YUKI-ONNA

Lore

Legends speak of a spirit roaming Japan’s snowbound mountains—a phantom of a young woman who froze to death in a blizzard. She is renowned for her supernatural beauty, floating above the ground entirely devoid of legs. Her hair often appears frosted with ice, her eyes a deep violet hue, and her skin white as snow. Her kimono seems woven from ice itself, making her the embodiment of cold and frost.

In some regions, Yuki-Onna appears holding an infant, associated with the spirit Ubumē. She may ask travelers for help, only for them to find themselves freezing to death or having their vital energy (Ki) drained. Other stories portray her as a predatory spirit who slays those caught in blizzards with a single icy breath or a glance that turns flesh to ice. Materializing without warning from the whirling snow, she is the lethal queen of the winter storm.