The Cow Head story (or “Gozu”) is a Japanese urban legend about a scary story that is considered the scariest horror story ever written. It is supposed to be so terrifying that you will die of fright after hearing it.
According to legend, a horrific short story called “Cow Head” was discovered in Japan in the 17th Century. The actual origin of the story is still shrouded in mystery.
Several written accounts from this era make reference to the awful story, but they only mention its title and describe it as a tale too terrible to tell.
Rumors state that upon hearing the dreadful tale, listeners were overcome with a terror so great that they trembled violently for days until they finally died from fright.
The Cow Head story was deemed too dangerous and most existing copies of it were burned years ago. The few copies that survived were cut into sections and distributed across the country. Today, it is believed that only fragments of the original story remain in existence.
Most of the actual details of the story remain unknown to this day. The unfortunate people who read the story never lived long enough to repeat it.
One recent rumor tells of an elementary school teacher who inexplicably came into possession of some fragments of the original “Cow Head” story. According to the rumor, the teacher was taking his class on a school trip. He was in the habit of entertaining the students on the bus with ghost stories. The students, who tended to become unruly on long trips, grew remarkably subdued as they listened to the teacher’s horrific tales. Many of them seemed truly frightened.
After some time, the teacher announced he would tell them the legendary forbidden tale called “Cow Head.” Before he could finish the first sentence of the story, however, the children began to panic. “Stop!” they cried. “Don’t tell us!” One child turned pale and covered his ears, and the others began to scream. But the teacher refused to stop. They say his eyes went blank and he proceeded with the story as if some unseen force had taken over his mind.
Almost an hour later, the teacher regained his senses and found that the bus had crashed into a ditch. The students had all fainted and were frothing at the mouth. The bus driver lay slumped over the wheel, sweating and shivering. It is unclear what happened next, except that the teacher never told the “Cow Head” story again.
Dear ScaryForKids, I was looking online when I heard of a story called “Cow Head.” This story is supposed to be so scary, people have died from fright having read it. I have searched and searched but all I have found are cases in which the story is told. Apparently, a school teacher told his students the story, and they passed out. I don’t easily get scared, and I REALLY want to know the actual story! Thanks(:
Scaryforkids says: You won’t find the Cow Head story on the internet, especially not in English. But I have read a summary of the first part in Japanese. From what I could understand, the story starts out something like this: There’s a little deserted village in the middle of nowhere and archaeologists are digging to find out why nobody lives there. They unearth a weird skeleton with the head of a cow and the body of a man. They do research and find out that years before, there was a famine. (The story then flashes back to the time of the famine). Everybody in the village is starving. They eat all the cows and horses, then they start on the pets, dogs and cats etc. Then there’s nothing left and people are dying from lack of food. One day, a strange figure wanders into the village. He has the head of a cow and the body of a man. (He is the “Cow Head†or “Gozu” in the picture). The starving villagers attack him, brutally kill him, ripping him limb from limb and eat him. That’s when the village becomes cursed and all hell breaks loose… and that’s where the Japanese summary I read ended. The rest is lost to history. I don’t think the rest of the story exists anymore.
@Cute kittenz – THANK YOU!!!! Let me read it now…
DAMN IT!!! I really want to read the story, and I’m 11 yo, but I don’t get scared easily, so…yeah… I’m pretty sure I won’t die of fright… YOU KNOW WHAT I’m gonna try and find it on the internet right now, I mean WHOCARES IF I DIE?!?!?! Certainly not me…
i was hoping that the story would be on here…
Too bad there isn’t really a story that scary huh?
ok seriously how can a story be THAT scary XD
It scared the hell out of me I am not going to read it I don’t wanna die!!
