Jorōgumo: The Deadly Spider Woman from Yokai Lore | Monstrum

PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to: to.pbs.org/Dona...
↓ More info below ↓
Ararchnophobics beware-this shapeshifting female spider monster from Japan might be your worst nightmare. A type of yōkai, or any weird or supernatural creature or phenomena in Japanese folklore, this supernatural creature is both beautiful and deadly. Although able to appear as a beautiful young woman, the jorōgumo is really a deadly spider monster in disguise. But why is this monster exclusively female?
This episode dives into the fascinating world of yōkai and the long history of beautiful women and spiders in Japanese folklore. You’ll learn about the real-world spider that may have inspired this monster, and discover two of the oldest recorded jorōgumo stories in existence. #jorogumo #yokai #folklore #MonstrumPBS
Without the translations provided by author and scholar Zack Davisson, this episode would have been far less interesting; we are in your debt, thank you. Special thanks also goes to Dr. Michael Dylan Foster, University of California, Davis for allowing me to pick his brain about Japanese folklore, and to
Dr. Junya Fukuoka, MD for his help with trying to improve my Japanese pronunciation.
Written and Hosted by: Emily Zarka
Director: David Schulte
Executive Producer: Amanda Fox
Producer: Stephanie Noone
Illustrator: Samuel Allen
Editors: Derek Borsheim and Sara Roma
Produced by Spotzen for PBS Digital Studios.
The world is full of monsters, myths, and legends and Monstrum isn’t afraid to take a closer look. The show, hosted by Emily Zarka, Ph.D., takes us on a journey to discover a new monster in each new episode. Monstrum looks at humans' unique drive to create and shape monster mythology through oral storytelling, literature, and film and digs deep into the history of those mythologies.
Follow us on Instagram:
/ monstrumpbs
-----------
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Como, Michael. Weaving and Binding: Immigrant Gods and Female Immortals in Ancient Japan. University of Hawaii Press, 2009.
Drake, Nadia. “Asian ‘Fortune-Teller’ Spider Found in U.S. for First Time.” National Geographic, March 19, 2015. www.nationalge....
Foster, Michael Dylan. The Book of Yokai: Mysterious Creatures of Japanese Folklore. University of California Press, 2015.
“How Magoroku Was Deceivef by a Jorogumo.” Taihei Monogatari. Trans. Zack Davisson, 2020.
Meyer, Matthew. “Jorōgumo.” Yokai.com, 2020: yokai.com/jorou....
Reider, Noriko. Seven Demon Stories from Medieval Japan. Utah State University Press, 2016.
Sekien, Toriyama. Japandemonium Illustrated: The Yokai Encyclopedias of Toriyama Seiken. Ed. Hiroko Yoda and Matt Alt. Dover Publications, 2016.
Silva, Mallary A. “Women in Ancient Japan: From Matriarchal Antiquity to Acquiescent Confinement.” Inquiries Journal, vol. 2, no. 09, 2010.
"Things Ought to be Pondered, Even in Urgent Times.” Tonoigusa. Trans. Zack Davisson, 2020.

[@pbsstoried]

We received special help with this episode. Translator, author, and scholar Zack Davisson generously translated both of the specific jorōgumo stories we recount here (“How Magoroku Was Deceived by a Jorōgumo” and “Things Ought to be Pondered, Even in Urgent Times). Check out his other awesome work at zackdavisson.com/about-zack-davisson/ and on Twitter @ZackDavisson.-*Dr. Z*

[@sponge_playzz]

Did you know about the other west Virginia monsters,

[@CthulhuRose]

The Jorōgumo is one of my favourite Yokai! I'm so glad you did this episode! :D The Jorōgumo was also featured as a Wesen in the TV series 'Grimm' and was referred to as a Spinnetod (Spider-death) Really looking forward to see what you feature next on Monstrum!

