Mythology!

Lagarfljót Serpent

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Tradition: Icelandic Mythology
Alternative Names: Lagarfljótsormur, Lagarfljót Worm, Vatnaormur
Category: Mollusc

The Myth

Iceland is said to be home to numerous vatnaormar, or water serpents, monstrous creatures that inhabit lakes and rivers. Among the most famous is the Lagarfljót Serpent, a gigantic beast that dwells in Lagarfljót Lake near the Herad region of eastern Iceland. Its origins began when a woman gave her daughter a golden ring and suggested that she place it beneath a lyngorm, a small slug-like creature whose name literally means “heath snake.” Within days, the creature had grown so enormous that it burst through the linen box in which it was kept. Terrified, the girl threw the box, serpent, and ring into Lagarfljót.

The serpent continued to grow until it became large enough to prey on people and livestock. It could also spew venom across the surrounding land, making it a danger to anyone living nearby. Eventually, a powerful figure was summoned to subdue it. Accounts differ on whether this was Bishop Guðmundur Arason, two Sámi sorcerers, or a poet empowered by magic. Whoever confronted the monster discovered that it was too powerful to kill. Instead, they bound it with ropes tied around its neck and tail, trapping it at the bottom of the lake. The serpent remains there, although it occasionally arches its back above the water. Such appearances are regarded as ill omens, and the creature has reportedly been sighted in several different years, including 1479, 1555, 1594, 1749–1750, and 1819.

Descriptions of the Lagarfljót Serpent vary. It has appeared as an enormous snake with humps or spikes along its back, as a monstrous horse, or as a creature that stretches onto the riverbanks while releasing great quantities of poison. A geographical map of Iceland from 1590 reportedly warned that a huge monster inhabited the lake, threatening the surrounding inhabitants and appearing before significant events. The serpent also belongs to a wider tradition in which a snake grows alongside the treasure it guards, a motif found in the saga of Ragnar Lodbrok.

Other Icelandic waters are said to harbor similar monsters. The serpent of Skorradalsvatn has a story almost identical to that of the Lagarfljót creature and may represent an older version of the same legend. Other reported water serpents include the striped, cat-headed creature of Hvalvatn; the enormous, brightly colored or striped serpents of the Hvítá River; the black serpent of Kleifarvatn, said to measure 30–40 meters; and the multicolored serpent of the Skaftá River. Even the dry land around Surtshellir is associated with a mysterious serpent.

Sources

“Vatnaormur.” A Book of Creatures, December 21, 2020. https://abookofcreatures.com/2020/12/21/vatnaormur/

Sazae Oni

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Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: Sazae-oni, 栄螺鬼, Turban Snail Demon
Category: Mollusc

The Myth

Sazae oni are monstrous sea-dwelling yōkai associated with turban snails. They inhabit oceans, seas, and coastal areas, appearing on moonlit nights to dance across the water like exotic performers or dragons. Despite their unusual appearance, they are dangerous predators with powerful shapeshifting abilities. They often take the form of beautiful women to deceive unsuspecting sailors, sometimes pretending to be drowning victims who cry out for rescue. Once brought aboard a ship, they reveal their true nature and attack their rescuers. On land, they may disguise themselves as solitary women seeking shelter at inns, only to devour their hosts during the night.

There are several explanations for the origins of Sazae oni. One belief holds that animals gain supernatural powers when they reach a certain age, and that a turban snail becomes a yōkai after living for thirty years. Another story claims that a lustful young woman thrown into the sea transforms into a sea snail and eventually becomes a Sazae oni if she survives long enough.

A famous legend from the Kii Peninsula tells of pirates who spotted a woman apparently drowning at sea. They rescued her, intending to exploit her, unaware that she was a shapeshifted Sazae oni. During the night, she visited each pirate and bit off his testicles. By morning, she had collected them all and demanded the pirates’ treasure in exchange for their return. Desperate to recover what the story calls their “golden balls,” the pirates surrendered their ill-gotten gold. The tale presents Sazae oni as cunning and merciless creatures capable of turning human greed and lust against those who underestimate them.

Sources

“Sazae-oni.” Yokai.com. https://yokai.com/sazaeoni/

Namakusabōzu

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Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: Namakusa Bōzu, 腥坊主
Category: Mollusc

The Myth

Namakusabōzu is a strange octopus yōkai described in the Japanese work Tōsei Koji Tsuke Kaiokoshi. Its name refers to a “rank-smelling monk,” a mocking expression for a hypocritical or disreputable Buddhist priest who disregards religious discipline. The creature is associated with taro digging and the popular belief that octopuses sometimes come ashore to eat yams.

