Funayūrei
Earlier in blogstonishing, I did a round-up of household yokai...so you may be a little surprised to see yokai back on tonight’s menu. However, I find the yokai so diverse and deeply unique that I could probably write about them for all of blogtonishing. Tonight, we’ll be covering Funayūrei (sometimes written as Funa yurei). These yokai are the sad souls that have become lost to the sea.
Funayūrei translates to ‘marine spirits’ and have quite the folklore associated with them. This shouldn’t be too surprising, given that Japan is surrounded by water and there are scores of fishing villages who have tales to tell.
It is believed Funayūrei are created when someone drowns at sea. These yokai, unlike the more playful ones we learned about earlier this month, are bitter and full of wrath towards those that continue to live.
Perhaps they were shipwrecked, accidentally fell overboard, or were murdered...whatever the cause, they believe these beings are hungry for revenge. It is said that they often rise up from the sea, alone or in groups, and attack boats.
Although descriptions of their appearance differ, there are some general descriptions. Some stories say they look like normal humans, except with a distinct glow around them. Glowing would certainly be a helpful appearance if your goal was to lure ships to you. Other tales describe the Funayūrei as water-logged zombies caught in a perpetual rot.
Special care is to be taken on New Year’s Eve, when ghost ships filled with Funayūrei are said to sail the seas.
Thanks to Meaghan G for this blogtonishing topic!
The blog image is Funayūrei (船幽霊, Ghosts of people dead at sea) from the Ehon Hyaku monogatari (絵本百物語) and is licensed under Creative Commons. They are participating in a ladle story, which is a common Funayūrei tale (and you can read about it if you click the linked ‘sources’ at the top of the page!)