Kenas-unarpe

Kenas-unarpe (ケナㇱウナㇻペ) is an Ainu kamuy (god). She is a blood-drinking monster who preys upon hunters. However, she is sometimes called upon to assist in childbearing.

Mythology

Kenas-unarpe is said to have emerged from the decomposing tools the gods had used in their making of the earth. She is a monster with a thirst for human blood, and a sister to various poisons and diseases.

She often takes on the appearance of Hasinaw-uk-kamuy, the goddess of the hunt, in order to deceive hunters. She employs this trick to lead a hunter deep into a swamp; when he tires, she turns on him, killing him and drinking his blood. Her likeness to Hasinaw-uk-kamuy is not perfect, however, and she is forced to conceal her face with her long hair. By this, a wary hunter can recognize Kenas-unarpe and avoid this fate.

Kenas-unarpe's association with blood makes her important in childbearing. She is sometimes invoked to deal with the pollution of pregnant women by blood or disease, and myths hold that she is a very powerful, though potentially dangerous, counterforce in such cases.[1]

Notes
  1. Ashkenazy, Michael. Handbook of Japanese Mythology. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-Clio, 2003. 197
gollark: > Māori distinguishes between long and short vowels; modern written texts usually mark the long vowels with a macron.IT SPREADS.
gollark: Statistically, you OBVIOUSLY can.
gollark: > The 2013 New Zealand census reported that about 149,000 people, or 3.7% of the New Zealand population, could hold a conversation in Māori about everyday things.[2][6] As of 2015, 55% of Māori adults reported some knowledge of the language; of these, 64% use Māori at home and around 50,000 people can speak the language "very well" or "well".[1]
gollark: Similarly to how I fluently speak Latin, French and Old English.
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References
  • Ashkenazy, Michael. Handbook of Japanese Mythology. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-Clio, 2003.
  • Etter, Carl. Ainu Folklore: Traditions and Culture of the Vanishing Aborigines of Japan. Chicago: Wilcox and Follett, 1949.
  • Munro, Neil Gordon. Ainu Creed and Cult. New York: Columbia University Press, 1995.
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