Lecture: Mare (folklore)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A Mare (Old English: mære, Old Dutch: mare; mara in Old High German, Old Norse and Old Church Slavic) is an evil spirit or goblin in Germanic and Slavic folklore that rides on people's chests while they sleep, bringing on bad dreams (or "nightmares").

The mare is often similar to the mythical creatures succubus and incubus.

Etymology

The word "mare" comes (through Middle English mare) from Old English mære, mare, or mere, all feminine nouns. These in turn come from Proto-Germanic *marōn. *Marōn is the source of Old Norse: mara, from which are derived Swedish: mara; Icelandic: mara; Faroese: marra; Danish: mare; Norwegian: mare/mara, Dutch: (nacht)merrie, and German: (Nacht)mahr. The -mar in French cauchemar ("nightmare") is borrowed from the Germanic through Old French mare.

The word may ultimately be traced back to the reconstructed Proto-Indo-European root *mer-, "to rub away" or "to harm". Hungarian folklorist Éva Pócs endorses an alternative etymology, tracing the core term back to the Greek μόρος (Indo-European *moros), meaning "death".

In Norwegian and Danish, the words for "nightmare" are mareritt and mareridt respectively, which can be directly translated as "mare-ride". The Icelandic word martröð has the same meaning (-tröð from the verb troða, "trample", "stamp on", related to "tread"), whereas the Swedish mardröm translates as "mare-dream".

Beliefs

The mare was also believed to "ride" horses, which left them exhausted and covered in sweat by the morning. She could also entangle the hair of the sleeping man or beast, resulting in "marelocks", called marflätor ("mare-braids") or martovor ("mare-tangles") in Swedish or marefletter and marefloker in Norwegian. The belief probably originated as an explanation to the Polish plait phenomenon, a hair disease.

Even trees were thought to be ridden by the mare, resulting in branches being entangled. The undersized, twisted pine-trees growing on coastal rocks and on wet grounds are known in Sweden as martallar ("mare-pines") or in German as Alptraum-Kiefer ("nightmare pine").

According to Paul Devereux, mares included witches who took on the form of animals when their spirits went out and about while they were in trance (see the Icelandic example of Geirrid, below). These included animals such as frogs, cats, horses, hares, dogs, oxen, birds and often bees and wasps.^[4]

By region

Scandinavia

The mare is attested as early as in the Norse Ynglinga saga from the 13th century. Here, King Vanlandi Sveigðisson of Uppsala lost his life to a nightmare (mara) conjured by the Finnish sorceress Huld or Hulda, hired by the king's abandoned wife Drífa. The king had broken his promise to return within three years, and after ten years had elapsed the wife engaged the sorceress to either lure the king back to her, or failing that, to assassinate him. Vanlandi had scarcely gone to sleep when he complained that the nightmare "rode him;" when the men held the king's head the it "trod on his legs" on the point of breaking, and when the retinue then "seized his feet" the creature fatally "pressed down on his head." 

According to the Vatnsdæla saga, Thorkel Silver (Þorkell Silfri) has a dream about riding a red horse that barely touched ground, which he interpreted as a positive omen, but his wife disagreed, explaining that a mare signified a man's fetch (fylgja), and that the red color boded bloodiness. This association of the nightmare with fetch is thought to be of late origin, an interpolation in the text dating to circa 1300, with the text exhibiting a "confounding of the words marr and mara."

Another possible example is the account in the Eyrbyggja saga of the sorceress Geirrid accused of assuming the shape of a "night-rider" or "ride-by-night" (marlíðendr or kveldriða) and causing serious trampling bruises on Gunnlaug Thorbjornsson. The marlíðendr mentioned here has been equated to the mara by commentators.

As in English, the name appears in the word for "nightmare" in the Nordic languages (e.g. the Swedish word "mardröm" literally meaning mara-dream, the Norwegian word "mareritt" and the Danish "Mareridt", both meaning Mare-ride or the Icelandic word "martröð" meaning mara-dreaming repeatedly).

