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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.stack.imgur.com/Q8hwx.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/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.stack.imgur.com/AFDPC.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/AFDPC.jpg)

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


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2017-06-07T23:27:46.383
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question
spirited-away
Why are Yubaba's spirit employees froglike?


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.


CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-12-20T05:44:56.600
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answer