A Mischievous River Child? The Legend of the Kappa-Summer of Sea Monsters (Episode #46)

Mysterious Pals

The Kappa is a mythical creature from Japanese folklore, resembling a turtle or frog with a humanoid shape, inhabiting rivers, lakes, and ponds. They have a dish-like indentation on their heads filled with water, which is the source of their power. Kappas are known for being mischievous and sometimes dangerous, at times drowning animals and people or eating human flesh. They are also believed to steal a mythical ball, thought to contain the human soul, from an unusual spot of a victim’s body. They can be defeated by making them spill the water from their heads. Despite their trickery, they respect manners and politeness and can be appeased with their favorite food: a cucumber. So, what is this creature? Something real, a misidentified animal, or just a parable?

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EPISODE RESOURCES

• Geller, Prof. “Kappa - River Demon in Japanese Folklore.” Mythology.net, 2 Apr. 2018, mythology.net/japanese/japanese-creatures/kappa/#
• Henderstein, Lance.‌“These Japanese Mythical Creatures Were Born from Disaster.” National Geographic, 3 Jan. 2024, www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/folklore-japan-kappa-zashiki-warashi-namahage.
• “Kappa.” Tokyo Smart, www.tokyo-smart.com/en/blog/news/kappa#:~:text=Kappa%20is%20one%20of%20the
• “Kappa (Folklore).” Wikipedia, 17 Jan. 2023, en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kappa_(folklore)
• ‌“Kappa | Yokai.com.” Yokai.com, yokai.com/kappa/
• ‌Kappa: Mythical Creature Overview and History – Mythical Encyclopedia. mythicalencyclopedia.com/kappa/
• ‌Lombardi, Linda. “Kappa: Japan’s Aquatic, Cucumber-Loving, Booty-Obsessed Yokai.” Tofugu, 16 June 2015, www.tofugu.com/japan/kappa/
• ‌Mythology Worldwide. “The Legend of the Kappa: Water Imps in Japanese Folklore.” Mythology Worldwide, 28 Feb. 2024, mythologyworldwide.com/the-legend-of-the-kappa-water-imps-in-japanese-folklore/#google_vignette
• The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica‌. “Kappa | Japanese Mythology.” Encyclopedia Britannica, www.britannica.com/topic/kappa-Japanese-mythology

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