Jorogumo has the appearance of a beautiful woman from her head to her torso, while the rest of her body looks like that of a giant spider with eight hairy legs. Using the allure of her upper body, she attracts young, virile men, her preferred prey. Once an infatuated man approaches, she injects a potent venom to immobilize him, making him unable to move a muscle or utter a sound. She then brings him back to her lair, where she keeps him for days, bound in her web, slowly feeding on him, resulting in his painful death.
In a modern-day version, jorogumo can disguise themselves as women, luring young men back to their apartments where they reveal their true forms and feast upon their prey. Once a man is in an isolated place with a jorogumo, his fate is sealed. Whether he succumbs to her charm or not, the spider woman can shoot out web from her body to ensnare him. It is said that the only way to protect oneself from a jorogumo is to love one’s partner whole-heartedly, so one would not fall for the spider woman’s trick.
The legend of jorogumo may have originated as a cautionary tale, warning about the consequences of succumbing to temptation and the deception of appearances, masking a sinister intent.
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