[@itwasagoodideaatthetime7980]

I live in Australia we have two *VERY* good reasons to be afraid of spiders. Two of the most dangerous spiders in the world are in Australia. The Red Back the Aussie version of the Black Widow but twice as deadly. & the Funnel Web a *VERY* poisonous & *VERY, VERY, VERY* aggressive spider with *HUGE* fangs! 🕸🕷🕸

[@shadowkingdarksin3980]

Thanks storied you made my fear of spider in a whole new level 😅😅🕷🕸

[@hawkwilliams6533]

Do werewolves next

[@kdvr766]

Jorogumo: lures HANDSOME young men. Me: im safe then

[@jocosesonata]

F

[@trisha2214]

Ooh self burns, those are rare

[@oddpotato4038]

@@trisha2214 hmm gordon ramsay would love that (sorry cant help it those two words make up a good pun) 😂

[@dankdinosaur8360]

Same bro

[@andrelee7081]

Ah thx, I feel much safer now

[@Narokkurai]

The tale of the Jorōgumo and the young boy shows an interesting dynamic that I wished you could have touched upon: the implication that the evil spirit was not in fact the spider, but the boy. Many Yōkai myths, especially those about vengeful or tragic spirits, involve sympathetic transformations in the environment. A child, born out of wedlock and left to die, could have manifested as a vengeful spirit whose malice turned an ordinary spider into a Jorōgumo, to take revenge on men who might have been his father. Japanese myths are full of those sorts of sympathetic relationships between spirits, humans and nature, with each one influencing the other. Evil and malice is seen like a pollutant, which can linger on a person or place and cause Yōkai to appear over and over until the source of the corruption is cleansed. It's a very rich and fascinating tradition of storytelling.

[@varun-xu8gv]

Somewhat similar to how horrifying creatures are created in Indian horror stories. Those are also revengeful spirits in several cases.

[@kianmills4170]

That's a VERY interesting interpretation! I like it!

[@austinstevenson7304]

Agreed a good chunk of the mythology is actually missing from this brief description.

[@joshuastrittmatter4188]

Hell, Japanese Kaiju films are absolutely stock full of sympathetic monsters. Godzilla and Rodan are two primary examples.

[@932ForeverLove]

Very true to life as well. If you hold onto resentment justified or not, it can end up poisoning your life, your choices, your relationship, etc.

[@travisshallenberger9486]

I LOVE that you give so much time to monsters that either aren't from western stories, or the very obscure European ones. Glad to see you still producing content from quarantine. Also, don't let the jorogumo turn you away from the good spiders like Lucas!

[@ligerzero8685]

don't forget charlotte from charlotte webs

[@fdcinc.3872]

Lucas is the goodest spider :D

[@shanafrench2976]

ravenomPH no this one is better is name a frank kzbin.info/www/bejne/h3OacnaobNWIq6c

[@simeonjohn7666]

I love Lucas!

[@mindykanitz6255]

Monstrum covers all monsters from around the world.

[@5turmundDrang]

Ron weasley starts sweating

[@Unknown-uk9he]

Jon Connington “why spiders, why couldn’t it be butterflies”

[@CelestialDraconis]

More like Annabeth Chase

[@anemxia9393]

I have found my people

[@Deinobi]

@@anemxia9393 me too

[@Deinobi]

@@CelestialDraconis More like *_ALL_* the children of Athena

[@francoislacombe9071]

There's also the fact that most male spiders, especially those much smaller than the females, run the very real risk of being eaten by their mates, an aspect of spider courtship that could easily have been included in the Jorōgumo legends.

[@animistchannel2983]

This would be a good alien for The Ensign's Log guys to run into. I think Ensign Riker is already pretty close to this with Lanore...

[@merrymachiavelli2041]

I wonder how much ancient people really understood about spider lifecycles? I imagine the vast majority of people probably weren't even aware that bigger spiders were generally female, let alone anything about spider courtship. Even if the odd academically-inclined aristocrat or monk cared to observe spiders to find out, the majority of people were illiterate and probably wouldn't have sought out that information.

[@RoseDragoness]

the male spiders also assholes, usually ruin web to make other male spiders disinterested with the female.

[@RoseDragoness]

@@merrymachiavelli2041 they probably conclude it from witnessing the females laying eggs.

[@merrymachiavelli2041]

@@RoseDragoness In RL, I've never actually seen a spider laying eggs and god knows enough of them live in my house.

