Big Book of Mythology (Yokai Edition)

Nure-onna

Translation: Wet woman

Other names: Nure-yomejo

Type: Animal

Origin place: Kyushu/Niigata/Fukushima

Habitat: Coasts, rivers, and other bodies of water

Diet: Blood

Danger zone: Orange (Hostile)

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About Nure-onna: 
You might want to be careful around water where this yokai roams. In Japanese folklore, a Nure-onna is a vampiric sea serpent who haunts rivers and shores for humans to eat. She is typically spotted on a shore washing her hair.

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Appearance: 
While the description of her appearance varies slightly from story to story, she can appear in two forms: either with the top half of a woman and the bottom half of a snake or only with a head of a woman. She has described being 30 meters tall, has snake-like eyes, long claws and fangs, and long black hair. Her names come from the fact that she is always dripping wet.

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Behavior/Interaction: 
While physically much stronger than a human, Nure-onna prefers to use trickery and guile to catch their prey, rather than relying on brute force. They most often appear on the coast near the water or by a riverbank, magically disguised as a distressed woman carrying a bundled up baby. They cry out for help from fishers, sailors, or anybody passing by. When the prey approaches, a Nure-onna will plead with him to hold her baby for just a moment so that she can rest. If he agrees and takes the bundle, it quickly becomes as heavy as a boulder, and he unable to move. She then attacks.

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Abilities:
* Superhuman strength: Nure-onna is known to be very strong, but would much rather use trickery instead

* Trickery: Nure-onna loves to trick her victims into thinking she needs help in order to catch her prey 

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Targets:
Swimmers and fishermen

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Escape plan:
Keep in mind that it's tough to escape her once she has you in her sight, so it's best to avoid walking alone on the beach at night.

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Origin story:
There really isn't a lot of information about this yokai, but her story comes from the original Japanese mythology, legend, and folklore.

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NOPE Rating:
3/5