Germany

In Germany they were known as mara, mahr, mare.

German Folklorist Franz Felix Adalbert Kuhn records a Westphalian charm or prayer used to ward off mares, from Wilhelmsburg near Paderborn:

Hier leg' ich mich schlafen, Keine Nachtmahr soll mich plagen, Bis sie schwemmen alle Wasser, Die auf Erden fließen, Und tellet alle Sterne, Die am Firmament erscheinen! [Dazu helfe mir Gott Vater, Sohn und heiliger Geist. Amen!]

Here I am lying down to sleep; No night-mare shall plague me until they have swum through all the waters that flow upon the earth, and counted all stars that appear in the skies. [Thus help me God Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen!]

Such charms are preceded by the example of the Münchener Nachtsegen of the fourteenth century (See Elf under §Medieval and early modern German texts). Its texts demonstrates that certainly by the Late Middle Ages, the distinction between the mare, the alp, and the trute (drude) was being blurred, the mare being described at the alp's mother.

Slavic countries

In Polish folklore, zmora or mara are the souls of living people that leave the body during the night, and are seen as wisps of straw or hair or as moths. Accordingly, Polish mara, Czech můra denote both a kind of elf or spirit as well as a "sphinx moth" or "night butterfly". Other Slavic languages with cognates that have the double meaning of moth are: Kashubian mòra, and Slovak mora.

In the north-western Russian and South-Russian traditions, the mara means a female character, similar to kikimora. Mara is usually invisible, but can take the form of a woman with long flowing hair, which she combs, sitting on a yarn. According to other sources, the mara is black, shaggy (olonets, tul.), And also a terrible and disheveled creature (Kaluga).

In Croatian, mora refers to a "nightmare". Mora or Mara is one of the spirits from ancient Slav mythology. Mara was a dark spirit that takes a form of a beautiful woman and then visits men in their dreams, torturing them with desire, and dragging life out of them. In Serbia, a mare is called mora, or noćnik/noćnica ("night creature", masculine and feminine respectively). In Romania they were known as Moroi.

It is a common belief that mora enters the room through the keyhole, sits on the chest of the sleepers and tries to strangle them (hence moriti, "to torture", "to bother", "to strangle"). To repel moras, children are advised to look at the window or to turn the pillow and make a sign of cross on it (prekrstiti jastuk); in the early 19th century, Vuk Karadžić mentions that people would repel moras by leaving a broom upside down behind the door, or putting their belt on top of their sheets, or saying an elaborate prayer poem before they go to sleep.

Other

In Hungarian, the creature is known as éjjeljáró or "night-goer." In Estonia the mare-like spirit is called Painaja (presser) or Külmking (cold-shoe). In Thailand this phenomenon is well documented and called ผีอำ (pee ahm), pee meaning "ghost". Buddhist residents wear amulets (พระเครื่อง) blessed by monks to ward off spirits such as these. In Turkey the mare is known as Karabasan (tr) (ominous-presser).

See also

• Mara in Buddhism
• Mara (Hindu goddess)
• Alp (folklore)
• Batibat
• Lietuvēns
• Maya (illusion)
• Marzanna (Slavic goddess of death and winter)
• Moroi
• Moros
• Nightmare
• Pesanta
• Sleep paralysis, medical term for the condition the mare is thought to cause.
• Slavic fairies

HOW TO CONTACT YOUR SPIRIT GUIDE

Spirit Guides are among our greatest allies and grant us both protection, vision and courage to help us navigate the unseen realms. Forging this relationship must be viewed as one of the fundamental practices to spiritual development.

With these myriad spiritual energies surrounding us all the time, it is of greatest benefit to hear the lessons they are offering us which will aid and ease our human experience.

James Van Praagh reminds us we are spiritual beings having a human experience. To be in intimate connection with these guiding benevolent forces gives us strength, hope and direction in a challenging world.