[@imsquiddly6836]

“People are freaked out by spiders” * shows the most adorable spider possible *

[@varedna]

Jumping spiders are like 8-legged puppies with their cute little eyes and furry bodies, how can anyone be freaked out by such a cutie.

[@driftingdruid]

ikr, jumping spiders are cute go-getters

[@nicholaslindsey7087]

@@varedna even on the movie Eight Legged Freaks when they're the size of cars, they're still cute! Lol

[@magoswes3588]

Nicholas Lindsey Y’all are weird

[@ludwigvanbeethoven5176]

Are you people normal?! How did you acquire this ancient power??

[@AMPMASTER10]

Jorogumo legend was probably started to teach young men to remain faithful to their wives. The second story could also be interpreted the young Jorogumo had truly fallen in love with man about to be married and was persistent to get him to change his mind and marry her. If they were going to eat him, he was right there in the house by himself already.

[@melvinfranco2142]

Jorogumo: A missed opportunity.

[@brophy3351]

Can you guys do a video about Grendal from the epic poem “Beowulf?”

[@spongbog100]

Can u just enjoy the video?

[@cesarontiveros2135]

@@spongbog100 can he not suggest a topic for a future video ?

[@jellybean7283]

Omg yes

[@jimstaboodleooferson8983]

Would like that

[@benny9tails565]

I also think that would be good

[@ameekasoar]

I really admire the abundance of monsters that exist within Japanese folklore: yokai, ayakashi, mononoke, you name it

[@ladypossum1776]

Do you think the Spider Lady would do well on the World Wide Web?

[@paulciampo2104]

Who do you think built it? 😉

[@TheFunwichHorror]

Of course. She could just go on Tinder and would never go hungry again.

[@itwasagoodideaatthetime7980]

ROTFLMAO! 🤣 Ba-dum-tiss! 🥁

[@TheRegularHedgehog575]

Badoom CHSH

[@ScionStorm1]

They are the OG catfishers.

[@Cure_Hana]

I’d love to see an analysis on the famous Yokai called Yuki Onna (“Snow Woman”).

[@suzanneclark7706]

Froslass! :D

[@ThrottleKitty]

Wait, the one who broke up the beatles? (That's terrible, I'm sorry)

[@zyra5526]

Cure Hana did you watch “Rise of the yokai clan”

[@Cure_Hana]

Thunder Drum No. Is it good?

[@syahrezadifachri5121]

@@Cure_Hana it has its moment, but never got mainstream. It has 2 seasons of anime

[@galvaton10000]

Oh-oh here she comes Watch out, boy, she'll chew you up Oh-oh here she comes She's a maneater!

[@garyjones1688]

Love that song

[@saranshgautam6551]

4:55 Lmao so this dude just killed the mom cuz her son was being annoying? Rough. (He didn't know she was the Jorogumo then)

[@blackknightz5036]

She was: -A lone women with a child in an abbandoned place covered in spider webs at night -She insisted that he's the child's father -The child ran away whenever he saw his sword Don't you think that's somewhat suspicious?

[@fabianpreckel2399]

@@blackknightz5036If he is the father, it is absolutely reasonable that the woman is in this place. And the fact that night has already fallen is the only time a slower person than the traveling one could catch up, because they are resting. The thing he did. In an abandoned place, which are usually covered in spider webs. And to fear this man's blade is an absolutely reasonable thing to do, he seems to be a ruthless killer and was just lucky that it wasn't a woman but a spider.

[@ceejelly8783]

@@blackknightz5036 Suspicious = death? He could just tie them down or sth.

[@DavidFlowers777]

As someone with arachnophobia, watching this video while simultaneously doing other stuff, looking at the screen really became a gamble for me

[@mamabear_books1417]

I love how I can learn about historical and modern monstrosities here! Its fresh and I love it. Thank you😁🤘

[@newdivide9882]

“How about a giant spider that can actually eat you?” Monster Musume fans are sweating right now

[@takenname8053]

You dam right we are!

[@sabithasajan5564]

Yhh ur right

[@lizerdspherex]

So many legs...