In earlier times, Namakusabōzu supposedly disguised itself as a doctor or tea ceremony instructor to visit pleasure districts, including Shinagawa and the Iroha teahouses of Yanaka. These disguises reflect the story’s mockery of monks who secretly pursued women despite religious vows of celibacy. Doctors and tea masters were suitable disguises because they, like monks, commonly had shaved heads.

In more recent times, however, Namakusabōzu no longer bothers to disguise itself. It appears openly, shaking its bald head and revealing its true identity. Through its transformation into a supernatural octopus, the creature satirizes religious hypocrisy and the efforts of disreputable monks to conceal their worldly appetites.

Sources

“Namagusa Bozu.” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1056529974.html

Choco Sai

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Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: Choco, Choco-sai, Choco Rhino
Category: Mollusc

The Myth

Choco Sai is a strange aquatic creature depicted in an Edo-period yōkai picture scroll. It is said to inhabit the waters around Shikoku, Hachijō Island, and Matsumae, with its name varying by region: it is called Choco in Shikoku and Choco-sai around Hachijō Island and Matsumae. The creature has a small, charming appearance and is described as resembling a tiny octopus. When sprinkled with salt and grilled on skewers, it supposedly looks and tastes like dried sardines. One depiction shows six Choco Sai skewered together, while another portrays a creature with a squid-like beak and plate-shaped suckers on its limbs.

Despite its appealing appearance, Choco Sai can be dangerous. Fish that approach to prey on it are bitten and become its victims, while humans who encounter groups of these creatures underwater may also lose their lives. In 1783, a person in Matsumae reportedly encountered a school of Choco Sai and approached by boat, intending to catch and eat them. The creatures appeared unwilling to flee, but closer inspection revealed that they were being sucked up and eaten by people underwater.

A man named Sōzō from Nagiri Village in Iyo Province was said to have survived three life-threatening experiences. One occurred at Obama in Matsumae, where he was stung by a Choco Sai and suffered severe swelling and pain throughout his body for about a month. He eventually recovered naturally, but it was later claimed that applying spicy oil could immediately cure a Choco Sai sting. The creature remains an unusual and obscure yōkai, known from a surviving picture scroll and a handful of strange tales.

Sources

“Choco-Rhino.” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1084332981.html

Hibushimi

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Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: Hibushimi, Kobushime
Category: Mollusc

The Myth

Hibushimi is a supernatural squid associated with a legend from Okinoerabu Island in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. The story tells of Fuefukimatsu, known as the Little Father of the Rock Flute Pine, a lonely man without parents or siblings who spent his days aboard a boat playing the flute. One day, he discovered a kobushime squid by the seashore and had intercourse with it. When he returned to the same place the following day, the squid had disappeared.

Three years later, while Fuefukimatsu was playing his flute on his boat, two children emerged from the sea and called him their father. They explained that their grandparents wished to meet him, and he followed them into the water, carrying the children on his back. They led him to Nira Island, a beautiful undersea paradise, where an elderly man and woman welcomed him warmly as their son-in-law. Fuefukimatsu stayed with them for three days, enjoying their hospitality, before the children told him it was time to return home. He was astonished to learn that three years had passed in the world above while he had been beneath the sea.

Before his departure, the elderly couple asked what gift he desired. Fuefukimatsu requested seeds that would produce crops without being sown, and the old man gave him a shellfish called kujima, also known as hizaragai. Returning to his homeland with the children, Fuefukimatsu discovered that his only field had passed into someone else’s possession during his absence. With no land left to cultivate, he decided to live from the sea. He removed the shell from the kujima while aboard his boat and ate it, but in doing so, he himself became a kujima.

Sources

“Hibushimi.” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1070234919.html

Tengai Daiou

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Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: Tengai Daiō, King Tengai, Heavenly Canopy King
Category: Mollusc

The Myth

Tengai Daiou is a gigantic octopus who claims to be the King of Hell. He appears dressed like Enma Daiō, the ruler of the underworld, wearing robes decorated with waves and carrying a wooden implement in place of a sceptre. Despite his grand title and fearsome appearance, Tengai Daiou is an impostor with no rightful connection to the underworld. He secretly plots to kill Enma and seize control of Hell for himself.

His story unfolds when the heroic Asahina Kobayashi, returning from a journey through Hell, overhears children singing about a special realm called Sweet Potato Hell. Having visited the recognised 136 Hells, she regrets missing this additional destination and immediately turns back to investigate. Sweet Potato Hell lies beyond the usual boundaries of the underworld, where the King of the Heavenly Canopy judges the dead of the sweet potato. Its sinners endure punishments inspired by popular beliefs about different varieties of potatoes, including being weighed, grated, peeled, or subjected to unbearable stench. Asahina, a lover of sweet potatoes, feels pity for the suffering vegetables and attacks the false ruler with a gigantic medicinal kettle taken from the Scorching Hell.