Like a budding friendship, getting to know them is natural and easy. No special psychic feats are required but rather an open heart and ability to listen are your best assets. Without stress or strain, they are always near awaiting an opportunity for connection, guidance and insight. To become a clear channel, simply relax, trust and allow yourself to feel their loving presence.

Types of Spirit Guides

We are blessed with love reverberating through us always. Many assistants are in place to ensure our spiritual well being and evolution. Though we’ll use the term interchangeably, here are the most common Spirit Guides which you may encounter:

Angels

Most prevalent and trusted, it is the Angels who are in devotion to humanity. ArchAngels can be many places at once while personal Guardian Angels are in service to us individually.

Power Animals

Recognizing the wisdom of the animal kingdom, shamanic cultures work with Power Animals as personal totems of power. When we can embody the raw attributes of animals, we can be imbued with courage, focus and transcendence.

Devas

Earth energies are in constant cohabitation with humans. Tree spirits, fairies, Air and Water beings will all fall under this category.

Different from Angels, they are not devoted to human expansion, rather they are in loving service to the planet. They willingly help individuals when respect and honor of the Earth has been consistently demonstrated.

Ancestors

Our first place of love and connection, it is our Ancestors who can most readily assist us. Replying to the request from their own bloodline, they act as fierce and protective Spirit Guides and should be our first point of contact.

The African wisdom traditions honor this ancestral blessing inherently. We in the west however have fallen out of partnership with lineage spirits, preferring the omnipotent Angels. This is somewhat foolish for it is the ancestor’s commitment to the healing of their own descendants which make them arguably our strongest assets in the Spirit Realms.

Ascended Masters

Those beings who have achieved enlightenment are dedicated to assisting humanity on our own ascension. St Germain, Buddha, Jesus, Metatron and Quan Yin are among the many faces of these guiding forces which are readily available to us and will often appear in our meditations.

How to Contact your Spirit Guides

Contacting our Spirit Guides is one of the most readily available gifts to humanity. Yet few of us may remember how. There is no training required in learning how to contact your Spirit Guides rather a gentle and loving heart will draw in exactly the blessings you seek.

Here’s the best ways to be in communication with these beneficent forces:

Set the Mood

As with all ceremony, your physical environment should be prepped to support these subtle energies. Light a candle, dim the lights, clear your clutter and create a peaceful space. Bring into this setting any objects of power which hold significance – crystals, sacred objects and spiritual art. These will form your ritual space and amplify the intentions of your connection.

Craft a Clear Intention

All spiritual endeavors (heck, all endeavors!) should be carried out with clear intention. With whom do you wish to work? What questions are you hoping to address? With clear focus, we can call in the beings most suited to answer our queries.

If working on self healing, a gentle loving energy may be a perfect partnership – think Quan Yin or Mother Mary. If we are seeking profound teachings, an Ascended Master like St. Germain or Buddha may be more suited. Carry a pure directive in your heart and you will attract the loving energy of the Guide most suited to assist you.

Practice with Loving Patience on Yourself

We easily forget the ease of this gentle process! There is no need to feel rushed nor hurried. The messages will sweep over you as gently as the wind and it is only your ability to receive that will block your connection. As with breath, this communication with Spirit is our most primal and it cannot be done from the mind.

Set no expectations – this way of being is rarely like fireworks! Rather with patience and trust, you will find yourself in communion with the divine forces at work all around you.

Relax and Breathe

Breathe is among our most available treasures and the surest way to bring ourselves in to the present moment. With each breath, allow your awareness to deepen and become softer. No strain nor stress.

If you find yourself tense, stretching can alleviate some of this built up energy. Laying down is also a grand idea but don’t make yourself too comfortable or you may find yourself wonderfully asleep!

To find yourself in the stillness of breath will open potent gateways to spirit. In the quiet center where the mental chatter ceases is where you will find the whisperings of your Spirit Guides.

