Nure-Onna
Also known as: Wet Woman, Shore Serpent
A serpent with a woman's head that haunts riverbanks, cradling a phantom baby to paralyze its prey.
Edo period texts
Japan, coastal and river regions
Snake body up to 10 meters
Predatory, deceptive
Folklore tradition
The Lore
The nure-onna appears in Japanese folklore as a creature with the head of a woman and the body of an enormous snake. She is often encountered along rivers and shorelines, soaking wet, sometimes holding what appears to be an infant. If a passerby takes the bundle, it becomes impossibly heavy, pinning them in place while the nure-onna feeds. Her long, dripping hair and sorrowful appearance make her one of the more unsettling figures in yokai tradition.
Body Type
Folklore Origin
Media Appearances
- Shin Megami Tensei series
- GeGeGe no Kitaro
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