scything through wheat and knocking the ears from their stalks. The destructive insects continue their role as avengers of Sunday, punishing those who fail to observe the sacred day.

Bruchus therefore appears in two related traditions: as a destructive young locust that devours plants, and as a supernatural instrument of divine punishment. In the Irish account, its transformation into an adult locust does not end its destructive purpose. Both stages of its life bring devastation to crops, turning the familiar threat of locusts into a warning against religious disobedience.

Sources

“Bruch.” A Book of Creatures, September 15, 2016. https://abookofcreatures.com/2016/09/15/bruch/


Minceskro

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Tradition: Romani Mythology, Czech Mythology
Alternative Names: None recorded
Category: Insect

The Myth

Minceskro is a small, hairy beetle-like demon in Romani mythology, associated with blood disorders and sexually transmitted diseases. She crawls across the human body and enters the bloodstream, where she causes illnesses including gonorrhea, leucorrhea, and syphilis. Her insect form makes her a hidden source of disease, capable of entering the body and spreading suffering from within.

Minceskro is the eighth child and fourth daughter of Ana, Queen of the Keshalyi, and the King of the Loçolico. She and her siblings are described as Romani demons of disease, born from an abusive and unnatural union. By the time her brother Lolmisho the Red Mouse was born, Ana had become desperate over the monstrous children she had produced. She begged Melalo, a two-headed bird, to sterilize her and prevent any further births.

Melalo instructed Ana to bury herself in a dung heap. Rather than preventing another demon from being born, however, this act allowed a dung beetle to enter her body. Minceskro emerged from that beetle, becoming another of Ana’s disease-bearing offspring. Her unusual origin connects her directly with filth and dung, distinguishing her from her siblings while explaining her beetle-like form.

Minceskro’s husband is Lolmisho, the Red Mouse, and their children are responsible for further diseases, including measles, smallpox, and scarlet fever. Through this family, illnesses are represented as a lineage of supernatural beings, each contributing to the suffering of humanity.

A traditional remedy for syphilis was associated with Minceskro’s origins. According to the account, the patient was buried in manure and sprinkled with firewater, a procedure believed to drive the beetle from the body and heal the resulting ulcers. This was a folkloric treatment based on the supernatural explanation of disease, rather than a medically effective remedy.

Minceskro embodies the fear of illnesses that enter the body unseen and attack the blood. Her connection to dung, her beetle form, and her role as the mother of further disease demons place her among the supernatural beings through which Romani folklore explained the origins and spread of sickness.

Sources

“Minceskro.” A Book of Creatures, March 13, 2017. https://abookofcreatures.com/2017/03/13/minceskro/


Wingwak

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Tradition: Algonquian Mythology, American Mythology, Canadian Mythology
Alternative Names: Wingoc
Category: Insect

The Myth

The Wingwak are tiny supernatural insects that bring sleep to human beings. They appear as somniferous flies or butterflies, gathering above people and overwhelming them with drowsiness. A person is typically visited by around five Wingwak, though larger numbers can gather when sleepiness is especially strong. Their presence turns the ordinary experience of feeling tired into the work of invisible spiritual creatures.

According to an Algonquian story, a man who was playing in the sky once fell through a hole and landed on Earth. There he discovered people sleeping, including one man who slept much more deeply than everyone else. The celestial visitor made himself a small bow and arrows and began shooting at the clouds of flies hovering above the unusually heavy sleeper. After he killed some of the Wingwak and drove the others away, the man finally awoke.

The visitor then shared his wisdom with the Algonquians. Among his warnings was a prophecy about the arrival of bearded men who would bring an end to their people. The encounter with the Wingwak thus forms part of a larger story in which a being from the sky intervenes in human affairs, first by freeing a man from overwhelming sleep and then by delivering a warning about the future.

The Wingwak also appear in expressions used to describe sleepiness. Saying that the Wingwak are killing someone means that the person is overwhelmed by the need to sleep, while remarking that there are many Wingwak conveys that everyone has fallen asleep. These expressions reflect the belief that sleep can be understood as the collective work of small supernatural insects gathering around their human victims.

Sources

“Wingoc.” A Book of Creatures, February 4, 2019. https://abookofcreatures.com/2019/02/04/wingoc/


Pinaviztli

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Tradition: Aztec Mythology, Mexican Mythology
Alternative Names: None recorded
Category: Insect

The Myth

The Pinaviztli is an ill-omened insect resembling a spider the size of a mouse. Its body is fat, smooth, and hairless, with a striking red-and-black coloration. Its appearance inside a house is considered a warning that misfortune may soon befall the household, although the exact nature of the coming trouble can vary.

When a Pinaviztli enters a home, one way to interpret its arrival is to draw a cross on the floor, with its four arms pointing toward the cardinal directions. The insect is placed in the center, spat upon, and asked, “Why did you come? I want to know, why did you come?” The direction in which it moves is then taken as an omen. If it heads north, it foretells an approaching death; movement in any other direction indicates a lesser affliction. Afterward, the insect is dismissed with the words, “Go your way, I don’t care about you,” and left at the nearest crossroads.

A second ritual involves passing a hair through the Pinaviztli’s body and tying it to a stick, leaving the insect suspended for an entire day. If it has disappeared by the following day, harm is believed to be certain. If it remains, the household members spit on it and take this as reassurance that no misfortune will occur.

Despite its reputation as a creature of ill omen, the Pinaviztli does not always foretell disaster. On some occasions, its appearance is believed to predict the arrival of good food. Its presence therefore serves as a supernatural sign whose meaning must be interpreted through ritual, with the possibility of either misfortune or an unexpected blessing.

Sources

“Pinaviztli.” A Book of Creatures, March 11, 2019. https://abookofcreatures.com/2019/03/11/pinaviztli/