Winter Yokai : Yukinba

 

Yukinba - 雪婆 - Snow hag.

Her story is pretty similar to other winter Yokai  stories, except for the fact that some Yokai like the Yuki Onna can show some degree of kindness. The yukinab has no such warmth, she is just bad, she is constantly on the hunt for kids who she then kidnaps and eats.

 

Her name combines the kanji雪 (yuki; snow) + 婆 (ba; hag). Though it's slightly different depending on the region. In Yamagata prefecture she's called the Yukinbanba (雪ばんば) with “banba” being a regional dialect for “hag.”

The similar child eating yokai, the Yukifuriba, has a nicer name but is equally as horrible . 雪降り(yukifuri; falling snow) + 婆 (ba; hag, old woman) or The Old Woman of the Falling Snow.

The Yukinba looks like an actual monster she is just a  giant head hopping on one leg, with a lot sharp,  teeth and grasping clawed hands. 

The Yukifuriba just looks like a normal old woman with pale, white skin and dressed in a thin, white kimono who always carries a red rope. She may possibly even be an elderly version of the  Yuki Onna. 

Tthe Yukinba Origins..

"Once in the dead of winter, a man was walking through a snowy wheat field when he heard a woman's voice calling out to him. As he looked, a one-legged crone with wild hair appeared and tried to attack him. He fled desperately, when the snow cleared, Yukiba disappeared..."

Both the Yukinba and the Yukifuriba are well known child eaters. They hide out in the mountains and call out to children in an old woman’s voice, preying on the trusting nature of the young. They lure the children in , capture and eat them. 

Parents in the colder region like Niigata prefecture  warn their children not to play at nights when the Yukinba and Yukifuriba are hunting.

Yokai in the mountains and winter seem to have a preference for eating kids, the Yamauba mountain witch in another one to be wearying off.  In many areas, the Yukifuriba is considered to be a “snow version” of the Yamauba in the same way that the yeti is basically  a snow version of bigfoot.

There are many winter yokai described as having only  one foot.

Similar to the  Ippon Datra another Yokai that is mostly peaceful except for December 20th of each year, on that day it will kill any human it comes across.

Most of these are snow monsters, like the Yuki Nyudo and the Yukibo. The legend comes from an uneven patter of snow melting. When snow melts in pockets, it looks like something with a single, large leg has been hopping around the forest. In the case of the Yukibo, this happens in tree wells.  people saw these track like marks and imagined a one-legged snow monster roaming the mountains.

 the Yukiba was also affiliated with "small fuzzy winged insects" called "yuki-mushi" or "snowbugs" - its been believed that if they appear during the autumn, a yukinba  attack occur soon.

Barbegazi: Frozen Beards

 

❄️🏔️ Barbegazi 🏔️❄️

The Skiing gnomes of the Alps.

The Barbegazi is type of gnome from Swiss and French folklore, they live deep in the mountainous areas between France and Switzerland; the Alps. 

They make their homes in a large networks of caves and tunnels  near the peaks of mountains through hidden entrances .

They spend most of the year in their underground home, and sleep all summer(like a summer hibernation). Only going out in the winter, because of these habits human interaction is rare.

The name comes from  barbes glacées roughly meaning 'frozen beards'. They get this name because they appear to have icicles growing from their chins instead of a beard, but this is just a result of the freezing temperatures they live in underneath the ice is just a normal beard.

Appearance wise they look similar to a mini yeti, they are covered in white fur like a snowsuit and have large feet, though unlike a yeti this guy's are no larger then an average gnome and nowhere near as violent as a yeti.

 They have been known to help or at least warn skiers and travelers of danger and even aid people.  The most well known form of  warnings they give to humans in possible dangerous areas or circumstances  is the whistling noises they make that sounds similar to a marmots or an eerie hooting noise, that  may be mistaken for gusts of wind, to warn hikers of avalanches. They may also attempt to dig out people trapped by snowfall or herd lost sheep back to their owners. Despite these beneficial activities their attitudes towards humans are still uncertain so if you encounter one do so with caution.

