The Lethal Charms of Jorogumo: A Tale of Love, Deception, and Venomous Webs in Japanese Mythology

• Jorugumo's favorite prey are young, handsome men seeking love or other favors. When Jorugumo spots the man she desires, she lures him to her home with promises of love.

• And he disappears forever. Jorugumo weaves silk threads strong enough to trap an adult human and prevent him from escaping. They also have a powerful venom that can slowly weaken a person day by day, allowing the spider to savor a long and painful death for its victim.

• Jorugumo can also control other, smaller spiders, and even use fire-breathing spiders to burn down the houses of any people he dislikes. These youkai are such skilled predators that they can act like this for years, collecting hundreds of desiccated skeletons of foolish young people in their lair.