Urihimeko - Urihimeko

...This is a folk tale with a girl born from a melon as the main character, and is known throughout Japan as Urihime, Uriko Orihime, Urihimeko, Urihime Goryo, and various other names. Urikohime grows into a beautiful princess with a love of weaving, but is tricked and nearly killed by Amanojaku, who comes from the mountains, but is saved at the last moment and becomes the wife of a lord and lives happily ever after. In contrast, there is also a story in which she is brutally murdered, and the former is more common in southwestern Japan, while the latter is more common in the Tohoku and Hokuriku regions. ...

*Some of the terminology that refers to "Uri Himeko" is listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

…ウリから生まれた女の子を主人公とする昔話で，〈瓜姫〉〈瓜子織姫〉〈瓜姫子〉〈瓜姫御寮〉などとも呼ばれ，全国に広く分布している。機織を好む美しい姫に成長した瓜子姫が，山からやってきたアマノジャクにだまされて殺されそうになるが，間一髪のところで救われ，殿様の嫁になって幸福に暮らす話と，これとは対照的に無惨に殺されてしまう話とがあり，前者は西南日本に多く，後者は東北･北陸地方に多くみられる。…

※「瓜姫子」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。

出典｜株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典 第２版について | 情報