Amabie

In Japanese mythology, a mermaid-like three-legged creature with a beak, combining human and fish features. He has long hair and a scaly body. As well as a beak-shaped mouth and three legs. It glows with a bright light that can be seen from the coast.

In addition to the well-known Amabie, there are other variants of the name of this youkai. For example, his name may be Amahiko (я, "bhikkhu monk"), Umihiko ( 海, "sea boy"), Tempiko ( 天, "child of Heaven"), Tempiko ( 天, heavenly boy), Amahiko ( 尼彦入, amahiko nude:before:, "a monk entering a monastery") or Arie (я ア)). All these youkai are usually depicted as ape-like, bird-like, or cephalopod mermaids with three legs.

It is believed that Amabie originated from ningyo, the Japanese version of the mermaid, whose name is first mentioned in the chronicle "Nihon seki". In Nihon seki it is written that in the area corresponding to the modern prefecture Osaka, in 619, a fisherman caught something "like a child", it was neither a fish nor a person, and his name was unknown.

Ningyo could be a sign of future prosperity or, conversely, interpreted as an omen of an impending catastrophe, such as a typhoon, earthquake or tsunami. In any case, it was believed that the Ningyo possessed great power. One well-known belief was that eating ningyo meat brought a long life. Sometimes even one glance at ning was considered luck.

It is believed that Amabie can come out of the sea and predict abundant harvests or epidemics.

Similar or identical to Ama-biko.