Scream Queens: Yuki-onna

Yuki-onna is an ancient Japanese yokai, a category of ghosts, spirits, and monsters derived from folklore. The first account of the mysterious woman was written centuries ago, during Japan’s Muromachi period. The legend is popular in the north of Japan and in other places with harsh winters and heavy snowfalls, and it likely appeared in response to missing locals during storms. 

For Further Reading: 

• A Heart as Cold as Ice? 

• Ancient Tales and Folk-Lore of Japan 

• Yuki Onna: Shining a spotlight on a Japanese folklore legend

October is the perfect time to delve into all things spooky. So this month, we're talking about the women who give us goosebumps. Some are real-life creators of spine-chilling works of fiction. Others are the subjects of frightening folklore. Either way, these Scream Queens are sure to give you a scare.

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Every weekday, listeners explore the trials, tragedies, and triumphs of groundbreaking women throughout history who have dramatically shaped the world around us. In each 5 minute episode, we’ll dive into the story behind one woman listeners may or may not know–but definitely should. These diverse women from across space and time are grouped into easily accessible and engaging monthly themes like Educators, Villains, Indigenous Storytellers, Activists, and many more. Womanica is hosted by WMN co-founder and award-winning journalist Jenny Kaplan. The bite-sized episodes pack painstakingly researched content into fun, entertaining, and addictive daily adventures.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:02):
Hello for Wonder Media Network. I'm Jenny Kaplan and this
is Wamanica. October is the perfect time to delve into
all things spooky. So this month we're talking about women
who give us goosebumps. Some are real life creators of
spine chilling works of fiction. Others are the subjects of
frightening folklore. Either way, these scream queens are sure to

(00:22):
give you a scare. High up in the Japanese mountains
lives a woman with ageless white skin, violet eyes, and
hair flowing down her back. She thrives in cold climates
and uses frigid temperatures to her advantage as a refuge
and a weapon. Please meet yuki Ona, otherwise known as

(00:44):
the snow woman. Yuki Ona is an ancient Japanese yokai,
a category of ghosts, spirits, and monsters derived from folklore.
The first account of the mysterious woman was written centuries
ago during Japan's Muromachi period, which spanned from the fourteenth

(01:05):
to the sixteenth centuries. Depending on who's telling the story
and what prefecture they're from, her behavior varies, but in
each version of her story, one thing remains the same.
She feeds off of lost travelers in snowstorms, harnessing their
energy so she may continue living out of view in
harsh conditions. She may have appeared as a response to

(01:29):
locals going missing during heavy winters, buried under snowfall. In
some versions of the folk tale, she's a femme fetale,
transfixing winter travelers. In others, she approaches her victims as
a beggar, an innocent elderly woman asking for water or food.
Despite the more horrifying accounts of her, yuki Ona has

(01:51):
a softer side. Laf Kadillo Hern, a Greek writer and translator,
popularized a version of her story in a series of
lectures about Japan. In Hearn's telling, two woodcutters on their
way home become suddenly stranded in a brutal winter storm.
The wind and snow whipped around them, so they decided
to find shelter in a hut along the path. In

(02:14):
the night, one of the woodcutters was awoken by the
swirling winter winds. The door to their shelter had blown open.
When he looked over at his friend sleeping peacefully, he
saw a pale woman with hair flowing down her back,
peering down at him. Yukiyona had found her way into
their hut. The woodcutter was sure he would die as

(02:36):
Yukiyona slowly approached him, but Yukiyona, amazed by his beauty
and youth, decided to spare him as long as he
told no one of their encounter. Years later, the woodcutter
was married to a woman and had begun a small family.
He forgot all about the pact he made with Yukiyona,

(02:56):
and one night he shared with his wife that he
had met the snow woman. At once, his wife revealed
herself to be Yukiyona, but once again she decided to
spare his life out of mercy for their children. Instead,
she decided to leave him. Yukiyona disappeared into the cold
mountains to prey on travelers and maybe even find love

(03:19):
once again. Like many women from history, this complicated woman
from Japanese folklore is filled with contradictions. She takes on
projected characteristics that reveal more about our nature than hers.
All month, we're talking about screen queens. For more information,

(03:39):
find us on Facebook and Instagram at Wamanica Podcast special
thanks to Liz Kaplan, my favorite sister and co creator,
talk to you tomorrow,