Oh my god… Guys!!!I found it!!!THE REAL STORY!!!!! I went to a hiking trip in Japan and where we were camping there was a big hole, I looked in it and found a Book with a cow print on the front, its really old, and in Japanese, so I have translated it into English. PS It kinda does make you insane but in a weird way, you will feel alone, and you cannot think of many things but the cow head. Here it goes:
Cow Head: A lond time ago, 1776 in Japan, there lived a young woman called Hasouchi and her son Masawka.In winter, it was very cold there and they didn’t have much money, but they did own a cow from Hasouchi’s father, who died.He told them that they must slice open the cow and seep in it for winter, but never take it out in the summer, otherwise bad things would happen.Masawka and Hasouchi were delighted with the cow, and sliced it finely open, they then cut out a hole in the head, poked a massive hole through the nostrils and plucked out the eyes so that they coud fit their heads in.They cut off the legs and tail of the cow then smothered foxes fur al over the inside, cleaning it and making it nice and cosy.They lived in a hut that was not warm at all, so the cow would be of great help to them.In the winter Masawka and Hasouchi would curl up in the cows body and be nice and warm, in the summer, they just resorted to natural weather which kept them warm.The cows body did them good in the winter months, and once they even let an old neighbour use their cow, and they got money for it! But one day, in the summer, a cold breeze blew that made Masawka and Hasouchi very cold.They were scared of getting Hypothermia, so, they took one look at the cow and dived into it.BANG.They were blacked out. When they woke up they realised the hut had blown away into the horizon and there were big storm clouds.Hasouchi looked up to see the ghost of her father. †You have cursed me with my only devil left!!! †he said, outraged †Now I cannot repay Satan!!! A terrible thing will happen to you!!! †and with that he cast his index finger at the clouds, as lightning struck down and out of the lighting appeared a small mob of rival city inhabitants.Hasouchi screamed then shoved herself and Masawka into the cow head to hide from the mob.She could hear her fathers voice directing the mob to her and her son.She held Masawka tight as tears ran down her face with every footstep, closer and closer then to a stop.She peered out of a stitch in the cow to see a large man standing outside of the cow with an axe.He was smiling.She covered her mouth with her hand and screamed then shuffled up her head into the cows head.She thought the man would get confused to where to chop her or her son in half, as the cow was very big and baggy.He looked at the head, just in time to see a white eye staring at him.He brang the axe down on her head and it sliced right off, inside the cows head.Masawka was terribly scared, he ran out of the top of the cows open neck and into the woods, his clothes stained with blood.The mob were very hungry, but they somehow refused to eat anything but human or cow, today was a lucky day for them, so they ate both, each one taking a big long and deep chew. That night the man who had had the axe started choking inside his house.He began holding his neck and coughing.His wife starting panicking and rang a bell to summon his friends.They surrounded him as he lay on the floor, dieing.He then got up as his eyes turned completely red.He then turned to his best guard and coughed up a ball of something black and white in his face, it was the cows head. †ãã‚Œã¯ç”Ÿãã¦ã„ã‚‹ ï¼ç‰›ã®é ã¯ç”Ÿãã¦ã„ã‚‹ ï¼ â€ said his guard. (Sorry guys, just had to let that bit be original :P) Everybody screamed.The cows head started swirling around on the floor then levitating up and up and up, until it fell down on the guards head.He cried out for help as the cow turned its head down to him,opened its mouth and swallowed him whole.Nobody dared to be next, so they all ran away,all except the man with the axe, which he had left in Hasouchi’s neck.
Suddenly the door burst open, and a headless Hasouchi came crashing in,holding Masawka by the neck. †You ran away †Hasouchi whispered in his ear. †I loved you,but you decieved me.Why didn’t you die with your mother? “.Masawka started screaming and croaking as he was suffocating †I , I don’t want to die †he gurgled.
Then, out of nowhere, an axe appeared in Hasouchi’s hand. “You’re going to die how I died,then you’re next †there was a pause before she turned to her killer †Yes,you’re next,Campikocha †. †How do you know my name? †he cried †I know everything, the cows power is smart †she replied.Then, in a flash, the axe came down on Masawkas head.It fell off,, and she kicked it to the cow,before chucking Masawkas body into a sand pit.
The cow stood a step before the head, as the cows head hopped forward,then also swallowed Masawkas head whole.Its head started shaking and twirling about then came to a stop. †This is too much for your living †it croaked †I must take over now “. It levitated once again in the air and flew at Hasouchi, she dropped to the floor, dead, as a clone of her popped up at her side.The cow had disappeared,but appeared on the living Hasouchi’s head, then she raised up her top to show blood dripping from words on her chest saying 牛ã®é を触れãªã„ã§ãã ã•ã„ã¾ãŸã¯åœ°ç„ã«ãƒ‰ãƒãƒƒãƒ—ã—ã¾ã™.She flew out of the room into the sky, where she dropped into some foreign country.