They have disproportionately large bigfoot like feet for their size , they use these oversized feet as snowshoes and ski's to travel across their frozen mountain homes.

They are never encountered in weather above zero degrees or below the tree line on the mountains they live in  they prefer the cold frozen climate the more snow the better.

One of their favorite activities is riding on top of avalanche 

They also have the ability to dig at a rapid pace, they can quickly bury themselves in snow to hide in a matter of seconds as well as dig themselves out of a snow drift no matter how deep .

Last post for the year, have a great New Year

🎇🎆

Winter Yokai: Oshiroi babā

 

❄️Oshiroi babā❄️

The white face powder hag.

This Yokai can be traced back at least as far as 1537.

Oshiroi babā are yokai that take the form of  old woman who appear in snowy mountainous areas near the end of the year. 

Oshiroi Baba (oshiroi; white face powder) +  (baba; old woman, hag). The word oshiroi specifically refers to the white face powder used by geisha and maiko.

She wears a tattered old kimono and a massive, straw umbrella hat covered in heavy snow,she carries a bottle of sake, usually a classic ceramic tokkuri and her face is covered in oshiroi powder, usually slathered on without  care for appearance.

Some claims say you will hear the sound of a mirror dragging and clattering abut from behind her as they hobble through the streets. Though the mirror is almost never actually seen.

 Her back is disfigured, twisted and bent like an old woman’s after a lifetime hard work. 

She carries a cane in one hand, and a sake bottle in the other, and wear a broken straw hat. 

Her most defining feature is their wrinkly old face caked with thick, sloppy, white face powder.

Oshiroi babā don’t tend to interact with humans too often. For the most part, their looks alone are  enough to ward if interactions.

 Though they will occasionally bother people, demanding makeup or trying to buy sake. In this way they are somewhat similar to other old hag yōkai who wander the streets at night, such as amazake babā. However, nearly every account of oshiroi babā describes them as hideous or scary, but not dangerous. 

Other version of the myth claims she appears on cold snowy nights and offer's warm sake to those in need.

According to some local legends, oshiroi babā are a variation of yuki onna. They leave the  mountains and wonder into villages on snowy nights.

 Others say they are more similar to yama uba, who sometimes demand makeup from travelers or can be found  at the bases of mountains trying to buy alcohol.

 According to Toriyama Sekien, oshiroi babā serve as the attendants of Shifun Senjō, the goddess of cosmetics which would explain the mirror, and make up requests.

  

❄️🍺🪞🧓🏔️

Drakavac

 

           Drekavac 

It's name means the screamer" or "the screecher,  as it's name would suggest its known for its distinctive and often terrifying scream.

The Drekavac is most often encountered  at night, especially during the twelve days of Christmas (called unbaptized days ) and in early spring, when other demons appear most often. 

It takes the form of the child, though deformed with elongated limbs and sometimes fur.

In other story's (especially more modern tellings) it usually resembles a dog like creature. However it can also assume other forms as well like a dappled foal, dog, cat, or bird or even a  human like being with glowing eyes. Other visions of the cryptid are described as a dog like beast that walks on its back legs, a long legged long necked animal with a cats head or an undead vampire like man that wonders the cemetery similar to a ghoul.

Originally believed to have come from the soul of a corrupt or sinful man, or from children who died unbaptized 

When seen in it's human form it looks like a child, and  predicts someone's death while in its animal form, it predicts cattle disease.

The Drekavac ether dislikes or fears dogs and is believed to avoid dogs and bright light.

 There is also a common belief that if the shadow of drekavac falls on someone then that person will become sick and eventually die.

In some regions it could be considered a type of boogyman, used to  scare kid's into behaving, in a similar way a the Boogeyman is in other places. 

It's also used as a scare tactic to keep smaller children from wandering to far from home. 

......

Other cryptids or monsters similar to a drakavac..

