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Jingwei
The Jingwei is a bird from Chinese myth. Her name is thought to be onomatopoeia, and she’s seen as an ambiguous figure. She represents lone heroes and figures dealing with acts of futility. Her origin comes from a figure named Nu Wa, the daughter of another figure Yan Di. She was on a beach when she was suddenly washed away in the Eastern Sea where she drowned. She was reborn as a small bird whose call sounded like “jingwei. This bird remembered its past life and death and despised the ocean. To avenge her previous death she worked every day to try and fill the ocean with twigs and pebbles.…
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Jorōgumo
The Jorōgumo is a form of yokai from Japan. They appear as beautiful women to lure in men, and when they approach they turn into monstrous spiders and consume their prey. They can be found in forests and cities. Some believed they were created by the gods to punish evildoers by turning them into immortal monsters. It was believed only someone wise and courageous could defeat a Jorōgumo. They represent transformation, rebirth, female strength, seduction, and beauty. There are stories of Jorogumo falling in love and abandoning their evil ways. A notable example is a story where a woodcutter saw a beautiful woman by a lake others knew to be…
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Yaguareté Abá/ Jaguar-Man/ Jaguareté/ Jaguarete Ova
The Yaguarete Abá is a therianthropic creature from Paraguay and Argentina. They’re thought to be shapeshifting sorcerers capable of transforming into jaguars. They transform themselves into jaguars at night through use of sorcery. Even while in animal form, they maintain human intelligence, and possess supernatural strength. They may stalk, kill, and eat humans while in the form of a jaguar. Citations: Maberry, Jonathan. Vampire Universe: The Dark World of Supernatural Beings That Haunt Us, Hunt Us, and Hunger for Us. United States, Kensington Publishing Corporation, 2006. Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia of Beasts and Monsters in Myth, Legend and Folklore. United States, McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2016.
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Troll/Hill Men/Hill-People/Jutul/Orcs/Rise/Trolds/Trows/Trulli
Trolls are creatures from Scandinavian folklore. Some count them as one of four kinds of fae seen as enemies to mankind. They are larger than humans, initially by a major degree but over time the difference was lessened, though they are always significantly stronger than humans. They are thought to be cannibalistic creatures that eat humans. They have hunched backs, long crooked noses, grey clothes, and red hats. They can become invisible through the use of their magic hats and are thought to be capable of giving immense strength to someone, see the future, and shapeshift into any form. In ballads they are said to have a king, but this…
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Jokao/Stonecoats
The Jokao are creatures from the myths of the Iroquois and Seneca people. They are a form of cannibal giant, whose bodies are covered in stone plates. They are often created in a very harsh winter, most often during famine when people were forced to eat their neighbors to survive. Citations: Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia of Giants and Humanoids in Myth, Legend and Folklore. United States, McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2016.
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Joint Snake/Glass Snake
The Joint Snake is a strange creature from Lumberjack Folklore. It’s a small snake most notable for its ability to reassemble its body if it is dismembered. If cut into pieces, all the pieces of this creature would wiggle until they reconnected. It quickly darts away after it reassembles itself. If a piece from the middle is removed before it heals however, the Joint Snake can’t recover and dies. Some accounts also say it had a horn at the end of its tail as long as a needle and incredibly sharp. Citation: Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia of Beasts and Monsters in Myth, Legend and Folklore. United States, McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2016.
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Jinshin-Mushi/Earthquake Beetle
The Jinshin-Mushi is a Yokai from Japanese myth. It’s thought to be a giant dragon-headed beetle that causes earthquakes as it moves around underground. It’s thought to be covered in scales and have ten hairy legs ending in spider claws. It’s thought to be the counterpart to the Jinshin-Uwo. Citations: Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia of Beasts and Monsters in Myth, Legend and Folklore. United States, McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2016. Rose, Carol. Giants Monsters and Dragons: An Encyclopedia Of Folklore Legend And Myth. United Kingdom, WW Norton, 2001. Rosen, Brenda. Mythical Creatures Bible: The Definitive Guide to Legendary Beings. Taiwan, Sterling, 2009.
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Jiangshi/Chiang-Shih/Kiang-Shi/Kuang-Shi
The Jiangshi are a form of undead creature from Chinese myth. They’re most often formed when someone dies from murder, hanging, drowning, suicide, or dying during the committing of a crime. It is believed they are the lesser of the two souls, called the p’o, that remains in the body after death. They have incredibly stiff bodies due to rigor mortis and have to hop around because of this. They’re believed to become stronger the longer they exist, with rigor mortis wearing off, and they would become smarter and more malicious. They can leap from massive distances and even learn how to fly. They have been known to appear as…
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Jersey Devil
The Jersey Devil is a cryptid from New Jersey with folkloric origins. The story of the Jersey Devil’s origin begins with a woman named Mrs. Shrouds, Mother Leeds, or Abigail Leeds. She had twelve children and cursed her hypothetical thirteenth child to the devil. She got pregnant not long after and gave birth to an inhuman creature. Another story said a woman got pregnant by a British soldier, and her child was cursed by her neighbors. This child had goat legs, a human torso, bat wings, and a long snout similar to a horse. It’s sometimes thought to be nine feet from head to tail. It’s thought to live in…
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Jerangkong
The Jerangkong are from Indonesian myth. They are ghosts in the form of human skeletons and are sometimes covered in blood or dirt. They make a chattering sound like hard wood hitting together. They create a gap in their graves and emerge in the form of smoke. They mean no harm. They burn on contact. They have various origins but are said to have been egg thieves in life. They will continue to steal eggs when in the form of the Jerangkong. They will not break the egg but will suck the egg out through the shells pores. Citations: A Book of Indonesian Ghosts. N.p., StoryTale Studios
