page_title: Amabie
section_title: Similar yōkai
hierarchical_section_title: Amabie / Similar yōkai
caption_attribution_description: The apparition of Japan,山童（Yamawarawa）
context_page_description: Amabie is a legendary Japanese mermaid or merman with three legs, who allegedly emerges from the sea and prophesies either an abundant harvest or an epidemic.
  It appears to be a variant of the amabiko, otherwise known as the amahiko-nyūdo, and arie, which are depicted as ape-like, bird-like, or torso-less and usually 3-legged.
context_section_description: The yamawarawa (山童, the mountain child) in the folklore of Amakusa is believed to haunt the mountains. Although neither of these last two emerge from sea, other similarities such as prophesying indicate they belong to the same kind.
  There are various other yōkai creatures that are vastly different in appearance, but have the ability to predict, such as the kudan, the jinjahime or "shrine princess", the hōnen game (豊年亀) or "bumper crop year turtle", and the "turtle woman".
  A tradition in the West ascribes every creature of the sea with the ability to foretell the future, and there is no scarcity of European legends about merfolk bringing prophecy. For this reason, the amabie is considered to be a type of mermaid, in some quarters. But since the amabie is credited with the ability to repel pestilence as well, it should be considered as more of a deity according to some.
caption: Yamawarawa (山童)
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