She still lives there to this day, with her cow head, and one day, if you’re unlucky, the person to meet her might be you. But be warned , she will kill you with the axe
the picture is so nasty i almost threw up!!!!!!!!!!
Lol! That picture is soo funny it made me fall out of my seat!
Im thinking of the Milk. Seroiusly. LOL
i wander how it is so scary because i know a lot of poeple that arent scared of cows :P
I’m going to write the Cow Head story, and give ScaryForKids the link when I’m done. Actually, writing the story will probably make me insane if the tales are correct, so wish me luck.
I want to find that teacher’s email address
I actually want to hear it… even if it costs my life…
My friend says she knows like part of the story but will not tell me! It went like this: There was a peaceful village in Japan. The people of the village didn’t want to fight so they lived in a very remote location. One summer, there was a drought so terrible that all water sources dried up and all plants died. Eventually, everything started to die. The people resorted to eating their dairy cows and egg chickens, and even beloved pets to stay alive. Those who refused to eat the village animals starved and their pets were eaten by the survivors. Since most of the animals they ate had already died days before from the drought and sat rotting in the dirt, the people who ate the bad meat got very sick and went insane. Before long there was nothing left of the once peaceful village, except for a few remaining survivors, weak and starving. Then one day a weary travelor came to the village after travelling for a long time with no rest or water. He had the head of a cow and was hideous. The villagers were stronger than the man and resorted to cannibalism. They ate the man alive
Thats the beginning but after that part she says its like a curse and she REALLY doesn’t wanna get cursed at the moment AND ITS PISSING ME OFF!!!!!!! Still if this story is real, I need to hear it
guys, the cow head story IS this story. don’t go looking for the story, because this story is the cow head story. the story in the story is just some random story.
I’m not sure if the story ever existed (which I don’t think it did) but even if the story was real it’s not around now.
Then there’s the story of Oksana, which is easy to find on google but that’s not it. It’s not scary and more like some kind of cinderella fairy tale kind of thing.There are a lot of people looking for it and everyone says it’s impossible to find or not real in the first place. Someone started a story but didn’t have the end it went like this:
There was a peaceful village in Japan. The people of the village didn’t want to fight so they lived in a very remote location. One summer, there was a drought so terrible that all water sources dried up and all plants died. Eventually, everything started to die. The people resorted to eating their dairy cows and egg chickens, and even beloved pets to stay alive. Those who refused to eat the village animals starved and their pets were eaten by the survivors. Since most of the animals they ate had already died days before from the drought and sat rotting in the dirt, the people who ate the bad meat got very sick and went insane. Before long there was nothing left of the once peaceful village, except for a few remaining survivors, weak and starving. Then one day a weary travelor came to the village after travelling for a long time with no rest or water. He had the head of a cow and was hideous. The villagers were stronger than the man and resorted to cannibalism. They ate the man alive…
and then no one knows the end. I assume he comes back as some kind of spirit and kills his victims in some kind of really gross manner. Then again, I’m pretty sure t if that was THE cow head story I would have
A) passed out by now, or at least started shivering uncontrollably, or
B) Heard of that somewhere else.
I’ve been doing a lot of research on this whole cow head thing (I’ve got nothing better to do) and I belive the story isn’t real. The urban legend itself is that there exists a story so terrible you die of fright after hearing it, and the actual story called cow head is not the urban legend. So the real story is the story of the story.
(I can’t believe I just now got that. Took me a while.)
And also, what about the head of a COW could possibly be so scary? I don’t think any story involving cows could even give me nightmares. xD
that would b sooooo cool if it was real, but i really dont think it is
im thinking that this website made the story up, so that we would keep searching for it until we cant find it. cuz if the story exsisted, it would at least be hidden somewhere on the internet…
i agree there is no such thing as the “cow head” story. one of my friends became obsessed with finding it and hes been searching for two years. there is nothing to be found except the stories of when it was told.
That’s the point. The whole story is supposed to trick you into thinking there’s an actual story called “Cow Head” somewhere out there. There is no “Cow Head.” I figured that out on the second paragraph, I can’t believe you guys couldn’t figure that out.
I must find out about this story to see how terrifying is it.
i wonder how the cow head story is so scary