<p>I don't think, that there is a reason given, but considering how much the bathhouse workers, which are spirits of various animals, despise humans, it is pretty obvious, why they don't want to look too much like humans.</p>

<p>Most male workers are frog spirits, most female workers are slugs. Lin is a weasel spirit and Kamaji is a spider spirit.</p>

<p>Since you were asking about Japanese mythology, the only folklore tale, which I could think of and find, which had men change into frogs and women change into slugs, is <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jiraiya" rel="nofollow noreferrer">The Tale of the Gallant Jiraiya</a>. It is a pretty popular tale, which is also used as a source for other manga/anime(i.e. Naruto). But I don't know, if Miyazaki really used this tale as an inspiration for the workers in the bathhouse.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-12-20T05:44:56.600Z
2017-12-20T05:44:56.600Z
Geshode
<p>The spirits that work for <a href="http://spiritedaway.wikia.com/wiki/Yubaba" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Yubaba</a> in the bath house seem to be to varying  degrees, froglike.  Some seem to be fully frogish, like <a href="http://spiritedaway.wikia.com/wiki/Aogaeru" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Aogaeru</a>.</p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/Q8hwx.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/Q8hwx.png" alt="Aogaeru"></a></p>

<p>While others are mostly human like <a href="http://studio-ghibli.wikia.com/wiki/Lin" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Lin</a>, and still others seem to be mixes of human and frog.  When Lin is told that she and Sen will be working on the big tub, Lin replies <a href="https://www.springfieldspringfield.co.uk/movie_script.php?movie=sen-to-chihiro-no-kamikakushi-spirited-away" rel="nofollow noreferrer">"that's Frog work"</a>.</p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/AFDPC.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/AFDPC.jpg" alt="Kind of frogish"></a></p>

<p>Is there any reason given in Spirited Away or Japanese mythology that explains the frog-like spirits?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-06-07T23:34:36.263Z
I always assumed them to be... frogs.
Gallifreyan
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-08-28T03:39:11.723Z
An underhanded insult to the French?
Rene Suarez
<spirited-away>
Why are Yubaba's spirit employees froglike?
# Why are Yubaba's spirit employees froglike?
Posted by: username_0 on 2017-06-07
The spirits that work for [Yubaba](http://spiritedaway.wikia.com/wiki/Yubaba) in the bath house seem to be to varying degrees, froglike. Some seem to be fully frogish, like [Aogaeru](http://spiritedaway.wikia.com/wiki/Aogaeru).

[![Aogaeru](https://i.sstatic.net/Q8hwx.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/Q8hwx.png)

While others are mostly human like [Lin](http://studio-ghibli.wikia.com/wiki/Lin), and still others seem to be mixes of human and frog. When Lin is told that she and Sen will be working on the big tub, Lin replies ["that's Frog work"](https://www.springfieldspringfield.co.uk/movie_script.php?movie=sen-to-chihiro-no-kamikakushi-spirited-away).

[![Kind of frogish](https://i.sstatic.net/AFDPC.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/AFDPC.jpg)

Is there any reason given in Spirited Away or Japanese mythology that explains the frog-like spirits?
**Tags:** spirited-away
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: I always assumed them to be... frogs.  
> **username_2**: An underhanded insult to the French?  
---
## 1 answers
### Answer by username_3 on 2017-12-20. Score: 3 | Accepted answer
I don't think, that there is a reason given, but considering how much the bathhouse workers, which are spirits of various animals, despise humans, it is pretty obvious, why they don't want to look too much like humans.

Most male workers are frog spirits, most female workers are slugs. Lin is a weasel spirit and Kamaji is a spider spirit.

Since you were asking about Japanese mythology, the only folklore tale, which I could think of and find, which had men change into frogs and women change into slugs, is [The Tale of the Gallant Jiraiya](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jiraiya). It is a pretty popular tale, which is also used as a source for other manga/anime(i.e. Naruto). But I don't know, if Miyazaki really used this tale as an inspiration for the workers in the bathhouse.
---
