Tuesday, May 22, 2012

The Yuki-onna: Cold as Ice

The Yuki-onna is an all-female species of yōkai that lives anywhere in Japan that happens to obtain snowfall or during a full moon. This apparition's appearance are mainly described as a tall, Japanese woman with long black hair and blue lips. She wears either a kimono in different cold colors (blue, white, etc..) or is completely nude. The Yuki-onna's skin is pale or transparent which can easily blend in with the wintry surroundings. Abilities of a Yuki-onna allows the spirit to freeze anything she desires, turn into mist, levitation, and doesn't leave footprints which can make the Yuki-onna hard to track in the snow. The only thing she desires, depending on the spirit's personality, is a true love that won't abandon her.

Though the Yuki-onna are known to be succubus-like, they're actually gentle creatures to their surroundings. They can also be either good or evil such as for example, one Yuki-onna may save a traveler from a snowstorm or another may freeze the corpse for food. The Yuki-onna are known to feast on life force but, some simply choose not to consume other living beings. Back to the true love, whenever a Yuki-onna reaches a certain age (1,000 years old), the spirit must search out for a mate which only lasts for three days. If she finds one, she can be freed of her icy appearance only if the her man promises not to say what she really is; a Yuki-onna. If one does so, the Yuki-onna leaves and never come back or may just kill you on the spot. These ghosts aren't the vengeance type but, can be obsessive over victims.
The illustration above is a what a Yuki-onna looks like in appearance.