Mythology!

Giant of Penhill

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Tradition: English Mythology
Alternative Names: The Giant of Penhill, The Penhill Giant
Category: Giant

The Myth

The Wicked Giant of Penhill was a monstrous figure said to have terrorized the countryside around Penhill and Bolton Castle in Yorkshire before the Norman Conquest. According to the legend, he was descended from Thor, the Norse god of thunder and storms, and retained a fierce, violent nature worthy of his divine ancestry. He lived in a castle on Penhill and devoted himself to raising a vast herd of pigs. His closest companion was Wolfhead, a powerful boarhound that helped him guard his livestock. The giant’s enormous strength and cruel temperament made him a source of fear throughout the surrounding countryside.

One day, the giant encountered a flock of sheep belonging to a young shepherdess named Gunda. Finding amusement in the animals’ helplessness, he ordered Wolfhead to attack them. As the hound tore through the flock, Gunda begged the giant to spare her father’s sheep, which represented everything her family possessed. Rather than show mercy, the giant delighted in her distress and attempted to assault her. Gunda managed to escape his grasp, but the enraged giant sent Wolfhead after her. When she struck the hound on the nose with a stone to defend herself, the giant caught up with her and killed her with his club.

Some weeks later, the giant discovered that one of his young boars had been killed by an arrow. Furious, he demanded that every man in the dale who could draw a bow appear before him on Penhill within a week. When Wolfhead tracked down the dead boar but failed to return promptly, the giant threatened the hound and eventually killed his only companion with an arrow. The giant then confronted the assembled men, demanding that they identify the person responsible for killing his boar. When nobody could answer, he ordered every father to return the following day carrying his youngest child, threatening to spill the blood of the entire community if they continued to defy him.

An elderly hermit confronted the giant and warned him that the following day was Thor’s day. If the giant spilled blood or caused any child to cry from pain or fear, the hermit declared, he would never enter his castle again, whether alive or dead. The giant dismissed the warning and prepared to torment the villagers. Meanwhile, a servant who had long endured his master’s cruelty tried to warn him about ominous dreams and the ravens and crows circling the castle. The giant responded by kicking the servant so violently that he left him for dead. In desperation, the servant dragged straw, wood, and peat into the castle’s main hall and set them alight.

As the giant approached the gathering of villagers and their children, he discovered dead boars lying along his path, with another nine appearing after every nine steps. Enraged, he threatened to slaughter the children and stain the hillside with the blood of every living person present. The hermit refused to submit to him and challenged him to look behind. There, the giant saw his castle engulfed in flames. But an even more terrible sight awaited him: Gunda, the shepherdess he had murdered, stood beside Wolfhead, the hound he had killed. She held the hound on a long rope before releasing it. As Wolfhead sprang at the giant’s throat, the giant stumbled backward over the edge of Penhill cliff. Both plunged over the precipice and were never seen again. The wicked giant’s reign of terror thus ended through the return of those he had wronged.

Sources

“The Wicked Giant of Penhill.” Yorkshire Folk Tales, March 4, 2019. https://yorkshirefolktales.home.blog/2019/03/04/the-wicked-giant-of-penhill/

Longbo

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Tradition: Chinese Mythology
Alternative Names: Longbo Kingdom Giant, Longbo Fisherman, Longbo Guo
Category: Giant

The Myth

Longbo is a giant associated with the Longbo Kingdom in Chinese mythology. The name can refer both to an individual giant and to the people of his legendary kingdom. Longbo giants are renowned for their immense stature and extraordinary strength, particularly their ability to travel enormous distances in a few steps and catch gigantic sea creatures with a fishing line. In the Liezi, a great man from the Kingdom of Longbo is described as being able to reach five mountains in only a few steps and catch six giant turtles while fishing.