[@dallasmeeker5577]

i knew my people would show up somewhere in here

[@dieminervaeule]

Rach-nee...!!!

[@maxnns3855]

It’s awesome that you always choose the mostly overlooked creatures

[@wesleyvalk9129]

Not really though, overlooked creatures would be Baykok, Buggane, Lavellan, Lampad, Mandarangkal ect, Wendigo, Banshee and Jorogumo are all very known myth creatures.

[@kdvr766]

@@wesleyvalk9129 first time ive read abot jorogumo but ive seen likeness of her not her history though

[@rizkyadiyanto7922]

@@kdvr766 yeah.. because we live in different places.

[@cannibalrj7747]

they're actually not always choosing the mostly overlooked creatures, they had dracula, genie, hansel and gretel, etc which are very popular. and i can see why. i think they're still trying to reach more audience, including those who aren't really into monsters, before finally digging into the less common creatures

[@wesleyvalk9129]

@@kdvr766 You're probably not into monsters then. People that love myths and legends, all seen Jorogumo in D&D, Pathfinder, comics, marvel, monster books, myth books, yokai cartoons, series like probably supernatural ect ect. They are pretty common in games as well.

[@Vic-pg4rg]

There is another popular yokai that Monstrum should cover: Kyuubi no Kitsune/ Nine Tail Fox Tengu/ Bird People Yuki-onna/ Snow Woman Bake-danuki / Tanuki People Nekomata/ Two Tail Cat etc.

[@joeyfrost5248]

Victor Beristain I agree. I'd love to hear her explain the Kitsune and Tanuki Yokai specifically.

[@ScionStorm1]

Does this channel have the balls to cover Tanuki?

[@rxpt0rs]

The Nine Tail Fox isn't just a thing from Naruto?

[@Vic-pg4rg]

@@rxpt0rs No, some of the tailed beasts are inspired by Japanese youkai. The One-Tail from Bake-danuki, Two-Tail from Nekomata, and Eight-Tail from Ushi-oni.

[@whosaidthat84]

@@ScionStorm1 ha! I see what you did there!!

[@Jodipo]

Probably my favorite take on the Jorōgumo comes from the anime, Dororo. Has anyone watch it as well?

[@NephilimHunter1959]

Yeah i watched it a few months ago when it first came out, that show was awesome

[@FlyingFocs]

Still need to

[@akikogonzales3244]

Yreess

[@shade9592]

I still feel sad that the party is over...

[@newdivide9882]

I have the manga, but I haven’t finished it yet

[@bencoomer2000]

Gee... Ever get the feeling men, in general, are weird about women?

[@Delta-ei7im]

Ben Coomer what? never

[@nathanwright5496]

Nope. I just tend to recognize when a strange woman is trying to use their wiles to get something from me.

[@SnoozecoopYT]

@@nathanwright5496 must he a spider woman

[@davidegaruti2582]

Yeah, sudden gratuitus misogeny was a quintessential part of history : make a religion about how everyone can give up material possessions and ascend to a higher plane of existence ? Yeah cool but you also have to give up ur tiddies to ascend to nirvana ... How about a society that preaches freedom and uses direct democracy as a form of governament ? Yeah, but no pussies are allowed in politics , ya know ? Or what about the most powerful and heroic country in Europe with the most elightend monarch , gets stripped of all it's power and for once : Man and women , Merchant an farmers , Intellectual and factory workers , Agree that the ancient regime has to be torn down in order to make a better more equal and free society , in wich there is no monarch no church and all pepole are united under a single nation ... And then you don't give rights to the women that helped you in the revolution ....

[@kid14346]

Women: *just existing* MEn: "HERESY!"

[@sagarnegi9464]

Well being an arachnophobic, I will possibly die from a heart attack rather than her attacks, also after so long it's good to see a new video, huge fan of the mythic, archaeology, and of course Monstrum 😊😊😊

[@eertikrux666]

Something strange: *Happens* Ancient Japanese: Its a Yokai People now: *ENEMY STAND*

[@guillermorojasc]

Naaaniiiii!?????

