Ningen (folklore)
In modern Japanese folklore, the Ningen is an aquatic humanoid creature reported to inhabit the subantarctic oceans. The word in Japanese 人間 (ningen) means "human". It is commonly considered to be a cryptid, a mysterious animal whose existence or survival is disputed or unsubstantiated.[1]
 Artist’s impression of the Ningen | |
| Country | Antarctica |
|---|---|
| Region | Subantarctic, Antarctica |
History
The legend surrounding the Ningen began on a forum post on the Japanese online forum website, 2Channel, which claims that the members of a whale research ship witnessed the creature as it surfaced near their ship off the Antarctic coast.[2]
Since then, there have been numerous sightings of the Ningen, with supposed photographs which have not been confirmed to be true.
Description
The ningen is described as a whale creature, but has anatomical similarities to humans. The creature has a face, and in some stories it is said to have extremely large limbs and/or arms and hands, about 20-30 meters long. The pigmentation of the creature is said to be pale white.[3]
Further reading
- Greenland, Felicity; Hayward, Philip (2020-09-23). "NINGEN: The generation of media-lore concerning a giant, sub-Antarctic, aquatic humanoid and its relation to Japanese whaling activity" (pdf). Shima: The International Journal of Research into Island Cultures. 14 (1): 133–151. doi:10.21463/shima.14.1.10. ISSN 1834-6057.
References
- "Cryptid Profile: Ningen". THE PINE BARRENS INSTITUTE. Retrieved 2020-05-09.
- Novak, Cael (2019-10-14). Supernatural: 300 Horror Stories, Mysteries and Urban Legends. Cael Novak.
- "'Ningen' humanoid sea creatures of the Antarctic". Pink Tentacle. 2010-01-06. Retrieved 2020-04-25.