Descriptions of the Longbo people emphasize their extraordinary size and longevity. According to a commentary by Guo Pu of the Jin dynasty, a text called the Hetu Yuban describes the inhabitants of the Longbo Kingdom as thirty zhang tall and living for eighteen thousand years before dying. Their immense proportions made them figures of wonder in Chinese literature, where their fishing exploits became symbols of superhuman power. Tang dynasty poet Zhang Shuo described Longbo fishing with a single line and catching two turtles at once, while Li Bai’s Ode to the Great Hunt similarly refers to Longbo fishing for a spirit turtle.

Longbo also appears in broader literary depictions of a world filled with supernatural creatures. In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Longbo is mentioned alongside Hai Ruo, Jiang Fei, the Water Mother, a thousand-foot whale, a nine-headed centipede, and various ghosts and monsters. Later poets continued to use Longbo as an image of enormous size and overwhelming power. Qing dynasty poet Wei Yuan, for example, evoked a man from the Dragon Kingdom whose immense presence seemed capable of overturning heaven and earth and unleashing waves.

The Longbo giant is therefore remembered chiefly through literary references to his extraordinary stature and legendary fishing abilities. The surviving accounts associate him with a kingdom of giants and with the capture of enormous turtles and fish, making him a striking example of the gigantic beings found in Chinese mythological literature.

Sources

“龍伯.” Chinese Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed October 16, 2026. https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E9%BE%8D%E4%BC%AF

Amayuryuk

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Tradition: Canadian Mythology
Alternative Names: Amayuryuk, Amayuruk, Amayujuk, Amarajuk, Amajurjuk, Amautalik, Amayuq, Amautalik (Amayuryuk)
Category: Giant

The Myth

Amayuryuk is a giant woman in Canadian Inuit folklore who kidnaps children and carries them away in a large pouch on her back. She is described as wearing an amauti, a traditional Inuit woman’s garment designed to carry a child. In some accounts, the pouch is not part of her clothing but is formed from driftwood or driftwood-like material. Her enormous size and fearsome appearance make her a frightening figure in Inuit stories, where she is said to steal children and take them far from their homes.

In Inuit accounts recorded in the Kivalliq region, Amayuryuk is also known as Amautalik. She is described as a giantess living inland, sometimes in a large amaut or pouch. According to one account, she places people she has stolen inside this pouch and carries them away. Her immense size is emphasized in stories that describe her as so large that adults can look like small children beside her. Other accounts portray her as a terrifying old woman whose presence frightens children into behaving, warning them that she will take them away if they misbehave.

Although Amayuryuk is said to have once kidnapped children and appeared near human settlements, some traditions hold that such creatures no longer steal children or approach human dwellings. Nevertheless, reports of encounters persisted into modern times. In 1999, a resident of Rankin Inlet in Nunavut reportedly claimed to have seen an enormous woman wearing an amauti made of caribou hide. The account describes her as having a pouch on her back and approaching a person before disappearing. Amayuryuk is sometimes compared with the Qalupalik of Inuit folklore and the Dzunukwa of the mythology of the Canadian Kwakwaka’wakw people, both of whom are associated with taking children.

Sources

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

Kuafu

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Tradition: Chinese Mythology
Alternative Names: 夸父, Kuafu-shi, 夸父氏, Clan of Kuafu
Category: Giant

The Myth

Kuafu is a giant in Chinese mythology, a grandson of Houtu, who became famous for his attempt to capture the Sun. Determined to catch the celestial body, he pursued it across the sky, following its course from east to west. His extraordinary strength and ambition allowed him to cross vast distances, but his quest exposed him to the Sun’s overwhelming heat and left him desperately thirsty.

During his pursuit, Kuafu drank the waters of the Yellow River and the Wei River, along with other rivers and lakes that lay along his path. Even these immense sources of water could not quench his thirst. He continued searching for more water, but before he could satisfy his need, he died of dehydration. His failed attempt to seize the Sun became one of the best-known stories of perseverance and the limits of mortal strength.