Call in Protection

As with all spiritual work, the dictates of your heart will call in like frequencies. A simple clearing will bless yourself and the space.

Envision yourself in a pyramid of white light and let these energies wash away anything not of your highest living good. When you are ready, relaxed and willing to allow the messages to come to you, ask that the most loving energy willing to assist you be called forth now.

Sacred Sounds

The most profound of all sacred sounds is our own voice. Chanting is the process by which we make the sounds of the universe. Making these sounds raises our vibrations and attunes our energy to the most powerful forces of spirit.

Chant “Om” (Phonetically, this sounds like: AaaaUuuuMmmm) seven times to align your energy with that of the divine. You will quickly discover chanting to be a perfect portal to contacting your spirit guides.

Go through the “Door”

As your breathing slows and sacred space is activated, you may notice a shift in your being. This is the turning on of your light body which will magnetically attract the Spirit Guides, Angels and Ascended Masters.

Focus on your light body for this is the aspect of you that is pure spirit See yourself walking through a “doorway” into another dimension. This is not always a literal doorway… sometimes we see it as a cosmic space, sometimes a beautiful landscape that inspires wonder or bathing yourself in a vibration of color. We all have our own entries to the beyond and you will soon discover that which is best for you You will notice an expanse of infinite space around you. It is in this space that we are open, available and altered enough from our everyday spaces to meet with our Guides

Invite in your Spirit Guides and Angels

In the bliss of the abyss, call in your personal Guides and Angels. Share with them your intention and give them clear permission to join with you. We live in a free will universe where our command is the most respected and honored of all sacred laws. If you do not explicitly give permission, you may miss their encounters and simply enjoy the rest offered in this sacred space.

Open yourself to Subtle Frequencies

Their messages may come as visions, impressions, smells or thoughts. I wish the messages were always blazingly clear, but this is often not the case. Pay attention to everything you experience for it is their direct way of being in communication with you now.

Ask for a Sign

This too is a flexing of our free will… and we are dense and doubting creatures. Ask for a sign in your day-to-day life that affirms your connection and the messages they offer. Please don’t see this as “telling them what to do,” rather it is a way of loving reassurance that will bolster your faith in them. This is a sure way they can express their presence and they are happy to oblige so long as you ask!

On many occasions this is for me the most magical of all forms of communication! When I was contemplating my move from Chicago to Colorado, I asked for a sign to affirm my decision. I saw 3 shooting stars in a night, was given a book the next day by a friend on native plants of Colorado and was invited by another to visit her in the western plains to see if I liked her area! Talk about cosmic confirmation. I packed up and had moved within 6 months!

Ask for a message or a blessing

Spirit Guides are in service to us and as such they can only help in the ways we explicitly ask. Beyond the validation of a sign, ask for a message or a blessing while you are in sacred connection with them. This could be guidance, insight or a sneak peek at what’s in store. The blessing could be a healing or an activation of your psychic skills. Please do not feel bad asking and instead see this as their devotion and love for you put to work!

Give thanks!

We all like to be appreciated and this small act from you will ensure you continue to incur their goodwill. Gratitude is our way of opening to more blessings when we can be humble and acknowledging of those that have already been granted.

Expressing thanks aloud will give your ceremony extra credence as it shows them resolutely you know they are there and are willing to bring your voice and your will to the reality of their presence.

Return

When walking through these sacred dimensions, we must take precautions to return the ways we came. See yourself leaving through the same means you entered taking any paths you may have ventured. Ask your Guides to help you with this with zero stress… they know the way!

Soul fragmentation occurs when we leave behind pieces of ourselves (in both physical and non- physical realities). To retrace carefully your steps ensure you gather all aspects of yourself and can bring our full power and potential back to you now.

Allow yourself time to come fully back into your body. You may choose to write down your experience or take a nap to integrate. Be gentle as you allow this state and experience to be received at all levels of your being.

