Yokai Amabie – Protective Ancient Spirit That Can Ward Off Epidemics

Ellen Lloyd – AncientPages.com – Those who are not familiar with Japanese folklore have probably never heard about Amabie, but this little creature reminds us of the difficulties we must endure because of the coronavirus outbreak.

In Japanese mythology we encounter various types of Yokai, and one of them is known as Amabie. A Yokai is basically supernatural beings that dwell in the borderlands and in spaces, which are located “in-between”.

Left: An amabie. Wood-block print, late Edo period. Credit: Public Domain Right: When Kaori Hamura Long was at home with flu-like symptoms she drew Amabie wearing a mask. Credit: Kaori Hamura Long

“Yokai begin where language ends. Mysterious sounds. Lights flitting through the graveyard. A flood that destroys one village and leaves another unscathed. A feeling that something is watching you in the darkness. How do we speak of things that are ungraspable, anomalous? What words can we use to signify things that evade established categories and seemingly refuse to conform to the laws of nature?

In Japan, as elsewhere, inexplicable occurrences and supernatural creatures have been part of the cultural imagination for as long as history has been recorded.

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