Asahina captures Tengai Daiou and brings him before the true King Enma, who is furious at the impostor’s attempt to fabricate a Hell and usurp his authority. He sentences the octopus to an iron prison, where it is boiled in the Scorching Hell and transformed into the cooked octopus known as yakuko, which Asahina receives as a souvenir. The tale plays humorously on the traditional belief that octopuses eat sweet potatoes, as well as the slang term tengai, used by Buddhist monks to refer to an octopus.

Sources

“Tengai Daio.” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1010655116.html

Tako Musume

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Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: Tako-musume, Octopus Daughter
Category: Mollusc

The Myth

Tako Musume is a strange female yōkai depicted in a Japanese collection of supernatural creatures produced during the late Edo period. She is portrayed as a monstrous woman with an enormous head, giving her an unusual and unsettling appearance.

Beyond this depiction, little is known about Tako Musume’s characteristics or behaviour. Her surviving description focuses on her extraordinary head and her identity as a female monster, leaving her supernatural abilities and role in mythology unclear.

Sources

“Tako Musume.” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1010654256.html

Kower

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Tradition: Estonian Mythology
Alternative Names: Kower, Köwer-silm
Category: Goblin

The Myth

Kower is a forest spirit in Estonian folklore that takes the form of a cross-eyed man. He wanders through the forest and hides inside twisted, unnaturally shaped birch trees. His unusual appearance and association with strangely formed trees distinguish him from ordinary human beings and connect him to the mysterious features of the woodland.

Kower is associated with the legend of the magical forest of Tohtla. Within this forest, the spirit conceals himself among birch trees whose distorted shapes make them seem unnatural. He is therefore linked to the hidden and uncanny aspects of the forest, inhabiting places where the trees themselves appear strange.

The name Kower is associated with the meaning “oblique” or “crooked,” reflecting the spirit’s cross-eyed appearance. A related Estonian name, Köwer-silm, literally means “slanted eye” or “crooked eye.” These names emphasize the unusual appearance of this elusive forest being.

Sources

“Kover.” New Bestiary (Bestiary.us). https://www.bestiary.us/kover

Vanakhalby

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Tradition: Estonian Mythology
Alternative Names: Vanahalb, Vanasõge, Vanasygi
Category: Goblin

The Myth

Vanakhalby are malevolent forest spirits in Estonian mythology that lead travellers astray, forcing them to wander through the woods for long periods. They can imitate echoes to confuse people, drawing them into swamps or impenetrable thickets from which it may be difficult to escape. Their tricks make them dangerous inhabitants of the forest, where familiar sounds and paths can become deceptive.

These spirits can appear in the form of grey-haired elders and may sometimes be accompanied by herds of wild animals. Their alternative names reflect their association with old age, evil, and unusual physical characteristics. Vanahalb literally means “old devil,” while Vanasõge means “old crazy one.” Vanasygi is another variant of the name, literally meaning “old blind men,” reflecting the traditional association between blindness or one-eyedness and malevolent spirits.

Despite their ability to mislead travellers, Vanakhalby can also bring good fortune under certain circumstances. A hunter who manages to make a pact with one of these spirits is guaranteed exceptional luck. This makes them ambiguous figures: dangerous tricksters who can torment those who enter their territory, yet potentially valuable supernatural allies to those who secure their favour.

Sources

“Vanahalby.” New Bestiary (Bestiary.us). https://www.bestiary.us/vanahalby

Nülesmurt

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Tradition: Udmurt Mythology, Russian Mythology
Alternative Names: Nyulesmurt
Category: Goblin

The Myth

Nülesmurt, whose name literally means “forest man,” is a wood goblin in Udmurt mythology who serves as master of the forest and lord of the beasts. He governs the animals living in the woods, particularly bears, and determines where each bear should establish its den. As ruler of the forest, Nülesmurt holds authority over the wilderness and the creatures that inhabit it.

Hunters turn to Nülesmurt for help and assistance during the hunt. His influence over the forest’s animals makes him an important supernatural figure for people who depend on hunting for their livelihood. He is also sometimes associated with deceased ancestors, connecting his role as a forest spirit with beliefs about the dead.

Nülesmurt is further linked to dangerous natural phenomena. The forest blockages associated with him were believed to occur when a hurricane or tornado passed through an area, leaving fallen trees and other obstacles in its wake. Because of this association, Nülesmurt was sometimes considered responsible for the death of people caught in such events.

The spirit is also connected to the Vym and Vumurt rivers, where fierce battles were said to take place between Nülesmurt and Vumurt. These supernatural conflicts were believed to occur around midday. People consequently feared swimming or entering the river at this time, believing that doing so could expose them to danger.

Sources

“Nyulesmurt.” New Bestiary (Bestiary.us). https://www.bestiary.us/Nyulesmurt