Tradition / Region: Japanese (Shimane Prefecture, Hinuki Village)
Alternate Names: Nouma (Wild Horse)
Category: Yōkai / Horse
The Myth
In the hills of Hinuki Village, where pig iron was smelted in roaring tatara furnaces, the people told of a creature called Yema, also known as the Nouma. It was not a true horse, but a one-eyed monster that roamed the forests at night, drawn to places where humans labored over fire and metal.
One night, a furnace worker slept beside the tatara after a long day of work. As the flames dimmed and the forest grew quiet, a woman suddenly appeared and threw herself over him. Startled awake, the man felt her weight and sensed that she was not an ordinary human.
From the darkness beyond the furnace came the sound of a wild neigh. The Yema emerged, its single eye glowing like hot coal, its presence heavy with menace. It approached the tatara, sniffing the air and circling the sleeping man, drawn by human activity in the night.
When the Yema saw the woman covering the worker, it recoiled. Snorting in fear, the monster turned and fled into the forest, disappearing among the trees and shadows.
Afterward, the villagers understood that the woman was Kanayago-san, the deity of ironmaking. She had appeared to protect the worker, driving away the Yema. From then on, it was said that the Wild Horse haunted the hills near furnaces, but that divine protection could turn it aside, even in the darkest hours of the night.
Interpretive Lenses
Religious Readings
- Christian Ascetic Deep Dive
Philosophical Readings
- Nietzschean Deep Dive
Psychological Readings
- Jungian Deep Dive
Esoteric Deep Dive
- Hermetic Deep Dive
Political / Social Readings
- Marxist Deep Dive
Other
- How to Invite The Spirit