야마우바

WitchJapan · East AsiaMythFear 7/10

Description

야마우바(일본어: 山姥 (やまうば)→산 할머니)는 일본의 요괴다. 깊은 산중에 사는 노파의 모습으로, 사람을 잡아먹는다고 한다. 처음에는 자상한 부인의 모습으로 나타나 산 속에서 길을 잃은 나그네에게 숙소와 식사를 제공했다가, 나그네가 밤에 누워 잠들면 잡아먹는다. 반면에 자애로운 어머니, 할머니와 같은 모습으로 나타나는 전승도 다수 있다. 이에 관하여 상

The Legend

Yama-uba (山姥, 산할머니) is a yokai found in Japanese folklore, primarily depicted as a female figure. Yama-uba can appear as a predatory monster or be portrayed as a benevolent being. According to legend, Yama-uba often appears as a monstrous old woman, with long blonde hair and wearing a dirty, tattered kimono. She has a hidden mouth on top of her head, and one story suggests that her only weakness is a specific flower that contains her soul.

Variants

There are various variations of Yama-uba depending on the region. For example, in Miyazaki Prefecture's Masaeki (now Ebino), there is a tale of Yamahime (山姫; Princess of the Mountain) who sings with a beautiful voice while washing her hair. In the deep mountains of Shizuoka Prefecture, Yamahime appears as a beautiful woman in her twenties, and there is a story where an armed hunter discovers her and when he shoots, she catches the bullet with her hand. In Hokkaido, Shikoku, and southern Kyushu, Yama-uba appears alongside Yamajiji (山爺; Old Man of the Mountain) and Yamawaro (山童; Child of the Mountain), where Yama-uba is referred to as Yamahaha (山母; Mother of the Mountain).

In Popular Culture

Yama-uba is also embraced in various forms in modern popular culture. For instance, Steve Berman's short story 'A Troll on a Mountain with a Girl' features Yama-uba. Additionally, Lafcadio Hearn presents stories about Yama-uba for Western readers, introducing the legend that she captures young children, takes care of them for a while, and then devours them.

This article is based on the Wikipedia article "Yama-uba" (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Wikipedia