Jorogumo

While we're on the topic of spider ladies from mythology I'd like to introduce you to a little tale from Japanese folklore about a Jorogumo. A Jorogumo is a spider that acquires magical powers upon becoming 400 years old. Transforming into a seductive woman demon, it then lures men to their death. One day in Japan, a logger was working as usual and decides to take a lunch break. He hears a waterfall nearby and decides watching the waterfall would be a pleasant lunch. After he settled himself, something attached to his foot. It looked like... spider silk? Like it was nothing, the man merely sticks it onto a log nearby. A moment later, the log goes zipping across the stream bank and disappears beneath the waterfall. After what he just saw, the logger decides it's best to take his lunch and retreat back into the forest. This was the doing of the Jorogumo (whore spider). It transforms into a beautiful woman and plays the biwa (Japanese lute) to lure men into her traps where it binds their feet and eats them. Another variation of this story doesn't end so happily though. The logger becomes enchanted by a mysterious lady that lives near the waterfall. As he falls in love, he started to notice how weak he felt and little energy he had. A Buddhist monk who suspected what was going on asked to meet the woman of which the logger was captivated by. They went to the waterfall and the monk began reciting the Sutra scriptures. The woman became distressed and tried to wrap the two men in spider threads but the monk's chanting caused the spider webs to disappear and the woman was forced to revert to her true form. The man was so bestowed after he saw a hideous spider with spiny legs and blood red eyes, he went to a demon lord and asked permission to be with her. When the demon refused, the logger threw himself into the river and drowned. Wow, these stories get darker every month don't they? Well that's all for today, time to wait another century for the next blog post (LOL)! Farewell for now mystery dweller!