You may feel yourself a bit altered after these encounters, take that as a sign in your body that something had indeed occurred! Eating, walking in nature and baths are a perfect way to bring you back to you.

Living in the Sacred Everyday

Sacred space is best honored when we recognize it is a thriving part of our reality. To only visit once shows little regard for the relationships formed. Instead, know this place of loving support is available to you always and make use of it!

I tend to visit not just when I need help but anytime. Sharing your blessings with them and acknowledging their part goes far! They like to know their efforts are not only appreciated but are working to help us be better humans.

To join in these spaces of communication with our Spirit Guides regularly reminds us the world is far more expansive than what most people believe. It will enhance our psychic abilities, ensure we are on the right track and can lead to fulfilling our destiny. Before long our ability to receive these messages can occur outside of sanctioned ritual and we begin to receive messages all the time.

Lecture: The Japanese Demon Onryo

怨霊

おんりょう

TRANSLATION: grudge spirit, vengeful ghost

HABITAT: found all throughout Japan

DIET: none; survives solely on its wrath

APPEARANCE: The most dreaded type of yūrei is the onryō. They are the ghosts of people who died with such strong passions –jealousy, rage, or hatred – that their soul is unable to pass on, and instead transforms into a powerful wrathful spirit who seeks vengeance on any and everything it encounters. Onryō appear as they did when they died. Often they were victims of war, catastrophe, betrayal, murder, or suicide, and they usually display wounds or marks indicative of the way they died.

INTERACTIONS: Their motive is always the same: vengeance. Onryō are easily powerful enough to swiftly kill any person; however, they prefer letting the object of their hatred live a long life of torment and suffering, watching those he knows suffer and die. They inflict a terrible curse on the people or places that they haunt. This curse can be transmitted to others through contact like a contagious disease, creating a circle of death or destruction that is far more devastating than any ordinary ghost. They make no distinction in whom they target with their grudge; they just wants to destroy. Moreover, this vengeance can never be satisfied as it can for most ghosts. While most yūrei only haunt a person or place until they are exorcised or placated, an onryō’s horrible grudge-curse continues to infect a location long after the ghost itself has been laid to rest.

Occasionally, an onryō’s curse is born not out of hatred and retribution, but out of intense, passionate love which perverts into extreme jealousy. These onryō haunt their former lovers, exacting their wrath onto new romances, second marriages, their children, and eventual end up destroying the lives of the ones they loved so much in life. Whatever the origin, the onryō’s undiscriminating wrath makes it one of the most feared supernatural entities in all of Japan.

LEGENDS: Unquestionably the most well-known onryō, and one whose grudge-curse exists to this very day, is the ghost of Oiwa: a young woman who was brutally disfigured and then murdered by her wicked and greedy husband in an elaborate plot. Her story is told in Yotsuya Kaidan, The Ghost Story of Yotsuya, and has been retold many times, in books, ukiyo-e, kabuki, and film. Like with Shakespeare’s Hamlet, legend has it that a curse accompanies her story, and that those who retell it will suffer injuries and even death. To this day, producers, actors, and their crews continue to visit the grave of Oiwa in Tokyo before productions or adaptations of Yotsuya Kaidan, praying for her soul and asking for her blessing to tell her story once again.

Lecture: The Japanese Demon Yūrei

Yūrei are a type of Japanese ghost, usually female (though males do exist), traditionally shown as wearing all white with long black hair that hangs in front of their face. They are typically bound to specific places or objects, and often have a mission of vengeance.

Yūrei have been featured in such movies as The Grudge, The Ring and Silent Hill in the U.S., which unfortunately led to some confusion among U.S. audiences that the characters were somehow the same in each of the movies. Western audiences were not familiar with the look of the Yūrei, which share very little in common with the “transparent man in a sheet” type of Western ghosts. As J-Horror remakes continue to be made, it’s likely that American audiences will eventually learn to accept the look of this new type of ghost.

