Mythic Creatures: Dragons, Unicorns & Mermaids

Mythic Creatures | Dragons, Unicorns & Mermaids

How do mythic creatures fare in the modern world?
When old stories enter the modern world, many once-frightening legends are softened, reflecting the modern desire to preserve childhood innocence. Mythic animals that once were scary may become cute and cuddly. In Japan, for instance, a creature called the kappa was long known for pulling children underwater and drowning them. Today, Japanese children are more familiar with a cute, friendly kappa that appears in consumer products such as toys, movies and children's books.

Kappa
A kappa once sat on a big stone near a pond in Japan. Pretending to be a human child, it invited people to pull its finger as a game. But when they took his hand, the kappa pulled them underwater and ate them. Many people died this way. At last a young man decided to stop the kappa's killing spree. He rode a strong horse to the pond. When the kappa grabbed his hand, he rode off, dragging the kappa behind him. The kappa begged for his freedom, offering to teach the man to heal broken bones if he let him go. The man agreed, and using the kappa's secret, he became a famous surgeon.

—Adapted from a traditional Japanese folktale

At a Glance: Kappa

	The size of a child but stronger than a man.
	Water carried in a bowl-shaped dent in its head is the source of its power
	Children in Japan were once taught to be careful when swimming in rivers and ponds, lest a kappa drag them underwater.
	Loves to eat cucumbers. Parents used to write their children's names on cucumbers and throw them in the water as gifts, so the kappa would not drown the children when swimming.
	Face like a monkey, but with a beak
	Green, scaly skin and a shell like a turtle
	Webbed hands and feet
	Smells like fish

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