Yuki-onna, Japanese Snow Vampire

Yuki-Onna

Yuki-onna, whose name means "Snow Woman” in Japanese, is a mythical apparition sometimes described as a snow vampire, who feeds on the blood of living children. She’s a beautiful and otherworldly woman who appears on cold, stormy nights, often dressed in a white kimono that blends in with the snowy landscape.

Despite her ethereal beauty, Yuki-onna is a supernatural being capable of bringing death with a single breath or touch. In some stories, she is described as having no feet, gliding effortlessly over the snow, and her presence is accompanied by an intense cold that freezes her surroundings.

The narrative of Yuki-onna varies across different regions of Japan, but she is often portrayed as a spirit embodying the harsh and unforgiving aspects of winter. Some tales depict her as malevolent, while others focus on her capacity for compassion or her tragic origins.

She is either the restless spirit of a woman who perished in a blizzard, or the grieving mother of a child lost to the cold, forever crying and searching the snow.

While pitiable, this unearthly beauty with her dark, haunted eyes is an undeniably dangerous creature, whose sadness can turn malevolent and vengeful towards those unfortunate enough to cross her path.

The Art

The above version of Yuki-Onna came out of Dr. Sketchy’s Anti-Art School, which I attended almost every month from 2010 through 2020.

Those drawings eventually became my Zodiac Pinups and Badass Goddesses, resulting in calendars every year starting in 2014, and my self-published Amazon book, Badass Goddesses.

You can visit my Red Bubble shop for Badass Goddess prints, clothing, phone cases, home and office products and much, much more.