Resources · Creatures, spirits & other beings
Folklore Dictionary
Meet the beings of folklore: explore their names, descriptions and associated traditions, from familiar creatures to less familiar inhabitants of the otherworld.
1,598 reference entries · Browse A–Z or explore by place
Explore by place
Creature coverage
Zoom or move the map, then choose “Filter to this area” to list creatures with a tradition location in that view. You can combine this with a character family or a search term.
Creatures associated with a tradition
12 creatures at 5 tradition locations · 0 without tradition coordinates
Markers use tradition coordinates linked through source names, recorded aliases, language groups or reviewed associations. Language-group links show cultural context, rather than verified creature occurrences in every tradition. Creatures sharing a location are grouped; select a marker to see their names. Counts cover all matching entries across every results page.
Use the location filter or the list below to browse associated places.
Browse the dictionary
12 matching entries
| Creature | Tradition | Description | Map locations |
|---|---|---|---|
| HakutakuGiants, monsters and fabulous creatures (suggested) | Japanese | talking beast which handed down knowledge on harmful spirits | 5 |
| HarionagoSpirits and otherworld peoples (suggested) | Japanese | humanoid female with barbed, prehensile hair | 5 |
| HeikeganiAnimals (suggested)The dead and disembodied souls (suggested) | Japanese | crabs with human-faced shells, the spirits of warriors killed in the Battle of Dan-no-ura | 5 |
| HiderigamiSpirits and otherworld peoples (suggested) | Japanese | drought spirit | 5 |
| HihiGiants, monsters and fabulous creatures (suggested) | Japanese | baboon monster | 5 |
| HitodamaThe dead and disembodied souls (suggested) | Japanese | ghosts of the newly dead, which take the form of fireballs | 5 |
| Hitotsume-kozōSpirits and otherworld peoples (suggested) | Japanese | one-eyed childlike spirit | 5 |
| Hō-ōGiants, monsters and fabulous creatures (suggested) | Japanese | rooster-swallow-fowl-snake-goose-tortoise-stag-fish hybrid | 5 |
| HōkōSpirits and otherworld peoples (suggested) | Japanese | dog-like Chinese tree spirit | 5 |
| HotokeThe dead and disembodied souls (suggested) | Japanese | deceased person | 5 |
| HyakumeGiants, monsters and fabulous creatures (suggested) | Japanese | hundred-eyes creature | 5 |
| HyōsubeSpirits and otherworld peoples (suggested) | Japanese | hair-covered kappa | 5 |
If you wish to get access to data for projects and research, then please contact us, we do our best to help
How to cite: Fielder-White, Jonathan (2026). The Folklore Database. Citation version 1.261029.1 (29 October 2026). https://folkloredatabase.com.
0009-0006-1672-4451
The citation version records the access date and does not identify an archived database snapshot.
Please cite the relevant sources, catalogues, and classification systems, including the Folklore Database, Berezkin-Duvakin Catalogue, ATU, Thompson, alongside the page accessed and the last time accessed. Please respect copyright and licences.
Editorial annotations and database enhancements © Jonathan Fielder-White licensed under CC BY 4.0. Berezkin-Duvakin derived narrative and metadata licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. Full rights information can be found here.
Rights in original software, interface design and other protected material not expressly licensed for reuse are reserved to their respective rights holders.
Text and data mining: For protected material not offered under a Creative Commons or other reuse licence, the Folklore Database reserves the rights it holds in automated extraction, dataset creation and AI training, to the extent permitted by law. This reservation does not restrict uses permitted by the applicable Creative Commons or other licence, public-domain status, or statutory exceptions and limitations. Third-party material retains its own terms. Please contact us for help identifying the applicable sources, licences and attribution for bulk research access.
Designed and Developed by Jonathan Fielder-White.
© 2024–2026 Crecganford / Jonathan Fielder-White. Rights reserved except where licensed or otherwise stated.