The Kappa legend

This is an urban legend based on Japan. It is one of the most famous urban legend stories in Japan. Kappa is considered to live in the rivers and lakes of Japan. They also consider it some kind of monster. It is called by more than 80 names all over the country, but the common name is kappa. Some people think that it has magical powers. It is considered one of the strongest creatures.

It uses its magical powers to do both good and bad deeds. When Kappa would use its magical power to torture humans, sometimes it would even turn into violent attacks. They used to kidnap children and cattle, drag them to the lake, and eat them. It is also said that it would attack mostly females. Though most people in Japan are aware that it is nothing more than an urban legend. Some people still think that it still lives in the lakes and seas. Even today, many villages in Japan have warning signs in front of bodies of water where they believe kappa lives. Now let's take a look at the looks and backstory of this creature.

According to Japanese tales, this creature is considered a version of the god of water. It would grow up to five feet. There are twelve forms; one which looks like a tortoise, one which looks like a monkey, and so on. But we can find some similarities in every kind of kappa. Mostly, their skin colour is either green or yellow. They also have a skin type like a fish. Over the head, there is a bowl which is always filled with water. The water in the bowl even has a name; it is named Sara.

When a kappa comes out of the water, the water in the bowl should not spill because, according to the tales, the whole magical power of the kappa is inside it. If the water spills down, it will lose its magical power. There are also chances for it to die too. If someone fills water in the bowl, then that particular kappa will serve the person for their whole life. I will be very thankful to the person who did it. Another interesting fact about kappa is that they are great swimmers. Within a fraction of seconds, they would swim fast across the lake and disappear from sight. They are very strong. They also like to fight with their opponents. 

There are also many techniques that are mentioned in the story to escape from Kappa. Even though they are described as very violent by nature, they are also said to be polite. That is what is said in the stories. When you bend down to show your respect, it will also bed down. While doing that, the water in the bowl will spill down. Using that time, one can escape from the kappa monster.

The weakest part of kappa is their hands. During the fight, we need to detach the hands from their bodies. After that, Kappa would ask for its hands. During that time, we could trade our lives for its hands. There are also many heroic stories told regarding this, like one where a man saved a whole village through his heroic deeds against the kappa. Kappa even knows many treatments that could treat rare diseases. People even say that Kappa taught ancient people about the treatments. If a person becomes friends with Kappa, then Kappa would teach him about the treatments. There are several creatures and stories like Kappa. One of the most famous similar creatures is from Norse mythology too.