• Bukavac – recorded in Syrmia, a six-legged monster with gnarled horns, slimy skin and long tail, that lives in water (rivers, swamps and creeks) and comes out of it during the night. It is known that it makes loud noises, and it will try to strangle people and animals that it encounters;
• 👹👻🧛‍♀️
• Jaud (pronounced [jaud]) – a vampirised premature baby.
• 🧛‍♀️
• Myling – from Scandinavian folklore, a phantasmal incarnations of the souls of unbaptized children that had been forced to roam the earth.
• 👻
• Nav – the soul of dead child that died before its third age.
• 👻
• Plakavac – recorded in Herzegovina, is a newborn strangled by its mother, which will rise from its grave at night as small vampire-like creature, return to its house and scream around it, but otherwise can't do any harm.
• 🧟👻
• 
  
• Poroniec – a hostile and malicious demon from Slavic mythology. They were believed to come into existence from stillborn fetuses, but also from improperly buried remains of children who had died during infancy.

👹

Karampusnacht.🐐🎄

Krampusnacht is celebrated on December 5 every year across Germany, other European countries, and Austria. It's celebrated the night before the  Feast of St. Nicholas, a night when people dress up as the  Krampus and chase naughty children through the streets.       

 In the old stories St. Nicholas would travel with krampus on the night of December 5th.

He would rewards good children by leaving presents, Krampus would  beat those who are naughty with branches and sticks. In some cases, he is said to eat them or throgh them in his basket and take them to hell. 

In the 21st century, many Alpine countries continue to celebrate the Krampusnacht with parades, where the townsmen dress like devils and run through the streets chasing after children and naughty parents alike

If you hear hooves on the roof top tonight, it may not be reindeer lol

Norse God of Winter🌨️❄️

 

             ❄️Ullr❄️

Ullr, the Viking God of Winter 

He is the son of the grain goddess Sif, and the stepson of the thunder god Thor.

In chapter 31 of Gylfaginning in the Prose Edda, written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson, Ullr is referred to as a son of Sif (with a father unrecorded in surviving sources. 

He's a highly skilled  archer, hunter, skater, and skier.

Ullr - pronounced “ULL-er,” often Anglicized as “Ull,” and sometimes “Ullinn”)

In Grímnismál, it says his home is called Ýdalir, “Yew Dales.”

 He lives at his hall Ydalir, which translates to Yew Dales: yew wood was the material of choice for making bows in ancient Scandinavia. 

Ullr was also known as the god of oaths and combat. It's said that all oaths were taken on Ullr’s ring, which would shrink down to sever your finger should you break your oath.

In some versions of the myths his wife is the giantess Skadi....(in other stories, skadi is the wife of Njord The Sae God.)

 He was the ruler of Asgard when Odin was away for ten years.

There are several locations in Scandinavia  named after him. 

A few of the city's ...

Ullevål,

 Ullevi, 

Ullared, 

Ullensaker 

And Ullensvang..

Because of his status as a winter god, many worshippers would pray to Ullr before travel in the harsh northern winter.

Within the winter skiing community of Europe, Ullr is considered the Guardian Patron Saint of Skiers (German Schutzpatron der Skifahrer).

 An Ullr medallion or ski medal depicting the god on skis holding a bow and arrow, is widely worn as a talisman by both recreational and professional skiers as well as ski patrols in Europe and elsewhere.

Ever since 1963 the town of Breckenridge, Colorado has held a week-long "Ullr Fest" each January, featuring events designed to win his favor in an effort to bring snow to the historic ski town.

Ullr is also a playable character in the video game Smite.

.......

Can't believe its already December, time flys I guess, bundle up and enjoy the snow .

❄️☃️🎿⛷️

The Holly King and Oak King

 

 

                              

                                 

 

❆The Holly King and Oak King 🌳

The  tale of a never ending battle between light and dark.

The Holly King and Oak King represent winter and summer, light and dark and life and death.

They are the personification of the seasons.

The two kings engage in an  endless battle.


