UMIBOZUJapan’s rich sea-monster folklore reflects the nation’s precarious
position on the Pacific Ring of Fire. Superstitious Japanese mariners
dread calm nights the most, for that’s when the giant, black-skinned
umibozu emerges to wreck their ships. Umibozu means ‘sea-monk’,
because its bulbous head resembles a Buddhist monk’s shaven pate.
Some legends even suggest umibozu are the ghosts of drowned
priests. But when you sight one, praying will do you no good.The umibozu is so huge that it creates a sudden storm when it breaches
the surface. It’s only ever seen from the shoulders up – its body
disappears into shadow. Sometimes, only its face is visible, featureless
except for large, round eyes. It looks a lot like a giant octopus.Sometimes the umibozu brutally destroys the ship, shouting “Kuya!
Kuya!” as it staves in the hull in a single blow, or yanks down the
ship’s mast. But when it’s feeling whimsical, it demands the crew
give it a barrel, which it then repeatedly fills with water to flood the
ship. Clever sailors don’t meekly hand over their own murder weapon,
however – they trick the umibozu with a bottomless barrel, so it will
scoop away uselessly while they flee.ADARO
Mermaids have long been mythologised as aquatic beauties, but the
fishtailed males of folklore aren’t nearly as alluring. There’s Triton, son
of the Greek ocean god Poseidon. There’s Derek Zoolander’s reminder
that moisture is the essence of wetness. And then there’s the adaro from
the Solomon Islands: a mean, freaky-looking ghost merman.
In this part of Melanesia, a person’s spirit is said to be divided into
aunga (good) and adaro (evil). When someone dies, so does their
aunga... but the adaro survives as a merman with gills behind his
ears, fins for feet, a horn like a shark’s dorsal fin, and a swordfish-
like spear growing out of his head. This looks pretty hectic on the
Solomon Islands 10-cent coin.
Adaro live in the sun and travel to earth in rainbows, sunshowers and
waterspouts. They hate humans and will shoot passers-by in the neck
with poisonous flying fish. Their chief, named Ngorieru, lives off the
coast of Makira island, so if you’re passing in a canoe, make sure to
dip your paddles very quietly and keep your voice down. Still, there’s
a chance the adaro regret their bad behaviour: they’ll also visit your
dreams to teach you new songs and dances.