After Kuafu’s death, the wooden club he carried transformed into a vast forest of peach trees known as the Deng Forest. In another version of the legend, Kuafu himself became a mountain range. Both the peach forest and the mountain range are associated with the area of present-day Lingbao in China. His transformation ensures that his journey leaves a lasting mark on the landscape, even though he never achieved his original goal.

The name Kuafu can also refer to the Kuafu-shi, or Clan of Kuafu, whose people appear in accounts of ancient tribal conflicts. During the Battle of Banquan, the tribes allied with Chi You joined forces with the Kuafu tribe and the Sanmiao tribe to attack the tribe of the Yan Emperor, driving it into the lands of the Yellow Emperor. In modern Chinese usage, the expression Kuafu chasing the Sun (夸父追日) describes someone who pursues an ambitious goal with courage and determination, but overestimates their abilities and ultimately fails to achieve it.

Sources

“Kuafu.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed October 16, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuafu

Mikoshi Nyūdō

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Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: 見越入道, みこしにゅうどう, Mikoshi, Miage Nyūdō, Taka Bōzu, Anticipating Priest
Category: Giant

The Myth

Mikoshi nyūdō are fearsome Japanese yōkai that appear to lone travelers on deserted roads, at crossroads, and on bridges, particularly at night. They initially resemble ordinary Buddhist priests or monks, seemingly harmless and no taller than an average person. However, when someone looks directly at them, they begin to grow at an unnatural speed. As they increase in height, their appearance becomes increasingly monstrous, with long claws and hair resembling that of a wild beast.

The mikoshi nyūdō grows as high as its observer can raise their eyes, compelling the unfortunate traveler to look upward in an attempt to follow its towering form. This sudden movement can cause the victim to lose their balance and fall backward, giving the giant an opportunity to attack. It lunges at fallen travelers and may bite their throats with its teeth. Those who encounter this cruel yōkai rarely survive. Attempting to ignore it or walk past can provoke the giant to crush the traveler or impale them with bamboo spears and branches. Running away is equally dangerous, while those who remain frozen in fear may simply drop dead in its terrifying presence.

The only way to escape is to anticipate the giant’s trick, which explains the meaning of its name, Anticipating Priest. A traveler must face the mikoshi nyūdō directly, meet its gaze without fear, and look downward from its head to its feet rather than beginning at the feet and looking upward. If performed correctly, this reverses the creature’s advantage and drains its ability to grow. Declaring, “You lost! I anticipated your trick!” can cause the giant to vanish in anger, allowing the traveler to continue safely. The encounter therefore demands courage, composure, and the ability to recognize the yōkai’s deception before it gains the upper hand.

Mikoshi nyūdō can also be the transformed forms of certain animals, particularly itachi (weasels) and tanuki (raccoon dogs), which assume the shape of these giants to hunt humans. Kitsune (foxes) and mujina (badgers or other badger-like animals) may occasionally take this form as well. Unlike other mikoshi nyūdō, those created through shapeshifting often carry an object such as a bucket or lantern. This object contains the shapeshifter’s true body and sustains its disguise. If a traveler manages to seize it before the giant attacks, the transformation is broken, leaving the yōkai vulnerable to its captor.

Sources

“Mikoshi Nyūdō.” Yokai.com. https://yokai.com/mikoshinyuudou/

Papinijuwari

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Tradition: Tiwi Mythology, Australian Mythology
Alternative Names: Papinijuwaris
Category: Giant

The Myth

Papinijuwari are one-eyed giants in the mythology of the Tiwi people of northern Australia. They live in a great hut located where the sky ends, beyond the familiar world. These fearsome beings are associated with shooting stars, which are believed to represent Papinijuwari stalking across the heavens. As they travel through the sky, they carry a burning firestick in one hand and a fighting club in the other.

Papinijuwari feed on the bodies of the dead and the blood of the sick. They possess an extraordinary sense of smell that allows them to detect illness and track down vulnerable people. Upon finding a sick person, a Papinijuwari makes itself invisible and secretly sucks the victim’s blood without leaving any visible wound. The victim gradually grows weaker as the giant continues to feed.

