Japanese Urban Legends

Jorōgumo

Do you like spiders? 

Jorōgumo, also known as "entangling bride" or "whore spider", is a yōkai in the form of a spider that can change its appearance to a seductive woman. Its name is also based off of the Nephila Clavata, a large orb-weaving spider.

Why do they need to change into an attractive woman? Well, the peculiar shape-shifting ability is because of its favorite prey: young men.

At first, they start off as regular golden orb-weaver spiders when they are born. When young, these spiders are only about two to three centimeters long and feed on insects- you know,  general spider information. As they age, they grow larger and may be able to even prey on small birds if they get big enough.

However, this is where the regular facts twist into a rather unsettling legend.

Once a golden orb-weaver spider becomes 400 years old, it gains magical powers and grows to the size of a cow. With these powers, it is now able to feed on humans rather than insects, and can now shape-shift into a woman. As women, their hearts are cold, and they have cunning intelligence whenever deceiving a man. Whenever they hunt for young men that are searching for love, they make sure to flaunt their stunning appearance and fake a kind personality. In reality, however, they see humans as nothing but insects to feed on. 

One of the few signs to tell if a woman is a Jorōgumo is by her shadow. No matter what form a  Jorōgumo is in, their shadow is always that of a monstrous spider.

When a Jorōgumo spots a man that she wants to feed on, she usually flirts with him playfully before inviting him to her house. If she thinks she has to entice him further, she may even bluntly offer sex and play the role of a prostitute.

Once the victim leaves to go to her house, he is usually never seen or heard from again. Nobody knows what truly happens to the victims once inside of the house, but many speculate that the supernatural abilities of a Jorōgumo play a big role in it. Among many of their powers, they can spin silk threads that prevent any men from escaping their trap. They can control lesser spiders to do their bidding, such as demolish and ruin homes of anyone who is suspicious of them. Also, they have a powerful venom that weakens a man slowly, letting the spider sadistically watch their prey wither away until death. It is rumored that once the poison takes full effect and kills the man, the Jorōgumo devours them and tosses their skeleton somewhere. With all of these deadly abilities, a Jorōgumo is extremely hard to catch and could spend years in the middle of a busy city without anyone noticing them.

By the end of the day, life can get pretty rough, but at least none of us are getting eaten alive by a gigantic spider demon right now. And if you are, I'm sorry about that.