kappa

kappa

A malicious water spirit in Japanese folklore. It has the head of a monkey, the body of a tortoise, and the limbs of a frog. On the top of its head there is a hollow filled with fluid.

The kappa is also used as a nursery bogie, claiming that it devours little boys disobedient in swimming.

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References

Sources

  • Leach, Maria, ed. (1984). Funk & Wagnalls Standard Dictionary of Folklore, Mythology, and Legend. New York: HarperCollins.
  • Toriyama Sekien. Gazu Hyakki Yakō.