Did you know that there's an giggling Inuit ghoul that flays its victims alive? Check out...
What happens then depends on the legend. In some, she simply begs for hot or cold water. In others, she calls out to her prey... and if she gets a response, snatches them up and throws them into a ravine. In yet another, she freezes her victims with her icy breath... before feasting on their life-essence.
Yuki-onna turn up in folklore across Japan - and it is possible the legend may have come from a weird aspect of hypothermia. People tend to become pale in the cold, as blood vessels constrict to keep blood in the core of the body and warm the vital organs... but the muscles powering this "vasoconstriction" eventually become exhausted, allowing blood to seep back into the chilled extremities and giving the illusion of being very hot.
Nisse & Tomte, the Spirits of the LandThe Norwegian nisse is a small gnome-like creature, often portrayed as a wrinkle-faced and white-bearded man in a red hat. The Swiss tomte is very similar - and tellingly, "tomt" means a plot of land.
The origin of these sprites may be bound up in ancestral worship. Ancient Scandinavian farms often featured a burial mound for the person who first cleared the land and established the site. Offerings were made to the mound at times of festivity (i.e. the winter solstice) for fortune - and for safety from the spirit world.
- Mahaha, the Maniacal Inuit Monster That "Tickles" (Flays) Victims to Death
- Yuki-onna, the Japanese Snow-Woman
- Bocuk, the Winter Witches of the Balkans
- Yeti, the Cryptic Cryptid of the Himalayas
- Nisse & Tomte, the Spirits of the Land
- Ijiraq, the Mind-Altering Arctic Shapeshifter
- Wendigo, the Infectious Icy Cannibal
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| The Inuit Mahaha uses long talons to flay its victims... (Venti Views) |
Mahaha, the Maniacal Inuit Monster That "Tickles" (Flays) Victims to Death
It may have a name that sounds like a laugh, but the maniacal Inuit Mahaha should be avoided at all costs.
Described as a muscular, giggling, stringy-haired figure that wears little-to-no clothing despite the freezing temperatures, this demon's icy-blue skin is cold to the touch... but if you've let it get that close, you've made a fatal mistake. The creature has long, wicked talons on each finger... which it uses to "tickle" victims, flaying them alive. Those slain by Mahaha are left with a twisted grin distorting their frozen faces.
Though physically powerful, Mahaha seems lacking in the brains department. Folklore tells of him being defeated by an intended victim that requested one last drink from a nearby water-hole... only to shove the dim-witted demon in!
Yuki-onna, the Japanese Snow-Woman
Hailing from Japan, yuki-onna roughly translates as snow-woman... which doesn't do her lethal nature justice. Described as a pale lady in a thin white kimono, she walks the winter snow until she encounters a mortal traveler.What happens then depends on the legend. In some, she simply begs for hot or cold water. In others, she calls out to her prey... and if she gets a response, snatches them up and throws them into a ravine. In yet another, she freezes her victims with her icy breath... before feasting on their life-essence.
Yuki-onna turn up in folklore across Japan - and it is possible the legend may have come from a weird aspect of hypothermia. People tend to become pale in the cold, as blood vessels constrict to keep blood in the core of the body and warm the vital organs... but the muscles powering this "vasoconstriction" eventually become exhausted, allowing blood to seep back into the chilled extremities and giving the illusion of being very hot.
People have been known to cast off their clothing even as hypothermia kills them, something known as paradoxical undressing. Perhaps yuki-onna sightings were inspired by confused wanderers in the grip of hypothermia?
Bocuk, the Winter Witches of the BalkansIn the Balkans, the harshest part of winter is celebrated with Bocuk Gecesi - a medieval tradition with striking similarities to Halloween.
Some say that the coldest night marks a crack in reality, through which all kinds of supernatural beings can creep. The most notorious of these are the Bocuk family, three ghostly witches who suckle on cattle and leave them unable to produce milk. Sometimes they climb onto a particularly unfortunate victim, with the extra burden causing them to succumb to the harsh winter climate.
There is one sure-fire defense against these supernatural sorcerers - baked pumpkin dessert. Apparently the witches prefer to stuff themselves with the dish and will not have room for cow milk as a result. They'll also leave anyone who's eaten a helping alone, presumably respecting a fellow dessert fan!
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| Pumpkins for protection! (Marius Ciocirlan) |
Some say that the coldest night marks a crack in reality, through which all kinds of supernatural beings can creep. The most notorious of these are the Bocuk family, three ghostly witches who suckle on cattle and leave them unable to produce milk. Sometimes they climb onto a particularly unfortunate victim, with the extra burden causing them to succumb to the harsh winter climate.