[@ohnojojo2262]

WRRRRYYYYYY

[@r4n638]

The Fack😂

[@L0rdOfThePies]

Both Both is good

[@genghiskhan6809]

NIGERUNDAYO!!!

[@Jebbtube]

Always with the monster girls. Actually, an episode on the sudden increase in popularity in monster girls in manga and anime would be an interesting topic.

[@drsharkboy6568]

Martin Silvan dude, don’t you realize that spider ladies are excellent at controlling the populations of mosquitoes and other annoying bugs?

[@CanIswearinmyhandle]

"Their webs can be large enough to even trap small birds and bats" GEE THANKS I SURE AM LOOKING FORWARD TO MY UPCOMING VACATION IN JAPAN NOW

[@ilovecheez7769]

Also, there is a spider in Australia that managed to trap a possum.

[@smk2457]

In fall they reach full size and string up their webs between trees and lamp posts in parks, the suburbs and the countryside here. Arachnophia limbo. I don't enjoy it. Least favorite thing about Japan.

[@moralityisnotsubjective5]

Watch out for the hornets as well.

[@kevinobill4818]

And I thought Arachne is the only Monster that has the features of a spider. Spiders are not my thing, they are creepy in appearance.

[@apokos8871]

what is this Arachne monster? in what media did you find it? Arachne in modern greek means spider, and there is an ancient greek myth that uses it as a name, is this what you are talking about?

[@Volvagia0slayer]

apo kos In Greek mythology a woman named Arachne boasted that she was a more talented weaver than Athena. So Athena challenges her to a weaving contest. When Athena lost, she transformed Arachne into the first spider. That said, the TV show Supernatural does feature a spider monster called an Arachne.

[@apokos8871]

@@Volvagia0slayer yes i knew about the greek myth, i thought maybe there was another one, like you mentioned.

[@kluang1]

The Tsuchigomo is also a spider monster in Japanese myth.

[@coppersandsprite]

The Navajo have Spider Grandmother.

[@theasinclaire52]

I remember hearing about a woodcutter who fell in love with a Jorogumo and sought the leader of the yokai's permission to marry her. He was refused and either married her anyway or was eaten by her. Or both.

[@HolosKaustos]

IIRC that's the most well known story involving the Jorogumo, and has a real world location associated with it. Kinda weird it wasn't included.

[@drsharkboy6568]

“So that’s why she gives such great hugs!” I also heard that story from Overly Sarcastic Productions.

[@maximaldinotrap]

Anime would have them living together in peace with spider children.

[@motodunnito]

Oh my goodness. I've been working with Japanese friends for a long time and they always talk about Jorōgumo. So I've been waiting for this video from Monstrum. Thank you guys. Made my day!

[@kristinl.7063]

I like spiders and I love monsters related to them. Hopefully someday there's a positive representation of spiders, since most (not all though) are harmless to people and big helpers in controlling bug populations. In the mean time though, monster spiders are still fun to see in literature and pop culture. Thanks for this awesome video on a spider yokai!

[@Nezumiarth]

I strongly agree

[@vaimantobe3034]

Well, there's Anansi the spider. He's not that well-known unfortunately and he's a trickster, but he is the protagonist of many stories.

[@thomasdevaney552]

@@vaimantobe3034 Brother Nancy!

[@bugloverspiderlover8490]

There was Charlotte,Miss spider,Lucas the spider.

[@LucyFair_33]

One thing came out on my mind The BELDAM from The animated movie Coraline

[@jillianrichraz7400]

ME TOO

[@DiegoRodriguez-li4op]

Yeah

[@bradywakens3904]

She's a lot like pennywise

[@gwang3103]

Fascinating how the same animal can be viewed so differently in different cultures. In Japan one finds the Jorogumo, but in Africa one finds Anansi the trickster spider. And in Cambodia... they *eat* spiders...

[@plewelly]

This show keeps giving me ideas for D&D monsters. Already used the manananggel in a game.

[@armisg5664]

Oh, and forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Aranea .. pretty sure there was a monster like kumo-onna in some (a)d&d setting, too.

