Jorogumo the real Spider-Woman #AtoZChallenge

E.E. Rawls 12 Comments

Part of the A-to-Z blog challenge. My theme is legends and legendary creatures (both real and fiction). I hope you enjoy following along!

Jorogumo

Before Spider-Man there was SPIDER-WOMAN!

Spiderwoman, spider, woman, red, yellow, girl, insect, superhero, bug, jorogumo, legend, folklore, Japanese,

No, not exactly. The Jorogumo of Japanese folklore, to be more exact.

Jorogumo, spider woman, girl, insect, arachnid, Bleach, Grim, brothers grimm, legend, tale, Japanese,

There are many different versions of the legend, but it was said that when a spider turned 400 years old (growing about the size of a cow) it gained magical powers. This she-spider would then use this power to shape-shift into a beautiful human woman to attract prey. She played the biwa:

biwa, musical instrument, Japanese music, Asian music, Asian instrument, wood, music, strings,

Jorogumo, woman, spider, lair, waterfall, cave, prey predator, lure, biwa, Japanese,

luring anyone who heard its music towards her through the woods. When young men came near, she tied their feet with spider silk that was impossible to break free of. She then wrapped them up and hid them away in her lair to save for dinner later.

Reminds me of that giant spider Frodo and Sam faced. *eek*

Shelob, giant spider, Tolkien, LOTR, Frodo, Sam, Lord of the Rings, the Two Towers,

Lesson: If you hear music playing in the woods (particularly the biwa), don’t go near it.

Join us tomorrow in another mysterious legend! Don’t forget to click on the “Follow” button to be notified of new blog posts!

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(Information: wikipedia, credit: Art/gifs belongs to their respective owners, not me.)

12 thoughts on “Jorogumo the real Spider-Woman #AtoZChallenge”

  1. I will definitely steer clear of creepy music in the woods.

    Although, it could be a wandering minstrel who just might send me on a fantastic adventure to save the world… so… I’ll just listen real carefully and learn the difference between a biwa and a mandolin! 😉 hehe

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    • LOL, good point you brought up there, Jenelle! I would not want to miss out on that awesome adventure with a minstrel! I’m hoping the biwa sounds different. Oh and also, stay away from waterfalls. Jorogumo likes waterfalls, apparently. 😛

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  3. The Japanese really have some fascinating folk stories and legends – and many of them are quite dark. Another blogger I follow (Alex Hurst) had written several posts about different creatures from Japanese lore for a while, but I don’t think I’ve seen this one before. Nice (and creepy) choice. 🙂

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  5. Honestly, Scottish and Japanese monsters are my favorite (to read about – I wouldn’t want to meet, well, ANY of them). They’re always pretty terrifying. I also thought of Alex Hurst’s posts when I read this (they’re a lot of fun, and you should check them out if you haven’t already.

    Jorogumo is the ultimate black widow, I suppose 😉

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