There is one sure-fire defense against these supernatural sorcerers - baked pumpkin dessert. Apparently the witches prefer to stuff themselves with the dish and will not have room for cow milk as a result. They'll also leave anyone who's eaten a helping alone, presumably respecting a fellow dessert fan!
Yeti, the Cryptic Cryptid of the Himalayas
The yeti is perhaps the quintessential mythological beast of the ice, a large furred humanoid living in the snowy Himalayas. Alexander the Great is said to have demanded to see one when he conquered the Indus Valley in 326 BCE - though locals were able to convince him the creature wouldn't survive a trip down from the mountains.
Plenty of people have put forwards "proof" of the yeti's existence, but so far nothing's survived scientific scrutiny. A photo that convinced high-profile anthropologist John Napier turned out to be a distant rocky outcrop, while yeti samples have turned out to be from other animals such as bears. In fact, it's been suggested that the yeti is actually an unusual bear, possibly hybridized with an ancient of polar bear!
Regardless, enthusiastic cryptid hunters have continued to search for the elusive abominable snowman. In their favor is the fact that mysterious bipedal humanoids (such as the sasquatch or wildman) turn up in folklore all over the world!
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| Fairy hats? (Mika Baumeister) |
The origin of these sprites may be bound up in ancestral worship. Ancient Scandinavian farms often featured a burial mound for the person who first cleared the land and established the site. Offerings were made to the mound at times of festivity (i.e. the winter solstice) for fortune - and for safety from the spirit world.
Perhaps these superstitions eventually became personified as entities like the nisse - after all, they were said to help tend animals and defend their homes against dark magic.
While that all sounds very jolly, nisse were said to be mischievous and expected to be "paid" with gifts of food in the winter - they also had a fiery temper when riled. Perhaps that's why the Norwegian resistance against the Nazis took to wearing red hats - and why the Nazis subsequently banned them!
Ijiraq, the Mind-Altering Arctic Shapeshifter
Part of Inuit legend, the ijiraq (sometimes ijirait or ijiraat) is a consummate shapeshifter and trickster. They can take the shape of any animal or human inhabitant of the Arctic - the only flaw in the disguise is their eyes, which always gleam red. Their true form is somewhat disturbing, as they resemble a human with the eyes and mouth turned sideways.An encounter with one of these creatures is a dangerous thing. Folklore tells of them using their shape-changing prowess to approach human prey undetected or lure them into the wilderness, though in some stories they may bring a warning or message rather than inflicting harm.
It's said than a meeting with an ijiraq can also assault the mind. They are often preceded by mirages, while those who survive such an encounter will soon forget the details. This actually suggests a possible explanation for ijiraq encounters - hydrogen sulfide trapped in the snow. Symptoms of exposure can include hallucinations and memory dysfunction - or even death in strong concentrations.
All it would need is a source (say, volcanic activity) and something disturbing the snow it was trapped under - the footsteps of a traveler, for example. Tellingly, the volcanic Freemans Cove has a high number of alleged Ijiraq encounters!
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| Wendigo were sometimes depicted with the head of an antlered deer... (Valeriia Miller) |
Wendigo, the Infectious Icy Cannibal
The wendigo hails from Native American legend, a personification of isolation, hunger and greed. With a heart of ice and ravenous enough that they chew their own lips off, legend claims that anyone could become a wendigo if they gave in to their hunger and feasted on their fellow humans.
The wendigo itself possesses a horrifying suit of powers. Emaciated yet gigantic, these bestial humanoids are strong, fast, stealthy and hard to hurt. Heightened senses allow them to stalk human prey with ruthless efficiency - and the smell of rotting flesh may be the only warning a victim gets. If this physical prowess wasn't enough, the spirit of a wendigo could infect a dreaming human and drive them to acts of cannibalism.
The wendigo itself possesses a horrifying suit of powers. Emaciated yet gigantic, these bestial humanoids are strong, fast, stealthy and hard to hurt. Heightened senses allow them to stalk human prey with ruthless efficiency - and the smell of rotting flesh may be the only warning a victim gets. If this physical prowess wasn't enough, the spirit of a wendigo could infect a dreaming human and drive them to acts of cannibalism.
Starvation was a real danger in the cold winters, sometimes causing settlers and natives alike to face a horrifying choice - endure starvation, or turn to cannibalism.
Perhaps that's what happened in the case of Swift Runner, a Cree trapper who arrived at Catholic Mission in St. Albert in the spring of 1879 as the only member of his family to survive the bitter winter. Suspicion blossomed when the priests noticed Swift Runner didn't look malnourished, but did spend his sleep caught in nightmares - he also claimed to be tormented by a windigo (a variant of wendigo.)
When police escorted the trapper back to his camp, they found the scraps of his cannibalized family. Even on the gallows, Swift Runner maintained that he had been taken over by an evil spirit that had driven him to his monstrous crimes.