Yūrei are often Onryō, a ghost seeking vengeance and tied to the physical plane by strong emotions, usually anger. Kayako from The Grudge (seen above) is a perfect example of Onryō. Samara Morgan (or Sedako) of The Ring would also be an Onryō, but while she does thirst for vengeance, she seems to have transcended the traditional role of the vengeful spirit to become more of a plague-like being bent on the destruction of all who watch her tape. This is not quite in keeping with the Onryō.

Yūrei typically arise from murders or suicides, especially when the victim is either killed due to jealousy or committed suicide because of family pressures. If a reikon (Japanese for soul or spirit) becomes obsessed with anger, sorrow or jealousy, they may cross back into the physical world and become Yūrei. Women are most frequently depicted as Yūrei because most Japanese consider them far more emotional than men and thus more likely to experience the deep emotion needed to become such a vengeful spirit.

Unlike Western ghosts which may have limited ability to interact with the physical world, Yūrei seem to have no problem passing through the boundary between the land of the dead and the living. Western ghosts are also often susceptible to exorcism, while Yūrei often can never be truly defeated or banished. Yūrei rarely desire to communicate with the living, and they are often less concerned with frightening someone as they are outright killing them. Yūrei curses are often so potent that even those who had nothing to do with their vengeance are pulled into the curse and punished – they are indiscriminate killers.

A common theme with Yūrei is prehensile hair. The ghosts are often heralded by hair appearing in drains or from victims’ mouthes. Many Yūrei also seem to have a connection to their hair, as items belonging to them will often be found with tufts of hair still attached. A lock of hair from the Yūrei’s physical body may even be enough to hold it at bay for a time. The Yūrei’s hair will also often be able to change length at will, growing or shrinking as needed. This distinctive feature is actually a reference to the way ghosts were portrayed in traditional Japanese theater – the actor would wear a long wig to hide their face.

As ghosts, Yūrei can often bend or completely ignore the traditional physical laws. They are often shown crawling along ceilings or walls in defiance of gravity, and can move with extreme speed, crossing distances in the blink of an eye. They often move in a strange, disjointed manner, holding their arms at odd angles or even running on all fours. As a Yūrei is not bound to the physical plane, they can be solid or completely immaterial as they wish, and can vanish instantly. They do often have a precursor, a smell or sound that can alert a potential victim of their approach, but this can be different for each Yūrei.

The features of a Yūrei can also change, and they can assume the form of a victim’s loved ones or can become a horrific corpse. Black veins are a common appearance on the pallid faces of the ghosts, and they can often stretch their features in inhuman ways, usually creating giant maws or melting, disgusting faces. The Yūrei can also often create illusions, making a victim believe they are somewhere else or that something impossible is happening (such as a room crashing around them only to be back to normal a second later). While they don’t precisely have control of time, they can hypnotize a victim into thinking more or less time has passed than really has, making day turn to night seemingly instantly.

Of all the ghosts of the world, Yūrei are some of the most dangerous. They cannot be reasoned with, contained or destroyed, and often they cannot be banished by any means. They have near unlimited power in meting out their curse and often will punish anyone and everyone who gets in their way. They act more as a force of nature than a simple vengeful spirit, like a tsunami of evil compared to the simple thunder storm of Western ghosts.

One method of dealing with Yūrei is through the use of ofuda, a Shinto talisman (sometimes called “prayer sheets” or “prayer tags”). An ofuda dedicated to a specific kami (a spirit, often a deity) can be placed on a door to keep a Yūrei out, or if placed on the Yūrei’s forehead, can banish the ghost. However, this is only practical if the kami indicated in the ofuda intervenes, which may not be the case if the Yūrei’s vengeance is righteous. Some Yūrei can also be exorcised by fulfilling their curse, such as revealing the truth of a spouse’s affair or laying their body to rest in consecrated ground. However, Yūrei can be quite clever and can often mislead a victim into thinking they are helping to banish the Yūrei when in fact they are simply making it easier for the Yūrei to seek its vengeance.