[@michaelwilson5114]

Well here we already have Lolth

[@rami_ungar_writer]

I've had an idea for a novel with a jorogumo at the center of it for several years now. I hope someday to write it, but first I need to get a few other stories written and published.

[@emmerentiabuys967]

What are the names of your stories? I'd like to read them please, if that's alright.

[@rami_ungar_writer]

@@emmerentiabuys967 I have a couple of self-published books on Amazon, and one book that was published by a publishing company. That one, Rose, is coming up on its 1-year publishing anniversary. The others are Reborn City and its sequel, Video Rage; Snake; and The Quiet Game, a collection of short stories. I also have stories in a few anthologies here and there. If you look for me on Amazon, you should find them all.

[@rami_ungar_writer]

@tenebrous soul I already have three more novels to edit! Ask again when I've made some progress on those. 😂

[@emmerentiabuys967]

@@rami_ungar_writer I'm impressed! I'll give those a look.

[@gabago0l]

@@rami_ungar_writer How did you self publish if you don't mind asking? I've been trying to figure how to do it once my stories are written. Have you been successful with self publishing?

[@zlatkajupe]

I just found this channel today, but already it's my new favorite channel! Been watching your Monstrum videos for hours now!

[@kaiyoriten]

I was just hoping that you might do some videos from Japanese folklore! The amount of yokai and bakemono are immense and it would be a shame if the rich variety were not spoken of. Thanks for a wonderful episode!

[@Thatguyhasagenericname]

I am so glad you are covering Jorōgumo. It is one of my favorites.

[@cinna7]

Another Asian folklore/mythology I'd love to learn more about is Korean folklore/mythology. There's been some really interesting modern interpretations of the Korean goblin (called a 'Dokkaebi') in Korean television and I've recently run into the Korean dragon (called an 'imugi') and Korean Fire Dog (called a 'Bulgae) in Korean folklore inspired books.

[@Blu-Jaybee]

Hi, I'm from the Caribbean and I love learning from this channel about how the different cultures and historical events shape folklore and stories. Could you do an analysis on one of the characters from Caribbean Folklore? For example: Rolling Calf, River Mumma, Ole Higue, Heart Man, La Diablesse

[@ryanibarra4147]

I remember this thing appeared in one of the Animated Hellboy movies

[@jacobbenns6090]

Thats dope, you wouldn't happen to know which one would you?

[@dorianjareth9198]

They literally show it in the video...

[@shockfilmfest]

We've been enjoying your analysis of classic monsters of myth and legend since last year. Thank you for making such awesome content!

[@mattbatesteacher]

Me: Hey! KZbin didn't let me know there was a new Monstrum. Also Me: (Sees Spider) No no no non no!!

[@drpoprox2821]

Probably my favorite episode to date. Keep up the monstrous work!

[@weirdolife9075]

Oop,it's the 7th episode of Dororo.

[@atomicphilosopher6143]

Man, I've wanted you to make this video for a long time. I see jorogumo all the time outside my apartment and school and I think Japanese folklore is really cool.

[@karenbonds264]

"The Jorogumo is a spider demon that can eat you." Hazbin Hotel fanbase: "Ooh, Kinky!"

[@Unitato152]

As someone who has been in the fandom for over 4 years now, I can agree that is most of the current fanbase now and I'm concerned as all heck ,_,

[@Cure_Hana]

I don’t think Angel would ever go that far. 😅

[@deadlydingus1138]

"Not like _that._"

[@datkhornedog899]

That's heresy over there.

[@TheCauserOfHavic]

"An attempted revenge via bigamy and a trick to lure a man to his death" sounds like my type of night.

[@ZydecosGirl]

The stories about the woman transforming after being injured reminds me of the black cat stories where a man cuts off a cat’s paw and then later finds his wife (or an old woman from the village) missing her hand. Probably just has something to do with men not understanding women and fearing the supernatural.

[@cherylfitch2693]

Or vice versa.

[@Phasian000]

Yeeees! I'm so happy you made a video on one of my favorite yokai. Thank you!

[@S08R01]

Love your videos. They are always interesting and engaging. Awesome content.

