5) Japan - 1. Nure-onna

Meaning 'wet woman,' this yokai from the Edo period was said to appear in rivers and seas. It has the body of a snake up to 300m long and the head of a wet woman. Depending on the legend, it may have arms or its upper body entirely depicted as a woman, like a Naga or Lamia. It usually disguises itself as a human holding a baby, asks passersby to hold the baby for a moment while it rests, then hands over the baby and disappears. The baby it hands over gradually sticks to the person and becomes heavier, eventually immobilizing them. The Nure-onna then reappears, wraps its long body around them, and devours them. In the western regions of Japan, it's not the Nure-onna but its husband, the Gyuuki (a yokai with the head of a cow and the body of a spider), who appears and devours the person. There is one way to escape from the Nure-onna: wear gloves when receiving the baby. When the baby starts to get heavy, take off the gloves and run away.