Balamuten

Lore

Balamuten is a water spirit whose head resembles a jug with a bloated face, and his body is covered in goosebumps. If you manage to spot him, you'll immediately notice his short, thin, crooked legs and huge belly. All in all, he's frightening and unattractive.

In folklore, there's an account of Balamuten recorded verbatim from a woman who claims to have seen him: “He is scary and unattractive, and his eyes are very, very evil. His skin is either white or has a greenish tint—I couldn't quite tell. He surfaced right in front of me, on that lake over there.”

Balamuten can live in any river and often in lakes. But he loves to swim and dwell in flowing water, where the water is cleaner. Some even believe that if he lives in a lake, his sizable belly will start to ache.

In the river where this spirit resides, he does no good for anyone—only harm. Balamuten drives fish away from fishing nets and tears them apart. He can also drag a person to the bottom, drowning them. To prevent this, one must carry items that have been blessed.