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What constitutes a monster? Is it your looks, your action, your very being? What if you are forced into a situation that makes you a monster, what then? Japanese folklore is full of stories of women as monsters, but this week we are focusing on one woman who isn’t a monster at all. Join us as we tell the tale of Yama Uba and discuss what she represents in the continuum of life as a woman, and as an elder in society.

Feminist Corner:

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Show Notes:

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Sources:

D. (2019, February 24). Ubasute: Is the Ancient Tradition of Dumping the Elderly in a Forest Encouraging Modern Murder? Ancient Origins. https://www.ancient-origins.net/myths-legends-asia/ubasute-0011538

Herstik, G. (2016, January 30). The Cunning Female Demons and Ghosts of Ancient Japan. The Vice. https://www.vice.com/en/article/qkgq57/the-cunning-female-demons-and-ghosts-of-ancient-japan

Howard, K. (2021, April 22). Ubasute: The Age-Old (And Apocryphal) Practice Of Abandoning Elderly. All That’s Interesting. https://allthatsinteresting.com/ubasute

Ordinary, C. (2021, July 21). Yama Uba. Curious Ordinary. http://www.curiousordinary.com/2021/07/yama-uba.html

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