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
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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
13 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.
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13 matching entries
| Creature | Tradition | Description | Map locations |
|---|---|---|---|
| ObakeSpirits and otherworld peoples (suggested) | Japanese | Shapeshifting spirits | 5 |
| ObariyonSpirits and otherworld peoples (suggested) | Japanese | Spook which rides piggyback on a human victim and becomes unbearably heavy | 5 |
| OiwaThe dead and disembodied souls (suggested) | Japanese | Ghost of a woman with a distorted face who was murdered by her husband | 5 |
| ŌkamiAnimals (suggested) | Japanese | Spirit wolf of powerful | 5 |
| OkikuThe dead and disembodied souls (suggested) | Japanese | Spirit of a plate-counting servant girl, associated with the "Okiku-Mushi" worm | 5 |
| ŌkubiSpirits and otherworld peoples (suggested) | Japanese | Death spirit | 5 |
| Okuri-inuAnimals (suggested) | Japanese | Dog or wolf that follows travelers at night, similar to the Black dog of English folklore | 5 |
| ŌmukadeGiants, monsters and fabulous creatures (suggested) | Japanese | Giant, human-eating centipede that lives in the mountains | 5 |
| OniSpirits and otherworld peoples (suggested)Giants, monsters and fabulous creatures (suggested) | Japanese | Large, grotesque humanoid demon, usually having red skin and horns | 5 |
| OnibiThe dead and disembodied souls (suggested) | Japanese | Spectral fire | 5 |
| OnikumaGiants, monsters and fabulous creatures (suggested) | Japanese | Bear monster with enormous strength that walks upright | 5 |
| OnmorakiSpirits and otherworld peoples (suggested)The dead and disembodied souls (suggested) | Japanese | Bird-demon created from the spirits of freshly dead corpses | 5 |
| OnryōThe dead and disembodied souls (suggested) | Japanese | Vengeful ghost that manifests in a physical rather than a spectral form | 5 |
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How to cite: Fielder-White, Jonathan (2026). The Folklore Database. Citation version 1.261029.1 (29 October 2026). https://folkloredatabase.com.
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