From mysterious ladies in the snow who will seduce you, to fickle goblins trying to get
into your home, here are 11 winter dwelling beasts from folklore…
11.
Nuckelavee
The Nuckelavee comes from ancient Scottish folklore and, for those who lived on the Orkney
islands to the north of Scotland, it was a feared beast.
The creature was thought to be one of pure evil, whose sole intent was to strike terror
into the minds of the Islanders.
According to the old Orcadians, the only thing capable of keeping the Nuckelavee’s power
in check was the ocean.
With a name meaning the ‘devil of the sea’, it was said to resemble a hybrid between a
horse and its rider.
It had a head similar to a man, but ten times larger, with a wide mouth that resembled a
pig’s snout, and a red eye that burned with a red flame.
The nuckelavee had no hair….
And it had no skin either!
Instead, the surface of its body looked like living flesh, with thick, black blood seen
coursing through its veins, and muscles that stretched with every move it made.
The islanders blamed the Nuckelavee for all misfortune that fell upon them- from crop
failures to illnesses- and it was only until relatively recent times that stories of this
beast of the north began to fade away.
10.
Chenoo
The Chenoo, also known as the Kiwakwa or the Apotamkin, is a beast from the folklore of
Northern America, around the region of Maine.
The names given by the original tribes of the region translate to mean ‘walks about
the woods', and it's one of the earliest notions of a Bigfoot-like creature.
The stories and descriptions vary, but there are a number of similarities.
It was thought that the Chenoo was once a human, and had a heart made of solid ice-
one that became even more powerful when it ate a human with a similarly cold heart.
They were said to be cannibalistic and would have such a disturbingly loud scream that
anyone misfortunate enough to hear it would instantly die.
They camouflaged themselves in the woods by rubbing themselves with pine tree resin and
rolling around in the undergrowth.
Then, since they looked like a tree, they could stand and wait until an unsuspecting
person walked by.
If a Chenoo was causing too many problems, tribes had ideas about how to kill them.
One method was to make it eat salt, which would help to de-ice the frozen heart, another
was to chop its body into many pieces, and there were various recipes for potions that
could cause the creature to vomit up its heart, and the hearts of those that it had eaten,
which would help it turn back into a human.
Greeee-aaaat.
9.
Tornit
The Tornit comes from Inuit mythology.
According to the stories, the Inuits weren’t the first to inhabit the frozen lands of the
north, and they encroached upon the lands of the Tornits.
They were a race of very large people who became extremely angry and tore up the ground
with their lances and spears.
An account of the Tornit was in the 1901 Bulletin, where it was said that they would go to the
houses of Inuits while the men were out hunting and kill the women and children that remained.
Other stories speak of the Tornits as more friendly giants, who fled the land in fear
of the Inuits- so it’s hard to say who really scared whom!!
There’s a legend that says how the Inuits would build kayaks, but that the Tornits were
unable to master the technique.
One day, a young Tornit borrowed one without asking for permission and damaged it.
The young Inuit who owned the kayak got revenge by stabbing the Tornit in the neck while sleeping
and killed him.
To avoid any future incidents like this, and to avoid a full on war, the Tornits left,
never to be seen again.
And now for number 8, but first be sure to subscribe if you are new here!
And let us know about any mysterious beasts you may have encountered in the comments below!!
8.
Yuki Jiji
This creature is native to Japan, specifically, the village of Hishiyama in the Niigata prefecture.
Here the locals tell the story of Yuki Jiji, which means the old man of the snow.
Every year, around March time, the village is beset by an avalanche from the mountains.
They only occur at night and are said to be accompanied by the arrival of Yuki Jiji.
The old man is as white as the snow, with white skin, white hair- and he wears a white
kimono, and carries a type of white staff called a hei.
He rides the avalanche, comfortably sitting on its crest, and the distance he travels
is believed to affect the success of that year's harvest.
He’s thought to be an ancient mountain god, one of many known as Kami, and his staff signifies
his importance.
There are records of Yuki Jiji going back many generations, and there are still those
who leave offerings to him in the hope that the crop will be good in the upcoming year.
7.
Qiqirn
The Qiqirn is another winter dwelling beast from Inuit mythology and one that terrifies
people just from its mere mention.
Described as a skittish and foolish beast, it's a bald dog spirit- with many legs, and
thick tufts of hair only across its feet, ears, mouth, and the tip of its tail.
It will run away if attacked.
Those who approach the Qiqirn are said to suffer from fits and, potentially, death if
they get too close.
The creature is impossible to kill, but you can scare it off if you shout out its name.
The Qiqirn gained notoriety in 1895 when Rudyard Kipling featured one in a short story in his
second jungle book novel, even though it’s not a jungle story.
Two Inuit children tried to follow a Qiqirn (Quiquern) in search of food for their tribe
that was starving.
As long as they kept their distance, the silly spirit would help them.
Luckily for them, this wasn’t a Qiqirn but two sled dogs that had become entangled!
In the end they believed the Qiqirn had been guiding them all along by sending the healthy
sled dogs to help them.
6.
Mahaha
Another demon that the Inuits believed existed in the Arctic, and terrorized all it encountered,
is the Mahaha.
It was said to be thin and sinewy, ice blue in color, and with a body that could freeze
anything it touched.
This creature's eyes are a bright white and pierce through the scraggly hair that covers
its face.
It's often depicted as smiling and giggling, walks barefoot, and wears very little clothing
to protect itself from the cold.
When it finds a victim, the Mahaha’s preferred method of torture is by tickling them with
its long sharp nails- leaving a twisted frozen smile on the faces of any who succumb to it.