As the sick person approaches death, the Papinijuwari becomes small enough to enter the victim’s body through the mouth. Once inside, it drinks the remaining blood from within, completing its gruesome feeding. These giants are therefore associated with sickness, death, and the mysterious loss of blood, while their appearance as shooting stars connects their predatory activity to movements across the night sky.

Sources

“Papinijuwari.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed October 16, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papinijuwari

Mashurdaly

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Tradition: Romanian Mythology, Hungarian Mythology
Alternative Names: Mashurdalo, Mashurdalov, Mashurdals, Mashurdalo (Latin spelling)
Category: Giant

The Myth

Mashurdaly are foolish mountain giants in Romani folklore, particularly in traditions associated with Hungarian, Romanian, and Balkan Romani’s. They inhabit mountains, forests, and wastelands, where they wait for animals or people to pass by. They are described as stupid and easily deceived, often kidnapping women and children or stealing livestock. Their lack of intelligence makes them vulnerable to cunning humans, who can trick them, rob them, or even kill them.

Each Mashurdal has a giant wife and several children, and every member of the family possesses a magical black chicken. Each chicken holds the life and health of its owner within its own body. If a Mashurdal is injured or killed, its chicken swallows an egg laid by a black hen, restoring the giant to health. To defeat one permanently, a person must first find and destroy its black chicken. Although this weakness makes the giants vulnerable, discovering it requires considerable cunning, since the Mashurdaly are dangerous despite their stupidity.

Mashurdaly are also associated with strange magical transformations. A Mashurdal’s wife can transform into a thin, swift horse if a magical bridle is placed around her neck. Anyone who drinks the blood of a Mashurdal gains immense strength. In one tale, a Mashurdal gives his helpful guest a heroic horse with a bridle made from a magical vine, whose growth is guarded by nine black dogs and a dragon called the Ushap. The Mashurdal’s family also owns the egg of a thousand-year-old owl, which contains a worm of happiness.

Stories about these giants sometimes portray them as both dangerous and strangely vulnerable to ordinary tricks. One account describes a family of Mashurdaly whose father has hair that shines like the Sun. When questioned about it, he explains that it burns day and night and takes away his sight. In another story, a Mashurdal lives in a dark forest with a magical iron cave, sleeps on a sheepskin rug, and speaks only in grunting sounds. Some traditions say that Mashurdaly visit villages at night to inspect people’s homes, although dogs can sense their presence and cause them to flee.

Sources

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

Clíodhna

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Tradition: Irish Mythology
Alternative Names: Clídna, Clíodna, Clíona, Cleena, Clíodna of Carrigcleena
Category: Ghost

The Myth

Clíodhna is a powerful supernatural woman in Irish mythology, associated particularly with southern Munster, or Desmond, where she rules as queen over the sióga, the fairies. Known as Clíodna of Carrigcleena, she is regarded in some traditions as a queen of the banshees, while others portray her as a goddess of love and beauty and a benefactor of County Cork. Her palace lies among a great pile of rocks near Mallow, at a place known as Carrig-Cleena. She is closely associated with several old Irish families, including the MacCarthys, O’Keeffes, O’Donovans, and FitzGeralds, and appears in numerous local legends.

One of the best-known stories about Clíodhna concerns her love for Ciabhan of the Curling Hair, recounted in the medieval Irish work Acallam na Senórach, or Colloquy of the Ancients. Clíodhna was the daughter of Gebann, a chief druid in the otherworldly land of Tír Tairngire, ruled by Manannán. When she saw Ciabhan, she fell in love with him and agreed to leave the otherworld with him. They sailed to Ireland and reached Teite’s Strand, where Ciabhan went ashore to hunt, leaving her in their boat. People sent after them from Manannán’s realm played enchanting music that lulled Clíodhna to sleep. A tremendous wave then swept her away. The place became known as Tonn Chlíodhna, or “Clíodhna’s Wave,” near Glandore Harbour. Different versions of the legend disagree about whether she drowned.

