Ningen (folklore)
| Region | Subantarctic, Antarctica |
|---|
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In modern Japanese folklore since the mid-2000s, the Ningen (ニンゲン) is an aquatic humanoid whale-like and mermaid-like creature supposedly inhabiting the subantarctic oceans. It was invented by Japanese internet users.[1]
History
The story of the Ningen began in 2007 on a post on the Japanese online forum, 2Channel, which claimed that the crew of a whale research ship witnessed the creature as it surfaced near their ship off the Antarctic coast.[2] Originally thinking it was a submarine, they went to take a closer look, but the "submarine" vanished into the waves.[citation needed]
In 2005, Google Earth captured what some people believed to be a Ningen near the Southern Ocean. Skeptics suggest that the "Ningen" was actually an iceberg that coincidentally looked like a sea monster.[citation needed]
In 2010, the Japanese Enoshima Aquarium published a YouTube video showing the ocean life that they observed. Near the end of the video, a large creature with small eyes and a large, smiling slit-like mouth can be spotted lying on the ocean floor. It was claimed that the video shows the Ningen[3] [citation needed]. However, the aquarium identifies the object as an unusual rock formation in the shape of a frog, with two sponges forming its “eyes”.[3] Sometime around the 2010s, an unknown user posted underwater footage depicting a large humanoid sea creature which some believe to be the Ningen.[4]
Description
The Ningen is described in two forms; one has it as a large, aquatic, whale-like creature with anatomical similarities to humans, such as a distinct, humanoid face; sometimes it is given extremely large limbs and/or arms and hands, about 20–30 m (65–100 feet) long.[5] The second, less common, description portrays it as a considerably smaller, terrestrial organism that consists of little more than a large head on humanoid legs, with which it wanders Antarctica.[6] The pigmentation of this creature is said to be pale blue. The creature has a large, slit-like mouth and either small or large gaping eyes.[5]
Pop culture
The ningen was discussed on "BillsChannel", a YouTube channel which frequently looks over mysteries and decides if they are real or fake.[7]
The Ningen was the subject of the analog horror series The Ningen, created by M4NTICOR3.[6][8]
In Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, a 2 stage evolution line called Cetoddle and Cetitan are both based on the ningen.[9][better source needed]
See also
- Large Antarctic Sea Mammal, also known as Antarctic Godzilla, another large, whale-like cryptid first allegedly sighted by a Japanese vessel in Antarctic waters.
- List of legendary creatures from Japan
References
- ↑ Greenland, Felicity; Hayward, Philip (23 September 2020). "NINGEN: The generation of media-lore concerning a giant, sub-Antarctic, aquatic humanoid and its relation to Japanese whaling activity". Shima: The International Journal of Research into Island Cultures. 14 (1): 133–151. doi:10.21463/shima.14.1.10. hdl:10453/144607. ISSN 1834-6057.
- ↑ Novak, Cael (2019-10-14). Supernatural: 300 Horror Stories, Mysteries and Urban Legends. Cael Novak. Search this book on
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "深海特集4 深海のお土産ホッスガイ - The souvenir of the deep sea". YouTube. 13 October 2010. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
- ↑ O'Neill, Kara (18 March 2016). "What is this mysterious 'monster human' seen swimming in the ocean?". The Daily Mirror. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "'Ningen' humanoid sea creatures of the Antarctic". Pink Tentacle. 6 January 2010. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 M4NTICOR3 (2023-06-04). The Ningen (1990 Sighting). Retrieved 2025-03-21 – via YouTube.
- ↑ billschannel (2021-01-15). THE NINGEN - real or fake?. Retrieved 2025-02-06 – via YouTube.
- ↑ Shustack, Chase (2023-09-08). "The Best Analog Horror Series On YouTube". TheGamer. Retrieved 2025-03-28.
- ↑ "Cetoddle and Cetitan". bogleech.com. Retrieved 2025-05-06.
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