8/9/2019 The 13th labor of Hercules—Nukekubi- Japan

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The 13th labor of Hercules—Nukekubi- Japan

By Katja Anita Stroke-Adolphe

Hercules walked up to the palace of Eurystheus dragging Cerberus, the hound of the

Underworld, by a leash. Eurystheus looked as pale as a ghost. “Take that hound back to the

Underworld and return to me instantly” he gasped. Hercules obeyed, relieved he was finally free.

When he returned he was angered with what he was told. “You have gotten help on this labor and

you have one more,” said the laughing Eurystheus. “But I conquered the hound without weapons,”complained Hercules. “Persephone, Queen of the Underworld helped you. I have another labor for

you and you have as much time as you like to complete it. This labor is to kill the one surviving

Nukekubi in the world which lives somewhere in Japan. None know where this fierce monster is

but many have been killed by it. You must bring its head to me as proof that it is dead.” Hercules

sighed, knowing he must obey, but longing for freedom. Unhappily, he set off for Japan.

When Hercules arrived, a kind young woman took him in. Her name was Yoru Hitsu.

Hercules no sooner met Yoru but he loved her. He decided to ask her to marry him if he survived

this last labor. Yoru seemed unaware of his love for her. The night he arrived he had a strange

dream. In it there was a disgusting head without body flying just far enough from him that he

could not see the face. For some reason, he followed the head, as if in love with it. He wasdisgusted by it but his body just kept following it. He woke up trembling and decided to go out

and kill this evil monster as soon as possible. He was told in the village (where he went to explore

before he left, in case the one living Nukekubi was there) that the Nukekubi had killed ten children

and four men and women the night before. Hercules decide to camp in the square without telling

anyone, even his beloved. When night came Hercules hid in a bush to see the monster without

being seen. He waited a long time. Finally a head flew past him. Hercules leaned forward slightly

and to his horror he saw Yoru’s head. Suddenly he remembered the dream and then he

remembered that Yoru means “night” in Japanese and Hitsu means “head”. Everything made

sense, but how could he kill it?

Hercules charged at the head. She looked at him and he stopped in his tracks. “Darling,”she said softly. Then she flew towards the house. For a moment he was madly in love with her.

Then he recovered and thought about how to destroy her. He realized that unlike the normal

Nukekubi she could also make someone fall in love with her temporarily. He knew he would

never be able to shoot, stab, or strangle her as he could not face her and he decided he would have

to ask a villager how to kill such a creature without looking at it, if you could. In the morning he

did so. “Well,” said the villager, “legend has it that if you hide the body of a Nukekubi so they

cannot return to it until after the night is done, the Nukekubi will die.” Hercules hastened back to

Yoru’s house and pretended he had forgotten about the night before. Because he seemed  like he

was still in love with her she did not make him in love with her and he passed safely to his room.

Hercules went for “a night walk” in the evening and hid outside the house. Once she left, Hercules

sneaked back into the house and carried her body into the garden. Then he buried the body deep inthe ground and ran back to the bushes outside the house. When the night was almost over, Yoru

returned to the house. One minute later she flew out again wearing a confused expression. She

flew all over, searching for her body. She could not find it and when dawn came she died with a

fierce wail.

Hercules returned to Eurystheus with an aching heart and Yoru’s head. He was free but he

was not as pleased as he would have been if the monster had not been Yoru and if he had not

realized that despite his great strength, he had weakness like everyone else, was far from

invincible, and would never have a happy family life like a normal mortal, someone who was not a

child of a god.