Clíodhna is also associated with three brightly coloured birds that feed on apples from an otherworldly tree. Their sweet singing is said to heal sickness. In another tradition preserved in the Book of Lismore, she gives Teigue, the son of Cian, three magical birds to guide his warriors and provide music during their voyage, as well as an emerald cup that transforms water into wine. She warns Teigue that losing the cup will bring about his death. With the birds and cup, Teigue and his warriors eventually return home victorious after rescuing their captured people.

Other legends portray Clíodhna as a powerful enchantress whose jealousy can bring terrible consequences. In one tale, she and her younger sister Aoivil both fall in love with a prince named Caiov. When he chooses Aoivil, Clíodhna curses her sister, causing her to lose her beauty and appear dead. She then secretly carries Aoivil to a cave at Castlecor, transforms her into a white cat, and enchants the cave into a palace filled with treasure. Aoivil remains trapped there, returning to human form for only one week each year at midsummer. Clíodhna eventually marries Caiov, but when the truth is revealed, their relationship is shattered. She retires to her fairy palace at Carrigcleena, where she continues to visit her enchanted sister.

Clíodhna also appears in tales of mortals taken into Fairyland. In one story, she abducts the chieftain Fitz-Gerald, whom she desires, but releases him after his beloved Ellen O’Brien travels to Carrigcleena and pleads for his return in poetry. Another legend concerns the Blarney Stone: when Cormac Laidir MacCarthy faced a lawsuit, Clíodhna advised him to kiss the first stone he found on his way to court. He followed her advice and delivered his case with such eloquence that he won. The stone was later incorporated into Blarney Castle and became associated with the gift of persuasive speech. Across these traditions, Clíodhna appears as a figure of beauty, magic, desire, jealousy, and otherworldly power, capable of helping mortals but also drawing them into dangerous encounters with the fairy realm.

Sources

“Clíodhna.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed October 16, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cl%C3%ADodhna

Kohada Koheiji

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Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: Koheiji Obata, Kohada Koheiji, Ghost Koheiji, The Vengeful Spirit of Asaka Marsh
Category: Ghost

The Myth

Kohada Koheiji is a famous vengeful ghost figure in Japanese ghost stories of the Edo period. His tale is told in Fukushū Kidan Asaka Numa, one of the earliest stories about his supernatural revenge. In life, Koheiji was an actor from Edo who performed in rural theatres throughout Japan. His acting was generally considered poor, earning him the mocking name “Kohada,” after the small fish, although he excelled at ghost plays and was sometimes called Ghost Koheiji. His first wife died after giving birth to their son, Kotaro. His second wife, Otsuka, was cruel to her stepson and secretly involved with Adachi Sakuro, a drummer and acquaintance of Koheiji.

Sakuro conspired with his criminal associates to murder Koheiji so that he could take Otsuka as his wife. Under the pretext of a fishing trip, Koheiji was taken by boat to Asaka Marsh and thrown into the water. His death was treated as an accidental drowning, and the search for his body was soon abandoned. At a hideout, Sakuro found Koheiji’s corpse, covered in mud and foam. He stole five gold coins sewn into the dead actor’s collar and mocked him for being too foolish to recognize the betrayal that had led to his death. As Sakuro prepared to leave, Koheiji’s cold hand suddenly gripped his wrist. The corpse opened its eyes, terrifying Sakuro so badly that his accomplice cut off the hand to free him, eventually severing the fingers that remained embedded in his arm.

