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
5 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.
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5 matching entries
| Creature | Tradition | Description | Map locations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zashiki-warashiSpirits and otherworld peoples (suggested) | Japanese | House spirit | 5 |
| Zennyo RyūōGiants, monsters and fabulous creatures (suggested) | Japanese | Rain-making dragon | 5 |
| Zorigami | Japanese | Animated clock | 5 |
| ZuijinSpirits and otherworld peoples (suggested) | Japanese | Tutelary spirit | 5 |
| Zunbera-bōThe dead and disembodied souls (suggested) | Japanese | Faceless ghost | 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.
0009-0006-1672-4451
The citation version records the access date and does not identify an archived database snapshot.
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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.
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