Tradition: Australian Mythology
Alternative Names: Yara-ma-yha-who
Category: Frog
The Myth
The Yara-ma-yha-who is a grotesque, blood-draining creature that inhabits the forests along Australia’s Pacific coast. It is a small, red, furry being standing no more than four feet tall, with a disproportionately large head and a wide, toothless mouth that can stretch open like a snake’s. Its throat and belly are extraordinarily expandable, allowing it to swallow an adult human whole. Its fingers and toes are equipped with suction cups that it uses to attach itself to its victims and drain their blood. Although it is an excellent climber, it moves awkwardly on the ground, waddling like a cockatoo. Thick-leaved fig trees are its favourite haunts, where it can wait for days among the branches for an unsuspecting traveller to rest beneath them. Lone children are its preferred prey, and stories of the creature serve as warnings against wandering into dangerous places.
When a Yara-ma-yha-who attacks, it clings to its victim with its suction-cup fingers and toes, draining enough blood to make the person faint without killing them outright. It then leaves the victim for a time before returning to swallow them whole, head first. A little dance helps the food slide down its throat, after which it drinks water and settles down for a nap. When it awakens, the creature regurgitates its prey. The victim is usually still alive and must remain still, pretending to be dead, because fighting back against the monster is futile. The Yara-ma-yha-who then walks five paces away before returning to poke the victim’s sides with a stick. It retreats ten paces and comes back to tickle the person beneath the arm or neck. After walking fifty yards, it returns for another round of tickling before finally going behind a bush to sleep.
This strange ritual must be completed, for the Yara-ma-yha-wha fears the spirit of the fig tree, which will whisper in its ears if it fails to perform the required actions. The punishment is a transformation into glowing mushrooms that grow on trees. Once the creature has gone to sleep, a victim can finally escape. If the Yara-ma-yha-who hears the fleeing person, it may call out in confusion and attempt to give chase, but its clumsy gait makes it relatively easy to outrun. A frustrated creature may retaliate by drinking all the water from nearby wells and waterholes, forcing people to seek moisture from tree sap and exposing themselves to further attacks.
Surviving an encounter does not guarantee that a person will remain human. Each time a Yara-ma-yha-who swallows and regurgitates its victim, the person’s body changes. After the second swallowing, the victim becomes shorter and completely hairless. After the third, the person shrinks further and grows a thick covering of hair. If the process continues, the victim gradually becomes a Yara-ma-yha-who themselves, joining the ranks of the creatures that haunt the fig trees.
Sources
“Yara-ma-yha-who.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed October 14, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yara-ma-yha-who