Mythical monster goes viral as Japan prays for end of COVID-19 pandemic

, a new character has captured hearts and hopes: Amabie, a beak-nosed, long-locked mythical mermaid monster said to repel plagues., emerging from relative obscurity to become a trending Twitter hashtag, as well as the inspiration for everything from cakes to nail art.Her revival in fortunes was sparked in early March, when the Kyoto University Library tweeted an 1846 drawing of the creature floating above the sea, accompanied by a text explaining her apparent infection-fighting powers.

The post quickly went viral, and sparked the"Amabiechallenge", with everyone from amateurs to artists posting their renditions of the mythical monster.The long-locked legend has also sparked on outpouring of creative content, including an udon dish featuring Amabie in the form of a fish sausage emerging from a bowl, with the traditional wheat noodles for her hair.

"Amabie is not the oldest yokai in Japanese history to warn of an epidemic, so it's not that important to researchers," he told AFP, describing others including"Jinja-hime" , who features a woman's face and a dragon's body.But none seem to have captured the imagination quite like Amabie. At one Japanese cake shop in northern Akita prefecture, a version of her rendered as a traditional wagashi cake in pastel pinks and blues has been flying off the shelves, sales manager Hirohide Kato told AFP.

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