After an AlphaBeasts! hiatus, I'm back in action and returning to the beastly battle royale with more yōkai!
N is for Nukekubi.
The nukekubi are a strange breed in the ever-horrifying family of yōkai. By day, they make every attempt to appear as ordinary human beings completely devoid of supernatural powers (or monstrous urges). But, when the night falls, the nukekubi reveal their true form: a floating, blood-thirsty head.
Yes, these bodiless demon-things soar through the night sky in search of the innocent and descend upon their prey with terrible expressions and horrible screams. But, like western vampires, these creatures fear the dawn. If they do not return to their bodies by the first light of the day, a ghastly death awaits.
For my interpretation, I chose to fashion the body with a sort of biomechanical defensive mechanism to protect it from any would-be monster hunters who think it wise to hide the body away from the nukekubi. The head itself is transformed into something far more sinister than a human face bobbing on evening gusts.
If you look closely, you'll see I've also included a hito-dama ("human soul"). Hito-dama are the spirit forms of the recently deceased that frequently appear when the supernatural world interacts with our own. You can see hito-dama and more yōkai in this trailer for the classic film Yōkai Monsters: Spook Warfare below:
2 Gibbering Cries:
love your drawing! a very interesting legend altho' I must say that the film clip had me giggling a few times.
Thanks, Pam! There's been a number of discussions today about bodiless phantoms of the Pacific Rim. So very bizarre.
Yes, the film oscillates between being very creepy and unexpectedly comedic (not always to the film's benefit). You should check out Takashi Miike's GREAT YOKAI WAR. I might have to include that for next week's entry!
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