HORROR LEGENDS AND MYTHS
FROM DIFFERENT CULTURES
One of Japan's terrifying folk legends, Kuchisake-Onna, is known as a masked woman. She usually approaches people in the dark of night and asks, "Am I beautiful?" If the answer is "yes," she lowers her mask, revealing her mouth to be slit from ear to ear. Even if the frightened person tries to escape, Kuchisake-Onna quickly follows and injures her victim. This legend is still the subject of horror stories even in modern Japan.
One of the most famous legends in Mexico, La Llorona is a woman who feels great remorse after killing her children and whose soul remains in eternal pain. At night, she wanders around the water with crying sounds and searches for her lost children. According to the legend, those who encounter La Llorona’s spirit can encounter a great disaster. This legend is widely told in Latin America and is believed to be true by many people.
In Greek mythology, Lamia is a monster that kidnaps and eats children. Once a beautiful woman, Lamia had a forbidden love affair with Zeus, but was cursed by Hera and lost her children. Driven mad by the pain of losing her own children, Lamia began to attack other people's children and turned into a terrifying creature. She is known as a being that roams the streets at night and hunts children.
In Turkish mythology, Albastı (or Al Karısı) is known as an evil spirit that haunts postpartum women. It is said that it appears at night to harm women who have just given birth and babies in particular. This terrible condition, called Albasması, causes a person to suffocate and become paralyzed while sleeping. This legend has existed in Turkish culture for many years and is still a horror story told in villages.
In Irish mythology, the Banshee is known as a spirit that heralds death. It usually manifests itself with a woman's screams of pain. It is believed that someone in the family of the person who hears the Banshee's terrifying cries will soon die. Sometimes seen as an old woman in old clothes, sometimes as a young and beautiful girl, the Banshee is one of the most terrifying legends of Ireland.
Aswang, one of the legendary creatures of the Philippines, lives like a normal human during the day and turns into a bloodthirsty creature at night. Known as both a vampire and a shapeshifter, Aswang attacks people at night, especially children and pregnant women. Able to take on different forms, this creature is a figure that continues to terrify the people of the Philippines.
In India, the Churel is known as an evil spirit and is often thought to be the spirits of deceased pregnant women. The Churel hunts down the living to take revenge and steal their lives by tricking them. This terrifying spirit roams cemeteries at night and stalks its victims with its long, upturned feet. Even the Churel's gaze is powerful enough to make people sick.
In ancient Egyptian mythology, Ammut is a terrifying creature that eats the hearts of the dead. People who were judged in the underworld could be subjected to Ammut's wrath after their hearts were weighed on the scales of justice. The souls of those whose hearts were found to be evil were condemned to eternal destruction by Ammut. Ammut is a fearsome beast with the characteristics of a lion, a hippopotamus, and a crocodile.
In Scottish mythology, Kelpies are water spirits that roam rivers to drown people. They usually appear in the form of a beautiful horse, but they drag the person riding on their back into the depths of the water. This legend still has an effect in the Scottish countryside, especially in riverside areas, where people are terrified.
In Norse mythology, Draugr are terrifying creatures that rise from their graves and haunt the living. These undead creatures are powerful and immortal, often rising from their graves to seek revenge. The Draugr's goal is to find and punish their former enemies and those who have stolen their treasure. This terrifying figure in Norse mythology was a common source of fear in Viking culture.