During the warm days of Midsummer the Oak King is at his strongest; the Holly King regains power at
the Autumn equinox, then his strength peaks during Midwinter, at which point the Oak King is reborn, regaining  power at the Spring equinox, and this cycle continues year after year.


                                


 

Norse Lullaby by Eugene Field

 

Winter is here, cold nights and snowy days, at least in most places. So here is a Norse lullaby by Eugene Fields no cryptids or monsters technically but still a nice addition to my posts. and it showcases the spirit of winter so still kind of paranormal lol 🙂

.........

..

The sky is dark and the hills are white

As the storm-king speeds from the north to-night,

And this is the song the storm-king sings As over the world his cloak he flings:

  "Sleep, sleep, little one, sleep;"

He rustles his wings and gruffly sings:

  

"Sleep, little one, sleep."

On yonder mountain-side a vine

Clings at the foot of a mother pine;

The tree bends over the trembling thing, And only the vine can hear her sing: "Sleep, sleep, little one, sleep; What shall you fear when I am here?

  

Sleep, little one, sleep."

The king may sing in his bitter flight, The tree may croon to the vine to-night,But the little snowflake at my breast Liketh the song I sing the best,—

  

Sleep, sleep, little one, sleep;

Weary thou art, anext my heart

  Sleep, little one, sleep.

................

more winter / christmas themed posts soon😃🎄🎄🎄🎄

Norwegian Christmas poem, Julaften.

 HAPPY  DECEMBER FIRST :)

 

 

Julaften.

By

Norwegian poet Sigbjørn Obstfelder 1866- 1900

Christmas Eve!

Christmas Eve with candles in the windows,
Decorated trees in the halls,
Carols coming from the doorways!

I walked alone in the streets
and listened to the carols.
I sat down on the steps
and thought of my dead mother.

I walked out in the fields —
out — amongst the stars.
My shadow crept over the shadows
of skeleton armed trees.

I found a corpse between the glints of snow,
the snow candles,
a corpse, still living,
a poor frostbitten starling.

And I went home to my attic
and put the candle in my bottle.

I put the candle in my bottle
and put the Bible on the bed.

I kneeled down by my bed
and blew the dust off my Bible.

I folded my hand on the Bible
and cried....

,.............

In Norwegian

Julaften!
Julaften med julelys i vinduene,
bugnende juletrær i de store salene,
Julesang ut gjennom døren sprekker!

Jeg vandret alene i gatene
og lyttet til barnesangene.
Jeg satte meg på trappene
og tenkte på min døde mor.

                    *

Og jeg gikk ut på markene -
ute - blant stjernene.
Skyggen min gled over skyggene
av døde trær.

Jeg fant et lik mellom snøfnuggene,
snølysene,
et lik som fortsatt skjelver,
en dårlig frostdød spurv.

                    *

Og jeg gikk hjem til loftet mitt
og legg lyset i flasken min.

Jeg la lyset i flasken
og legg bibelen på kisten min.

Jeg knelte ned ved kisten min
og blåste støvet av bibelen min.

Jeg brettet hendene mine over bibelen min
og gråt.

Yokai And Monsters : The Tsurara-Onna

 

 

 
Today's post is another icy beauty the Tsurara-Onna.

The Tsurara-Onna is an elemental type yokai from Japanese folklore.

The yokai is  icicle that turnes into a woman, because of this she  is sometimes confused with the Yuki-Onna.(See previous post)


===========================
Description

Tsurara onna are said to be born out of loneliness.

when a lonely man looks at a beautiful icicle hanging from a roof and reflects upon his loneliness, and desire for companionship a tsurara onna may soon appear.

On first glance, a tsurara onna looks just like an ordinary, though very beautiful young woman.

The tsurara onna is an ice / cold based yokai that inhabits the
same cold areas during wintertime as the yuki onna.

But when the winter snow melt away and icicles are no longer hanging from the rooftops,
the tsurara onna will disappear along with the cold weather, until next winter.