Despite this creepy behavior, the Mahaha is said to be easy to trick, with most stories
pointing out how gullible it is.
According to legend, if you are ever unfortunate enough to meet one in the frozen tundra- you
should try and get it to lean over a water hole to take a drink….
Then push it in so it gets swept away by a current!
5.
Kallikantzaroi
The ancient Greeks told legends of countless creatures, but there's one, in particular,
you may not have heard of, and it’s arguably the most mischievous.
Known as the Kallikantzaroi, these small, black, blind, goblins live in the center of
the earth where, for most of the year, they try to chop down the tree of life that holds
the world in position.
However, during the winter solstice, these creatures emerge from the depths and bring
their mischief to the surface- staying until epiphany when they finally return to where
they came from.
They have long tails, speak with a lisp, and eat small animals like snails and frogs.
You’ll only ever encounter one at night, and they’re afraid of the sun, fire, and
holy water.
Kallikantzaroi will find any way they can to enter your home and cause trouble, whether
it be through the doors, windows, or even chimneys.
Luckily, though, they are impish and stupid, and the Greeks have ways to stop them from
entering.
The goblins consider the number 3 to be sacred, and would rather die than to say it.
This means they are only able to count to 2, which is something that can be used against
them.
Some people leave colanders on their doorsteps for this reason, as the Kallikantzaroi can’t
help but want to count all the holes- but, when they get to 2, they start over.
They’ll do this all through the night, and disappear once the sun rises….
Saving the home from trouble.
Next time you're in Greece, and you see a strange object on a doorstep- just remember,
there could be a very good reason for it being there, and you could well be surrounded by
mischievous goblins hell-bent on ruining your day!
4.
Barbegazi
The Barbegazi live in the mountainous regions of France and Switzerland and, unlike most
other creatures, these gnomes hibernate during the summer and only emerge once it’s snowing
outside.
They are much shorter than humans, have pointed ears, ice blue eyes, and their hair is covered
in icicles that shimmer in the light.
Barbegazi have much bigger feet than other gnomes, which helps them to walk through the
snow, and also allows them to dig the vast network of tunnels that they use to move around.
They wear white-fur cloaks, although it’s not clear where the fur comes from, and you
can sometimes hear them communicating across vast distances with an eerie hooting, which
many people mistake for the whistling wind.
The Barbegazi are regarded as the caretakers of the mountains of the region and protect
the environment from any harm.
They are friendly towards any humans that they encounter, and are said to have helped
many lost mountaineers find their way home again.
Sightings are incredibly rare as they don't journey below the treeline, but a few have
apparently been caught by hunters and taken to local Alpine villages….
But die soon after and turn to snow.
3.
Yuki-Onna
Yuki-Onna is the most well known of Japanese wintery beings, with her name literally meaning
“the snow woman”.
She is said to live in snowy mountain regions, where she feeds off human life for her energy
and food- mainly preying on lost travelers.
She’s described as having ageless white skin, and being as cold as ice itself.
She has vivid deep-purple eyes and long flowing black hair.
Stories have been told of Yuki-Onna failing in love, and even marrying humans, but her
agelessness soon becomes apparent, so she prefers to stay in the mountains.
When she finds a victim to feed on, she sucks their life force from them through their mouths
and leaves their bodies to freeze in the snow.
There are different versions of Yuki-Onna depending on the source material.
The first mention of her was from the Muromachi period between 1333 and 1573….
With some saying that she appears in December time, while others, such as in the Iwate prefecture,
say she appears during the Koshigatsu, or ‘little new years’ which takes place on
the 15th January.
Some also say that she is friendly, instead of deadly- something you’ll be hoping is
true if you ever find yourself lost on a Japanese mountain!
2.
Ijiraat
The ijiraat is found in Inuit mythology, but it’s one that shows up, in one form or another,
in mythology around the world- the shapeshifter.
Known as the Ijiraat, they are land spirits, and able to take on the form of any arctic
animal in order to disguise themselves.
Their favorite forms are those of ravens, bears, wolves, and even humans but there's
always one giveaway- whatever disguise they take, they always have bright red eyes.
Stories that mention the Ijiraat usually portray them as evil spirits that lie in wait for
an opportunity to attack, but some tribal elders have argued that they are, in fact,
simply misunderstood.
As spirits of the land, they appear in order to deliver messages to travelers, but these
words are often lost because anyone who encounters them, usually experiences memory loss and
forgets every detail of what happened.
So, it’s hard to tell what message they are trying to give us and why!
1.
Yeti
Also known as the “abominable snowman”, this creature comes from the folklore of Nepal.
It is a tall, ape-like creature that walks on two legs but is bigger than a human and
covered in shaggy fur.
Most of the time, the Yeti is a scary beast and tales cautioned people to stay close to
their village or town.
They are said to live at a high altitude in the Himalayas and many people claim to have
seen their footprints in the snow.
As westerners began to explore Mount Everest and the surrounding areas, the story of the
Yeti spread like wildfire throughout the world.
It was believed that an ancient people, that were still wild must be out there living in
the snow.
Many expeditions went on to spend months in the area, searching for this legendary creature.
To the sherpa, it was a mountain creature, and to the west, it became a hominoid living
in the mountains.
People found footprints and took plaster casts and pictures, but still, no solid evidence
exists.
Even the Russian government organized a conference of Big Foot experts in 2011 and an expedition
that claimed with 95% certainty they had found physical remains.
It turns out that the DNA came from a prehistoric bear so this beast, remains a legend.
Thanks for watching!
Any other winter-dwelling creatures you’d like to share?
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