The concept of the Yūrei is not isolated to Japan. In addition to the recent American movie remakes, the Yūrei is also prevalent in Korean horror stories. This may be because in Korea, ghosts are often not considered evil or frightening, and instead are looked upon as just another sort of spirit. The idea of a truly evil, and yet potentially righteous, ghost is something of a fascination in such a culture. Korean Yūrei often deviate from Japanese Yūrei in their depiction, as the Koreans are not as bound by the theatrical tradition that gave birth to this type of ghost. Korean Yūrei might have short hair or all black skin, or may appear to be completely normal until they strike.


Here is a short list of films that include Yūrei or Yūrei-like ghosts:

• The Ring (Japanese series – remade in America)
• Ju-on (Japanese series, known as The Grudge in America)
• Shutter (originally from Thailand, but remade in America – the original is better)
• The Ghost (Korean)
• Apartment 1303 (Japanese)
• Dark Water (Japanese, remade in America)
• One Missed Call (Japanese, remade in America)
• Silent Hill (American)
• The Ghost of Mae Nak (Thailand – while Mae Nak is not a Yūrei per se, she is depicted in a similar manner in this film)

Yūrei also appear in several video games:

• Silent Hill (especially Silent Hill 4)
• F.E.A.R. and F.E.A.R. 2 (primary antagonist is a Yūrei)
• Fatal Frame (series)
• Bayonetta (while not strictly Yūrei, the protagonist shares several similar abilities, especially prehensile hair)

Lecture: The Japanese spirit Ubume

姑獲鳥

うぶめ

TRANSLATION: woman in late pregnancy; often written with different characters

ALTERNATE NAMES: obo, unme, ugume, ubametori, and many others

HABITAT: haunts the area where she gave birth

DIET: none; only exists to deliver her baby into safe hands

APPEARANCE: When a woman dies just before, during, or shortly after childbirth, her spirit is often unable to pass on out of anxiety for her child. This troubled attachment manifests into a ghost known as an ubume. They appear on dark, rainy nights, and are often indistinguishable from a living woman carrying a child, crying for help. Ubume can appear in many forms: a woman carrying a baby, a pregnant woman, or a blood-soaked walking corpse carrying an underdeveloped fetus. Other times they just appear as horrific, bloody, naked pregnant women crying out desperately into the night for help.

These variations in appearance are due to the burial traditions of different regions, as well as the circumstances of death; in some areas, when a pregnant woman died she would be buried with the unborn fetus still inside of her; in other areas, the fetus would be cut out of her and placed in her arms during burial. Women who died after delivering stillborn babies were also buried in this way.

BEHAVIOR: These tragic spirits wander the areas near where they died, seeking aid from the living which they cannot provide themselves. If the mother died after childbirth but her baby survives, an ubume will try to provide for the child in whatever way it can. She enters shops or homes to try to purchase food, clothes, or sweets for her still-living child. In place of money she pays with handfuls of dead leaves. These ghosts also often try to lead humans to the place where the baby is hidden so that it can be taken to its living relatives, or adopted by another person.

In cases where both mother and child died, an ubume can appear carrying the bundled corpse of her infant. When a human approaches, the ghost tries to deliver the bundle into the arms of the living. If the stranger accepts the bundle, the ghost vanishes, and the bundle grows heavier and heavier until the helpful stranger is crushed under its weight.

OTHER FORMS: The name ubume is written with characters that imply a bird’s name. The literal translation of these characters is “child-snatching bird” and some theories connect this spirit with another yokai called the ubumetori. This yokai is an evil bird which flies through the sky searching for clothing that has been left on the clothesline overnight. When it finds some, it smears its poisonous blood on the clothing, and shortly afterward the owner of those clothes begins to develop shakes convulsions, possibly leading to death. They are also blamed for snatching babies and taking them away into the night sky. Whether this bird is another form of the ubume or a separate spirit with the same name is not known.