Amabie goes viral: the monstrous mercreature returns to battle the Gothic Covid-19

Abstract

This essay focusses on yōkai, Amabie, a mer-monster from Japan’s Edo Period (1603–1868), who is being revived to ward off the Covid-19 virus in 2020. I argue that our understanding of crises is enhanced via the hybrid monsters they engender; here, I focus on the viral spread of the apotropaic image of Amabie via the internet. I also position Amabie as a Gothic artefact, though one which invites a revision of some of the approaches to monstrosity prevalent in Gothic studies.