Jorōgumo

Region: East Asia
Location:Japan (mountain passes, abandoned houses, waterfalls)

Jorōgumo is a shape-shifting yokai described as a giant spider that can transform into a beautiful woman. In her human guise, she is alluring and elegant, often appearing near remote paths, waterfalls, or old inns where travelers pass through alone. Traditional stories from Edo-period kaidan collections describe her inviting men into abandoned houses or dense forests, offering hospitality or seduction before trapping them in webs. Once her victim is immobilized, she reveals her spider form and devours them at leisure.
  Some versions of the legend connect Jorōgumo to specific locations — most famously the Jōren Falls in Shizuoka Prefecture, where she is said to lure men with haunting flute music. The spider form is enormous, with legs stretching as long as tree branches and webs strong enough to restrain even the strongest warriors. In other tales, Jorōgumo controls swarms of lesser spiders, commanding them to weaken or poison victims. Her silk is often described as shimmering like silver thread, deceptively delicate yet impossibly strong.
  While many yokai have benevolent or humorous aspects, Jorōgumo remains firmly predatory in most stories. She represents the danger of illusions, particularly the allure that conceals harm. Travelers were cautioned to avoid beautiful women appearing alone in desolate places and to distrust sudden hospitality from strangers. As a folkloric figure, the Jorōgumo stands as a powerful symbol of seduction blended with lethal intent — a reminder that beauty and danger often dwell in the same shadow.

World
Koina
Owner
kaixabu
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. All characters appearing in this work are fictitious or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

The spark is human. The polish is digital.

 

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