Crabs are usually the harmless crustaceans you expect to see in rockpools (or if they're unfortunate, the market.) That said, many of the crabs in folklore could do far worse than pinch an errant toe if angered. Let's take a look at...
- Kanibōzu, the Crab Priest
- Carcinus (or Karkinos) and Hercules
- Tambanokano, the Crab That Hunts the Moon
- Pusat Tasek, the Crab in the Sea's Navel
- Heikegani, Samurai Crabs
- The Shapwick Monster
- The Island-Like Saratan (or Zaratan)
- Nkala, the Shadow-Eating Crab
- Zipacna and the Counterfeit Crab
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| Giant crabs turn up quite a bit in folklore! (Mahmoud Zakariya) |
Kanibōzu, the Crab Priest
One such kanibōzu is said to have haunted Chōgen-ji Temple in Manriki, Yamanashi. The story goes that one day a 10ft tall pilgrim strode up to the temple and asked the head priest a riddle: “I am eight-legged, able to sidle at will, and heavenward-eyed; what am I?” When he failed to guess the answer, the pilgrim killed and ate him, then repeated the same exchange with every priest until the temple was left empty.
Years later, a wandering monk called Hōin visited the temple - some versions of the story claim that he wanted to challenge the creature, while others say that he was unaware of the danger. Either way, the kanibōzu emerged as Hōin tried to sleep and posed his riddle - only for the wily monk to answer that he was a crab.
Guessing the riddle shattered the creature's disguise and it scuttled to a local pond to escape, but Hōin shattered its shell with a blow from his staff - when the locals drained the pool, they found the dead crustacean and the bones of the many priests it had eaten!
Carcinus (or Karkinos) and Hercules
You've probably heard of the Hercules or Heracles - but if you've not, he was a mighty Greek demigod who was despised by the goddess Hera and (through her machinations) was set a number of "impossible" tasks. One of those tasks was to slay Lernaean Hydra, a multi-headed monster that would regenerate heads even as they were removed.
Supposedly at the behest of Hera, the giant crab Carcinus attempted to distract Hercules during the fight, snapping at his foot while he fo8ught the hydra. This attempted intervention cost Carcinus dearly, as Hercules simply crushed it beneath his foot - though in some versions of the tale, Hera did reward the flattened crustacean with a place amongst the stars as the constellation "Cancer!"
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| It's unclear how Tambanokano reaches the moon... (Ganapathy Kumar) |
Tambanokano, the Crab That Hunts the Moon
From Philippine folklore comes the colossal crab Tambanokano, a creature said to be the child of the Sun and Moon. Thanks to its prodigious size, this crustacean is said to cause a flash of lightning when opening or closing its eyes. It also causes the low tide when it leaves its seabed burrow and water rushes in, with a corresponding high tide when it returns. The movements of Tambanokano can also cause powerful waves.
Legend has it that sometimes Tambanokana (who inherited the volatile temper of the Sun) becomes enraged and attempts to eat the Moon - but that he can be driven away by the noise created by brave humans shouting and striking gongs as he approaches his intended prey!
Pusat Tasek, the Crab in the Sea's Navel
Malay folklore also features a giant crab that lives in the massive whirlpool Pusat Tasek or the Naval of the Ocean. The vortex is said to contain a massive magical tree called Pauh Janggi that provides a refuge for the mighty crustacean... and like the legend of Tambanokano, the tides themselves are said to be caused by the crab leaving its den to forage in the ocean!
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| Heike crabs look like samurai... (Antony Hyson Seltran) |
The Shapwick Monster
The village of Shapwick in Dorset, England, is around 16km from the harbor at the coastal town of Poole... which makes this local bit of folklore rather strange.
The story goes that in 1706 a fishmonger was making the trip between Poole and Bere Regis, passing through the village of Shapwick on the way. Unbeknownst to the fishmonger, one of the items on his cart slipped free and escaped onto the road, where it was encountered by one of the villagers.
The creature was armored and, despite only being around 30cm across, raised two claws in a threat before scuttling away sideways. Confronted with the unknown, our unwitting hero roused the village and they descended on it with clubs, torches and pitchforks - all to drive the monster (identified as such by a wise village elder) from their midst.
The mob had the creature at bay when the fishmonger returned, looking for his errant bit of merchandise. The tale goes that he exclaimed "What's this - why are you all hunting my crab?" He then scooped up the poor crustacean and left, laughing at the foolishness of the villagers.
The story spread (in 1841 Buscall Fox turned it into an illustrated poem) and eventually became a bit of local parlance - the expression "a Shapwick monster" became a Dorset saying for something to extraordinary to be explained. Though the villagers of Shapwick were the victims of mockery for a time, a nearby farm is named "Crab Farm" in honor of the event!
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| A sinister look... (David Clode) |
Somewhere between crab, turtle and whale, the saratan (Arabic for cancer or crab) dwarfs all of its inspirations.
It shows up in "The Book of Animals" by Al-Jahiz from the 9th century, albeit in terms of ridicule. Al-Jahiz relays the tales told by sailors of large "islands" (complete with trees) that would suddenly start swimming away when camping sailors began building up a fire on its back - potentially taking the sailors with it. Suffice to say, Al-Jahiz wasn't convinced by the stories.
It seems that the saratan was reimagined as a turtle in the Manual de Zoología Fantástica by Jorge Luis Borges and Margarita Guerrero.
Nkala, the Shadow-Eating Crab
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| ...to combine with this! (Aji Vinister Denistan) |
Zipacna and the Counterfeit Crab
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| More subtle than this? (LIM ENG) |