Yuki-onna, the Snow Woman
A winter spirit spares a woodcutter on the condition of silence about her presence—until his broken promise melts their fragile peace.
Story beats
- 1) Two woodcutters are caught in a snowstorm and shelter in a hut.
- 2) Yuki-onna appears, freezing one man with her breath but sparing the younger if he never reveals her visit.
- 3) He later marries a mysterious woman named Yuki; they live peacefully and have children.
- 4) He tells the tale on a winter night—she reveals herself as Yuki-onna, spares him again for the children’s sake, and vanishes.
Context
Yuki-onna stories highlight the peril and allure of winter, the sanctity of promises, and the thin line between love and fear of the supernatural.
Motifs
- Taboo-breaking and conditional mercy
- Spirits who blend into human life
- Breath or voice as life and death
Use it in play
- A patron bound to secrecy: speaking her name summons winter wrath.
- A love interest who reveals a supernatural truth only when a promise cracks.
- A blizzard spirit whose breath freezes words in place.