When Sakuro returned to Edo and told Otsuka what had happened, she claimed that Koheiji had already returned home sick and was resting behind a screen. A thin, blue hand emerged from behind it and held the screen shut. When Sakuro forced it open, the room was empty, and a faint flame escaped through the window. The rotten fingers left behind were unmistakably those cut from Koheiji’s corpse. Otsuka showed little fear, declaring that such hatred was to be expected. Sakuro nevertheless married her and took possession of Koheiji’s house. For a time, the couple lived peacefully, but Koheiji’s spirit continued to torment them. Sakuro began seeing a mysterious man lying beside Otsuka, and later believed he had caught her with another lover. When he attacked the figure with his sword, it vanished, leaving only mocking laughter from the roof. Otsuka lost the fingers of one hand while gripping the blade and soon fell seriously ill, her mind and body breaking under the relentless haunting.

A Shinto priest warned Sakuro that his house was cursed by the dead and gave him a talisman, instructing him to keep the doors closed and maintain ritual purity for thirty-two days. Each night, Koheiji’s ghost patrolled the house, appearing as a shadowy fire and threatening to take Sakuro’s life. On the thirty-second night, Sakuro believed the danger had passed and opened a window. A gust of wind carried the ghostly flame inside, and a scream came from the bedroom. Otsuka had vanished, leaving blood on the wall and long strands of hair on the eaves. Sakuro later sought protection from a Zen monk, who warned that his life was in danger and gave him a sealed packet that supposedly contained gold and would protect him for three days. After the period had passed, Sakuro discovered that the gold was counterfeit. When he confronted the monk, the man beat him with an iron staff. Sakuro returned home badly injured, developed a high fever, and died in delirium, imagining that he was being dragged into water and forced to drink as though he were drowning.

The tale attributes the disasters that befell Sakuro and Otsuka to Koheiji’s vengeful spirit. His soul remained at Asaka Marsh, tormenting people who encountered the place, and the story became so feared that theatrical performers reportedly avoided discussing it. Even those involved in the murder who escaped the ghost’s immediate vengeance eventually met their deaths. In the end, however, Koheiji’s spirit was said to have attained Buddhahood through the teachings of the Zen master Ryōzen, bringing the hauntings to an end. The marsh was later converted into rice fields known as Koheiji Shinden. His son Kotaro grew up to become a successful actor, but was deeply saddened by his father’s transformation into a vengeful spirit and devoted himself to Buddhist prayer.

Sources

“Kohei Obata.” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1010654425.html

Misho Misho

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Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: Mi-Mi, “Show Me, Show Me”
Category: Ghost

The Myth

Misho Misho is a mysterious supernatural creature described in New Tales of One Hundred Ghost Stories. It appears as a woman’s severed head that floats above the ground, accompanied by eerie flames and mournful cries. Its name is associated with the repeated words “Look, look,” which it speaks as it passes unsuspecting travelers.

The creature appears in a tale about Risuke, a bookseller from Samegai Street in Kyoto who regularly traveled to Nara to sell books purchased in Kyoto and Osaka. One year, after recovering from an illness, Risuke decided to make the journey alone for the first time in a long while. An errand delayed his departure, however, and he was forced to continue along the road after nightfall. As he passed a remote cemetery on the Nara Road, a cold wind swept across the fields, and the darkness of the starless night filled him with unease.

Ahead of him, Risuke spotted a wavering light that was neither foxfire nor the glow of a lantern. As it approached, he heard a woman’s cries. He quickly hid behind a large stone pagoda beside the road and watched as a woman’s head emerged from the darkness, its hair disheveled and its teeth blackened. The head floated about a foot above the ground as though carried by the wind. Passing by with a mournful voice, it repeatedly uttered the words “Look, look,” each time releasing flames from its mouth.

Risuke watched the apparition until it had traveled several dozen feet away, but he soon became dizzy and lost consciousness. He did not recover his senses until just before dawn. When he finally reached Nara and recounted the encounter to his innkeeper, he was still trembling with fear. The tale leaves the nature and purpose of Misho Misho unexplained, presenting it as a terrifying apparition encountered on a lonely road after dark.

Sources

“Misefumisu.” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1070141379.html