Hashihime

Day 26

Jealous goddesses that protect very old long bridges. If one praises or speaks positively about another bridge while on top of a hashihime’s bridge, or if one recites lines from certain Noh plays about a woman’s wrath, something terrible is likely to happen to that person. Despite their furocious nature, they are highly revered in their shrines. They are goddesses of seperation and severing. Praying for aid in divorce, and severing bad luck. One legend speaks of a woman who was discarded by her man for another. She snuck into Kifune Shrine on the hour of the ox and prayed for vengeance. She submerged herself in Uji River for 7 days until she became a demon. The man sought help from the famous onmyoji Abe No Seimei who prepared a spell to deflect the hashihime’s attack.