[@joseangeles8382]

Yaaaaay! I love this yokai ! I’m a little sad you didn’t go over the famous jorogumo story of the lumber jack and the waterfall, but otherwise nice video!

[@trentonowens94]

"annoyed and impatient, the man slashes the woman..." well, she was traveling alone

[@girv98]

I don't know what I expected when I clicked on this video. But the jumpscare I got from the beginning made me spill half my coffee over myself

[@dwija1325]

9:27 Yess, that's my boy Hyakkimaru right there

[@aiko1000]

"It lures handsome young men" My classmate: I'm gonna die Me: nah nah you're safe

[@TheJbow1]

Love the series, and the breakdown of our storied pasts. I’d love to hear your analysis of Scylla and Charybdis

[@ohdarah]

Another great video as always! Absolutely appreciate how you provide context for their origins. Would you ever consider making a video on the Pontianak? She is a horror mainstay of Singaporean and Malaysian folklore. I believe the Phillipines also has an equivalent being.

[@monagorgan7288]

That bookshelf !!! Love it! (also the videos)

[@pratypulse]

says "Absolutely terrifying" with absolute joy. perfect touch to a horror narration Dr. Z *shivers*

[@kutter_ttl6786]

As soon as I saw this I immediately thought of the 80s anime Wicked City.

[@whosaidthat84]

Yeup! Same here

[@plshelpmeimingreatpain2840]

seriously?? no demon slayer??

[@psychologicaleffects4398]

Trichonephila clavipes is absolutely my favorite spider of all time, it's pretty damn cool that there's a monster based on one of their relatives.

[@williamswonderland3636]

can you explain the filth liker/red liker/tub liker? I'm weighting a story about one and I would like some more information on things like temperament and locations where it originates.👹👺🏮🏯🛀🛁👅

[@aaronlynch1527]

Did I just sit down and watch 27 Monstrum videos in a row? Yes, yes I did.

[@frogman4700]

Can you do a video on Koshej Bezsmertnij Кощей Бессмертный from slavic folklore?

[@TheRegularHedgehog575]

What's that? Can you tell me?

[@ghostfacegirl180]

Finally another episode of Monstrum! I wish I could get notified when you add to the Monstrum playlist instead of having to check in every so often. And no, I won't resubscribe to a channel that is 50% content I'm not interested in. It's bad enough that after watching this I'll have It's Lit in my recommended, I'm not going to flood my subscription feed too.

[@Doc_Animator_N]

"Help me! Please help me! No! Go away!" - The Fly.

[@alanchoichang8336]

you truly care, from research to presentation, very well done!

[@tedariesdaguro6517]

How to reinvent the movie title "Charlotte's web."

[@lewisgoldsberry2201]

"Yeren vs. Jorogumo" a epic battle!

[@dropkickcorpse]

Favorite Jorogumo: Rachnera 🕷️

[@christosgiannopoulos828]

I see your a man of culture as well

[@Blackman1000ify]

@@christosgiannopoulos828 Damn right he is.

[@rafox19]

I like the bookshelf setting much better than the usual green screen.

[@maynarddanielpalawar959]

I'm already scared of normal spiders. Imagine me seeing this creature. Yikes

[@igorivanov299]

Face your fear 🕷️🕸️

[@aquariusrose5621]

This was great! I love this series!

[@Just_Some_Guy_with_a_Mustache]

Japan has always been playing with fire, it seems. Mixing attractive women with some kind of animal you shouldn't find attractive...until suddenly...That is too much power for their folklore to have. And as we know, with great power, there must also come great responsibility.

[@sarahberlaud4285]

I love the golden orb weavers. Before moving to the big city, I used to live in rural southern Japan. Between trees and lampposts, they would spin low-hanging webs that were only a few inches above my head. So walking along, you just had to trust that they weren't interested in you... never had one drop on me or anything. And I thought that they were really beautiful.

[@smk2457]

Lucky. I had to duck a lot. Arachnophobia limbo I call it. There was a tree lined road I had to walk down in my previous small town and I had to walk with a stick held out infront.

