Mythology!

Shibasuberi

by

Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: Shiba Suberi, しばすべり
Category: Marten

The Myth

Shibasuberi is a mysterious weasel-like creature said to inhabit the remote mountains of Wakayama Prefecture, Japan. Unlike many mischievous supernatural animals, it is described as gentle-hearted and friendly toward humans. It can take human form and visit villages, where it sometimes spends as long as half a day talking with local people.

Illustrations depict Shibasuberi as a weasel standing upright on its hind legs, dressed in a kimono and facing a person as though engaged in ordinary conversation. Despite this unusual appearance and its reputation as a kindly mountain visitor, little else is known about the creature. The meaning of its name remains unclear, and no independent source confirming the legend has been identified, leaving open the possibility that Shibasuberi was invented for a modern encyclopedia of supernatural creatures.

Sources

“Shibasuri.” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1010655067.html

Nobusuma

by

Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: Tobikura, Flying Warehouse, 野衾
Category: Marten

The Myth

A nobusuma is a supernatural creature said to originate from a bat that has lived to an extraordinary age and developed magical powers. It resembles a Japanese giant flying squirrel, or musasabi, with a broad body suited to gliding between trees. These creatures inhabit forests and mountains, where they feed on nuts, fruits, and berries, but their diet also includes fire and blood.

Nobusuma are dangerous nocturnal predators that attack travelers walking along roads after dark. They swoop down from trees and cling to their victims’ faces, sucking blood from humans and small animals such as cats. Even when they are not hungry, they may dive toward lanterns and torches to blow out their flames before flying back into the darkness with a chilling cry of gaa gaa! Their strange ability to consume fire makes them particularly unsettling creatures of the night.

The nobusuma’s transformation does not necessarily end with this form. After reaching an even greater age, it is said to change once more, becoming either a yamachichi or a momonjii. It should not be confused with another creature called nobusuma, written with different Japanese characters and associated with Kōchi Prefecture, which is a variety of the nurikabe.

Sources

“Nobusuma.” Yokai.com. https://yokai.com/nobusuma/

Wapaloosie

by

Tradition: American Mythology
Alternative Names: Wapaloosies
Category: Marten

The Myth

Wapaloosies are unusual mammals that inhabit the forests of the Pacific Coast. About the size of a dachshund, they have velvety fur, woodpecker-like feet, and a tail tipped with a sharp spike. Their bodies and movements resemble those of inchworms, allowing them to climb effortlessly up the tallest trees. They seek out bracket fungi growing on tree trunks and branches, using their specialized feet and spike-tipped tails to aid their ascent.

The wapaloosie’s climbing ability supposedly persists even after death. One lumberjack in Washington shot a wapaloosie and turned its fur into a pair of mittens. However, whenever he tried to grasp an axe or another object, the mittens began shimmying up whatever he held, climbing toward the top of its handle. Unable to use them without the strange behavior recurring, the lumberjack eventually discarded the mittens. They were last seen scrambling over piles of lumber slash, continuing their peculiar climbing long after the animal itself had died.

Sources

“Wapaloosie.” A Book of Creatures, May 27, 2019. https://abookofcreatures.com/2019/05/27/wapaloosie/

Bitard

by

Tradition: French Mythology
Alternative Names: Venerated Bitard, Bitard
Category: Marten

The Myth

The Bitard is a fabulous animal associated with the Order of the Venerated Bitard (Ordre du Vénéré Bitard, Loué Soit-Il !), a student association established at the University of Poitiers in France during the 1920s. The creature serves as the symbolic figure of the Order, whose members are also known as Bitards. Although its precise physical appearance is not described, the Bitard occupies a central place in the association’s traditions and ceremonial identity.

The Order’s mythology draws upon the writings of François Rabelais, in whose work Pantagruel the word bitard appears twice in hunting contexts. Each year, the association organizes the Semaine estudiantine, a week of festivities that includes a procession, drinking celebrations, and a ceremonial hunt for the Bitard. These traditions turn the creature into the focus of a distinctive student culture, blending mock hunting, ritual, and communal celebration.

Sources

“Bitard.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed October 21, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bitard

Azuki-tori no Tanuki

by

Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: Azuki-tori Tanuki, Bean-Washing Tanuki
Category: Marten

The Myth

Azuki-tori no Tanuki is a mysterious tanuki associated with an old storehouse near the waterfront in Tsuchido, Onomichi, Hiroshima Prefecture. In the past, the area had a stone-paved landing place, with large storehouses lining the coast to the west. Every night, a strange, sharp shari, shari sound could be heard near the buildings. It resembled neither the scurrying of mice nor the noise of weasels, and the locals found it deeply unsettling.

One night, a young man passing by heard the familiar sound and realized it seemed to come from inside a storehouse. Determined to discover its source despite his fear, he shouted loudly toward the building. The sound immediately stopped, and a round creature burst out of the storehouse. Moving quickly on its short legs, it ran toward Mount Senkoji. The young man watched it closely enough to recognize it as a tanuki.

After this encounter, people came to believe that the strange scraping noise was made by the tanuki sneaking into the storehouse to steal azuki beans. Even after its identity became known, the sound continued to frighten the locals. Whenever the sharp shari, shari noise echoed through the darkness, children hurried home.

