7. Yuki-onna – The beautiful winter woman who lured travelers to their icy deaths.
The Japanese also have their demons, the Yokai. Just one of their number is Yuki-onna; the “Snow Woman” or “Winter Woman.” Unlike many demons, the Winter Woman was beautiful and ethereal. She had long black hair and piercing violet eyes. Her skin was white and icy to the touch- rather like the frigid climate she prowled. For Yuki-onna haunted snowbound mountains and blizzards, using her loveliness to lure unwary travelers to their deaths. For the Winter Woman would suck out the life force of any unfortunate mortal unlucky enough to encounter her, leaving them dead and as hard as ice.
The Yuki-onna was a way of rationalizing deaths from exposure and extreme cold. She was a nature spirit. However, she was not always malign. For legends tell how some Yuki-onna chose to live as mortals if they fell in love with their prey- at least for a time. One legend tells of a man from Yamagata who married an exceedingly beautiful woman. However, his wife refused to take hot baths. One cold, snowy night, the husband tried to persuade his wife to have a hot soak to warm her up. The wife refused. Her husband persisted until eventually, his wife relented. However, when the husband went to check on her, he found the tub was empty except for a few fragments of rapidly melting ice.
Demons also epitomized the destructive forces of nature for the Celts.