General Information

[13] While they are primarily water creatures, they do on occasion venture onto land. Other

A green human-like being named a vodnik is widely known in western Slavic folklore and tales, especially in the Czech Republic or Slovakia. The Old English noun impa meant a young shoot or scion of a plant or tree, and later came to mean the scion of a noble house, or a child in general.

Miriam98, David09, thank you -- you've given me some food for thought. [36], Similar folklore can be found in Asia and Europe. For a look at Kappa in popular culture, This page was last edited on 18 October 2020, at 09:01. Some folktales credit Imps with magical power, but all of them acknowledge that these little creatures are minor in comparison to other magical beings. Imps sprung from Germanic folklore, where they were typically described as “lesser goblins.” When they worked their way into English folklore, they were given their current name, which was based on the old English word ympa, meaning “offshoot of a tree.” This name was chosen because they were viewed as lesser beings, usually controlled by mightier (and darker) forces.

At times, these pranks may be harmless, but they can also be dangerous or upsetting, as in the case of an imp which leads people astray in marshes. [26] This tendency is easily used to encourage the kappa to spill the water from its sara. Imps are lesser demonic entities originating from Germanic folklore. While his companion fled, the unfortunate imp remains at the Angel Choir at the east end of the cathedral. If an arm is detached, the kappa will perform favors or share knowledge in exchange for its return. They make excellent spies, as they can sneak along quietly and disguise themselves or disappear when necessary. This girl sees fairies in her backyard, and of course her parents and their friends are skeptical at first. An Imp can take on nearly any appearance that a greater Demon may take on, except diminutive in size.

This cavity must be full whenever a kappa is away from the water; if it ever dries out, or if its water is spilled, kappa loses its power and may even die. I don't think they are nice and are best ignored. The Old English noun impa meant a young shoot or scion of a plant or tree, and later came to mean the scion of a noble house, or a child in general. Cultural origin You should just hope that the Imp who targets you is acting of his own accord. [17], A cucumber-filled sushi roll is known as kappamaki. They are typically depicted as green, human-like beings with webbed hands and feet and a turtle-like carapace on their backs. exciting challenge of being a wiseGEEK researcher and writer. [6] Kappa are generally the size and shape of a human child, yet despite their small stature they are physically stronger than a grown man.[6]. The nearby Jōkenji [ja] In Tōno, there is a Buddhist temple that has komainu dog statues with depressions on their heads reminiscent of the water-retaining dish on the kappa's heads, said to be dedicated to the kappa which according to legend helped extinguish a fire at the temple. The word may perhaps derive from the term ympe, used to denote a young grafted tree. Kappa are obsessed with politeness, so if a person makes a deep bow, it will return the gesture. They were not always evil back then, but always mischevious. [22][14] Even today, signs warning about kappa appear by bodies of water in some Japanese towns and villages. A depression on its head, called its "dish" (sara), retains water, and if this is damaged or its liquid is lost (either through spilling or drying up), the kappa is severely weakened.

[36] Their offspring were said to be repulsive to behold, and were generally buried. In Norse mythology, Loki is known as a trickster. [citation needed], Kappas, and creatures based on them, are recurring characters in Japanese tokusatsu films and television shows. [18], In Edo (old Tokyo), there used to be a tradition where people would write the names of their family members on cucumbers and send them afloat into the streams to mollify the kappa, to prevent the family from coming to harm in the streams. Kappa are not entirely antagonistic to human beings. Imps are considered to be the spawns of the devil. [32], Shrines are dedicated to the worship of kappa as water deity in such places as Aomori Prefecture[9] or Miyagi Prefecture. Imps are also often depicted as lonely and hungry for human attention. Type

The kappa are known to favor cucumbers and love to engage in sumo wrestling. [19] In some regions, it was customary to eat cucumbers before swimming as protection, but in others it was believed that this act would guarantee an attack. An imp is a European mythological being similar to a fairy or demon, frequently described in folklore and superstition. During the time of the witch hunts, supernatural creatures such as imps were sought out as proof of witchcraft, though often the so called "imp" was typically a black cat, lizard, toad or some other form of an extraordinary pet. Imps were often mischievous rather than evil or harmful and in some regions they were attendants of the gods.[3].