Sources

“Azuki-tanuki.” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1010655099.html

Shirotokkuri

by

Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: Shiro Tokkuri, 白徳利
Category: Marten

The Myth

Shirotokkuri is a shape-shifting tanuki known for transforming into a white sake bottle. In this form, it rolls along the ground, attracting the attention of anyone who comes across it. However, whenever someone tries to grab the bottle and stop it, it simply rolls away again.

No matter how persistently a person attempts to catch it, Shirotokkuri keeps rolling out of reach, making it impossible to capture.

Sources

“Shiro Tokkuri.” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1010654408.html

Dobin Korogashi

by

Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: Tobin Korogashi, 土瓶転がし
Category: Marten

The Myth

Dobin Korogashi is a mysterious phenomenon associated with a dense thicket of bamboo and trees on the border between Shitami and Hara villages in Hachihonmatsu, Kamo District, Hiroshima Prefecture. Those who passed through the area late at night were said to hear the sound of an earthen teapot tumbling and clattering, making a frightening gacha, gacha noise. People believed that a creature called the Dobin Korogashi lurked in the thicket.

The strange sounds inspired fear among local residents. Children were afraid to take errands along the road in the evening, while even adults found the path unsettling after dark. The creature’s true identity, however, may have been less supernatural than people imagined. One explanation suggests that a weasel had made its nest in a dumping ground for discarded pottery and produced the clattering sounds when startled by approaching footsteps and fleeing.

Sources

“Dobinkoro.” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1010654264.html

Treesqueak

by

Tradition: American Mythology
Alternative Names: Treesqueaks
Category: Marten

The Myth

Treesqueaks are small, weasel-like creatures that inhabit the northern woods. Their bodies are flexible and prehensile, allowing them to move around trees with ease. They can also change color to match the bark and appearance of the trees they climb, making them difficult to spot among the branches.

These creatures are known for producing an extraordinary variety of strange sounds. Their calls can resemble wind blowing through the trees, the whining of a cougar, the squealing of a piglet, or even firecrackers exploding at a wedding. Despite their small size, treesqueaks are as unfriendly and troublesome as their weasel-like appearance suggests.

According to the saying associated with them, any unexplained noise in the woods can be blamed on a treesqueak. Whenever something rustles, squeals, whistles, or cracks without an obvious cause, one of these elusive creatures is presumed to be responsible.

Sources

“Treesqueak.” A Book of Creatures, May 17, 2021. https://abookofcreatures.com/2021/05/17/treesqueak/

Moko

by

Tradition: Cook Islands Mythology
Alternative Names: Moko
Category: Lizard

The Myth

Moko is a cunning and resourceful figure in the mythology of Mangaia, an island in the Cook Islands. He is regarded as the ruler or king of the lizards and is also the grandfather of Ngaru, a heroic figure in Mangaian tradition. Through his cleverness and command over his reptilian subjects, Moko plays a role in the island’s supernatural tales.

In one story, Moko orders his lizard subjects to climb into the basket belonging to Amai-te-rangi, a demon of the sky, so they can spy on him. When Amai-te-rangi pulls the basket up into the heavens, he expects to find something worthwhile but discovers it filled with miserable little reptiles instead. The lizards escape from the basket and overrun his home in the sky, turning Moko’s scheme into a troublesome surprise for the demon.

Sources

“Moko (Mythology).” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed October 21, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moko_(mythology)

Loch Ness Monster

by

Tradition: Scottish Mythology
Alternative Names: Nessie, Uilebheist Loch Nis
Category: Lizard

The Myth

The Loch Ness Monster, affectionately known as Nessie, is a mysterious creature said to inhabit Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands. It is most often described as a large animal with a long neck and one or more humps protruding above the water. Reports of the creature became internationally famous in 1933, when accounts of sightings attracted widespread attention. Since then, numerous witnesses have claimed to see something unusual in the loch, although photographs and sonar readings presented as evidence have remained disputed.

One of the earliest stories associated with Nessie dates to the sixth century and concerns Saint Columba, an Irish monk who travelled among the Picts. According to the account, Columba encountered people burying a man who had been attacked by a water beast in the River Ness. When one of Columba’s companions entered the river, the creature approached him. Columba made the sign of the cross and commanded the beast to retreat. It immediately stopped, turned away, and disappeared beneath the water. The people present interpreted the event as a miracle, and the story later became associated with the Loch Ness Monster, although the original encounter took place in the river rather than the loch.

Nessie has become one of Scotland’s best-known legendary creatures, inspiring generations of sightings and speculation. Some believe the stories preserve evidence of an unknown aquatic animal, while skeptics attribute the reports to misidentified wildlife, floating objects, optical illusions, hoaxes, or mistaken observations. The connection between Saint Columba’s water beast and the modern monster legend is also disputed, since stories of dangerous water creatures were common in medieval religious narratives. Despite the lack of conclusive evidence, Nessie remains an enduring figure of Scottish mythology and a symbol of the mysteries associated with Loch Ness.

Sources

“Loch Ness Monster.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed October 21, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loch_Ness_Monster