There are countless tales of tsurara onna. They are found in every prefecture where snow falls, and in many  story's she is very similar or even identical to yuki onna stories.
Common themes in most versions of the story's involve loneliness, love, marriage, betrayal and lose.
=========================

Unlike the yuki onna, the tsurara onna seem's to show a far more warm and caring nature most of the time.

There are many stories involving a tsurara onna that has fallen in love with a man and in some versions even married a him.

However the tsurara onna is a creature of winter and these marriages invariably end in heartbreak when spring rolls around.

The beautiful bride may eventually return for future encounters with her husband or now former husband.

the following winter only to find the man has moved on believing she had abandoned him the year before.

====================================

Tsurara onna look and act like any other women, So much so that it is often very hard to tell them apart from a normal human woman.


One method to distinguish her is her unwillingness to enter a warm bath. (She will melt)

In some stories the new bride refuses to take a bath no matter how much her husband pressures her. Eventually, she gets tired of fighting,
and reluctantly enters the bath.

However just like some tales with the yuki onna once her husband comes to checks on her later, all he finds are a few tiny shards of ice floating in the tub, and his wife is nowhere in sight.




---------------------------
myth and tales.
=======================

One well know tale comes from the  Echigo Province (modern day Niigata Prefecture) tell's of a young man who gazed out his window on a
 cold, snowy night. As he sat there, admiring the beautiful winter niht and the glising icicles haning all around him.

That night He wished he could find a wife as beautiful as the icicles hanging from his roof. Suddenly, he heard a knock at his door.
A woman’s voice called out, and she was as beautiful and clear as ice.

“Excuse me! the woman said,  I was traveling along this road, but the snowstorm became too strong and I cannot journey any further.  Might I lodge at your house for the night?”

The man of natural accepted, and to his delighted the woman’s face was as beautiful  as her voice. He worked hard to make sure her stay was enjoyable .


Months had passed and the young woman was still with the man at his home.

Spending so much time with one another the man had now fallen in love with her and she had now forgotten all  about her former journey. They were soon married very happy together.

Until one warm spring morning, the young bride left the home for a trip to the market. That night she did not come home, The man waited for her
night after night.
 
The snows melted, the cherry blossoms bloomed, and soon it was spring. The man searched for his bride asking everyone  he met if they had seen her. But Nobody he met could tell him anything.

As the months past by he eventually accepted  that she had left him.

he later remarried a young woman from his village.

The following winter, during a snowstorm, as the man was looking out the window at the icicles hanging from his roof.  there was a knock on the door, and to his surprise beautiful woman from the previous winter was standing outside of his house. The young man was shocked.
His former bride had returned

==========
“I searched for you every day! where did you go, why did you leave me, What is the meaning of this? How could you just vanish like that without a word?”
He continued to question her.

The woman replied, “People have different circumstances you know… But we promised to love each other forever. You said that our bond was as
 long and as solid as the beautiful icicles hanging from your roof. And yet…... you have remarried.”
=====


She then left the house with a somber look on her face.

The man started to follow her, when suddenly there was a voice from inside the house.
It was his new wife, asking what was going on.

“It’s nothing. he said,  Stay inside.”

When all of the sudden there was thunderous crash followed by a shriek near the front of the house. The new wife ran to the front door to see
what had happened.

Now lying in the front yard, was her husband. dead, pierced through the head by an enormous icicle that had fallen from the roof.
===============================
==============
==========

There's another  legend from the Akita Prefecture. with similarities to the above, however the Akita version is not a story about a woman appearing to
a man and later marring him.

In this story one night during a sever  snow storm, a woman came knocked on the door of a home belonging to an older couple, asking for shelter from the storm.
The couple kindly allowed her entery, Several days later the snow continued to fall and was too heavy for anyone to go outside, so the woman continued
staying at the house.

The couple tried to be considerate by warming a bath, but the woman did not want to go in at all. However, unable to completely refuse the couple's
insistence the woman hesitantly entered the bath. After some time had passed, The couple became worried, and went to check on their guest. But there was no sign of the woman, only a single icicle hanging from the roof.
....................



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