[7] Inhuman traits include three anuses that allow them to pass three times as much gas as humans. [17] Sometimes the kappa is said to have other favorite foods, such as the Japanese eggplant, soba (buckwheat noodles), nattō (fermented soybeans), or kabocha. [2] In Shintō, they are often considered to be an avatar (keshin) of the Water Deity or suijin. Mythology: Imps. Switching babies in a cradle or leading someone astray in the wilderness is child’s play for them. [citation needed], In his Tōno Monogatari, Kunio Yanagita records a number of beliefs from the Tōno area about women being accosted and even impregnated by kappa. Some even had the ability to grant their owners wishes, much like a genie. Eventually, it came to be believed that imps were the familiar spirit servants of witches and warlocks, where the little demons served as spies and informants. They are spirits or transdimensional beings. Angels are just more widely accepted due to religion. [23], Lafcadio Hearn wrote of a story in Kawachimura near Matsue where a horse-stealing kappa was captured and made to write a sworn statement vowing never to harm people again. If his master has set him on you, you have much bigger problems than fending off the little rascal! For the tiniest angel, with amethyst eyes, In early mythological accounts, Imps relied on each other, and the occasional human passerby, for amusement. This little known plugin reveals the answer. [1] The kappa are also known regionally by at least eighty other names such as kawappa, kawako, kawatarō, gawappa, kōgo, mizushi, mizuchi, suitengu. The attendants of the devil are sometimes described as imps. A book illustrating twelve kinds of kappa. The Kappa is also found as a yokai in Yokai Watch. Supposedly it was based on a true story. Imps are considered to be invulnerable to most things, only certain objects and enchantments are capable of harming them, but they can easily kept away by wards. Their skin, ranging in color from purple to red-brown to gray, may be scaly or stone-like, and they walk with an unpleasant hunch. [35] The Kappa is also venerated at the Sogenji Buddhist temple in the Asakusa district of Tokyo where according to tradition, a mummified arm of a Kappa is enshrined within the chapel hall since 1818. In 1981, the internationally acclaimed storyteller Robert Louis Stevenson published a tale called “The Bottle Imp,” which featured a crafty, entertaining, and magical spirit trapped in a bottle, and in the 2000s, Jonathan Stroud included Imps in a series of novels about the reluctant servitude, and frequent hijinks, of magical beings enslaved to humans. [30][31], The kappa is known by various names of the creature vary by region and local folklore. In Germanic folklore, an imp or sometimes daemon is a small demon who is more mischievous than harmful.Various versions of imps appear in the folklore of some other regions of the world as well, often as attendants to gods. Kappa are usually seen as mischievous troublemakers or trickster figures. If you haven’t already been waylaid by fairies, pixies, or goblins on your trip through Europe’s lovely countryside, you will almost certainly be targeted by Imps. Imps are humanoids, which means that they look like us except for their size, they are considerably smaller and live in our houses, among us.

They are usually described as lively and having small stature. They were not always evil back then, but always mischevious. Cite pages at your own peril. What do People Mean When They Talk About "Sowing Wild Oats". Some myths also describe imps as trapped inside objects, such as swords, books, and crystal balls. Their actions range from the comparatively minor, such as looking up women's kimonos, to the outright malevolent, such as drowning people and animals, kidnapping children, raping women and at times eating human flesh. A paired male and female kappa statues at the Sogenji Buddhist shrine at the Asakusa district in Tokyo. In Greek mythology, the Chimera was a fire-breathing mythical creature, usually depicted as a lion merged with a goat and a snake, which was related to … Disclaimer: While it is the intention of the foremost members of this website to keep pages as mythologically accurate as possible, this site should not be taken fully as mythical, legendary or folkloric canon (let alone as a resource for any paper, report or journal). This results in the kappa spilling the water held in the "dish" (sara) on its head, rendering it unable to leave the bowing position until the plate is refilled with water from the river in which it lives. According to some accounts, its arms are connected to each other through the torso and can slide from one side to the other. Warriors Of Myth Wiki is a FANDOM Games Community.

However, both creatures were fond of pranks and misleading people. These mythical creatures are known for being short (usually between 40 and 80 centimetres tall), for dressing in red clothes, a smock or blouse and a matching hat to be precise, although this depends more on the individual imp than … Imps have infiltrated architecture more than any of the other arts.

Examples of carved imps can sometimes be found in architecture, especially complex architecture which features complex carvings and themes. However, both creatures were fond of pranks and misleading people, but most of the time, the pranks were harmless fun, although some could be upsetting and harmful, such as switching babies or leading travellers astray in places with which they were not familiar. Imps were often portrayed as lonely little creatures alway… I think I've seen what you might call imps a few times. Despite its obnoxious behavior, the Imp delights in the company of its fellow creatures.