[@sarahberlaud4285]

@@smk2457 Lucky is right, I'm only 158cm / 5'2" lol... It's not that I'm generally a huge fan of spiders, but I do miss those times for sure

[@densilfitzgerald2895]

Would love to know where Steven King got inspiration for “IT”. Is it based on a legend? Or just random

[@davidbardsley9350]

So glad for another episode, really appreciated

[@vixendoe2545]

The inspiration for Shelob?

[@nickbalmes6640]

Loving that well-deserved Play button in the background Dr. Z 😉 Great episode as always!

[@spiritoftherain5852]

Oh how da hell that thing exists I'm outta here byee

[@spiritoftherain5852]

@Miszkulancja I know it doesn't exist anymore and I was just joking

[@_cockroachking_]

Is it just me or am I the only one who'd fall in love with the Jorogumo?

[@ilovecheez7769]

Well, there's a myth about someone doing that, so at least one other person is like that.

[@bjgoodrich5864]

Can you please do a video about Coyote trickster, goblins, gargoyles, fairies, and leprechauns. 🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱

[@ShyBiiteVT]

It's surprising where in media the Jorogumo would pop up. Would you believe one actually appears as a boss in the Ghostbusters video game? While not directly referred to as a jorogumo, the ghost's backstory given throughout the level ticks all of the boxes for one.

[@steelinskin5925]

I keep seeing storied when I'm looking at Monstrum videos. Not digging the rebranding

[@AlEcyler]

I love the rebranding!

[@Johan-tq3fk]

@@AlEcyler it sucks

[@SkatingJellyfish]

Same, tbh I only really care about the monstrum content the other series are just kinda meh to me

[@SoyOllin]

Great episode! I hope there is more on Japanese Yokai, there is so many great ones to delve into.

[@kero8234]

The mimic :

[@cyb3l3]

That one drawing of a jorogumo: *has legs sticking out its back* Me, who has an OC who is basically a jorogumo: *nervous sweating*

[@aselyzflor]

Imagine people start talking about the mimic chapter 4 from roblox

[@diivine.]

Yep shawtie

[@Blueskybuffalo]

I love your content. Kudos to you and your entire team.

[@raizzabermudez7927]

No because The Mimic brought me here

[@diivine.]

Same- Sama vibes fr

[@devinassoul782]

Same XD

[@xxreyrppuppetmasxx2595]

Kinturo Vibes lol

[@coltonkleins]

Oh man the art style/animation is absolutely beautiful! 😮

[@mayamendez9250]

“He declines the offer” CUZ HE ACE *Pride intensifies* “Because he was already wed.” Oh. That works too ;-;

[@MegaCatGirl13]

Something to consider: golden orb weavers don't hide like many other spiders. They have no problem with chillin right at eye level.

[@florkiler6242]

azian people be like: yea so every monster is a woman alright

[@timothymclean]

Then there's the tale about a woodcutter who falls in love with a jorōgumo, doesn't get turned off when a monk points out she's a yōkai, _asks the local tengu for permission to marry the spider monster,_ and jumps into her waterfall even _after_ said tengu points out this is a bad idea. Of course, the jorōgumo had plenty of opportunities to eat the guy earlier, so I'd like to imagine that they lived happily together until he died of non-spider-related causes.

[@Arlathos]

Advantage of being gay: safe from jorogumo, sirens, succubi etc. 🤣

[@Arlathos]

@LagiNaLangAko23 idk...I feel like we should try summoning one?...for the science 🤔🤤

[@xxreyrppuppetmasxx2595]

Fun fact about the Jorogomo This creature was also inspired by an Roblox Horror Game " THE MIMIC " Where a Female demon named " Kinturo " that she likes to Control People into mimic people by using the webs as her strings, also she's a shape shifter at the last chapter 4 she is transformed into an Jorogomo named " Saigomo" (Sama + Jorogomo).

[@ryanc5572]

Incredible video. The lore behind it is so interesting

[@mkznan5963]

the illustrations in this video are beautiful

[@nothereanymore3941]

The face of the surprised samurai as he saw the spider scuttling away is one of those pictures you can hear

[@littlezork]

The Spider Queen in Ōkami was a surprise... like Sadako crossed with a spider... that has many eyes.