A water spirit is a kind of supernatural being found in the folklore of many cultures:

African

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Water Spirit mask from the Igbo people (Brooklyn Museum)

Some water spirits in traditional African religion include:

  • Mami Wata is a transcultural pantheon of water spirits and deities of the African diaspora. For the many names associated with Mami Wata spirits and goddess, see Names of Mami Wata.[1]
  • Owu Mmiri of some riverine people of Nigeria are often described as mermaid-like spirit of water.[2]
  • A jengu (plural miengu) is a water spirit in the traditional beliefs of the Sawa ethnic groups of Cameroon, particularly the Duala, Bakweri, and related Sawa peoples. Among the Bakweri, the name is liengu (plural: maengu).
  • A simbi is a mermaid-like or reptilian spirits from Kongo tribe and related to Vaudou religion.

Celtic

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In Celtic mythology:

  • An Each uisge is a particularly dangerous "water horse" supposed to be found in Scotland;[3] its Irish counterpart is the Aughisky.
  • The Gwragedd Annwn are female Welsh lake fairies of great beauty.
  • A Kelpie is a less dangerous sort of water horse. There are many similar creatures by other names in the mythology including:
    • the tangie (Orkney and Shetland)
    • the nuggle also known as the shoopiltee or njogel (Shetland)
    • the cabbyl-ushtey (Isle of Man)
    • the Ceffyl Dŵr (Wales)
    • the capaill uisce or the glashtin (Ireland)
  • Morgens, Morgans or Mari-Morgans are Welsh and Breton water spirits that drown men.
  • Selkie

Germanic

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In Germanic mythology:

Ancient Greek

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In Greek mythology:

  • Naiads were nymphs who presided over fountains, wells, springs, streams, and brooks
    • Crinaeae (Κρηναῖαι) were a type of nymph associated with fountains
    • Limnades or Leimenides (Λιμνάδες / Λειμενίδες) were a type of naiad living in freshwater lakes.
    • Pegaeae (Πηγαῖαι) were a type of naiad that lived in springs.
  • Nereids were sea nymphs.
  • Sirens were bird-bodied women living in the sea near a rocky island coastline.

Japanese

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In Japanese folklore:

  • Kappa (河童, "river-child"), alternately called Kawatarō (川太郎, "river-boy") or Kawako (川子, "river-child"), are a type of water sprite.
  • A Hyōsube (ひょうすべ) is a hair-covered version of a Kappa.

Turkic

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In Turkic mythology:

  • Su Iyesi is a water spirit. People should not make her angry. Turkic people do not pollute the water so as not to anger the Su Iyesi. Su Iyesi is mostly considered female.[4]

Mesoamerican

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In Aztec belief:

  • Ahuizotl; a dog-like aquatic creature that drowned the unwary.

Oceanic

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In the mythology of Oceania:

Roman

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In Roman mythology:

Slavic

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In Slavic mythology:

  • A Vodyanoy (also wodnik, vodník, vodnik, vodenjak) is a male water spirit akin to the Germanic Neck.
  • A Rusalka (plural: rusalki) was a female ghost, water nymph, succubus or mermaid-like demon that dwelled in a waterway.
  • А Berehynia in ancient Ukrainian folklore is a goddess spirit that guarded the edges of waterways, while today it is used as a symbol for Ukrainian nationalism.
  • Moryana is a giant sea spirit from Russian folklore.
  • For potoplenyk, vila/wila/wili/veela, and vodianyk, see also Slavic fairies.

Thai

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  • Phi Phraya (ผีพราย, พรายน้ำ), a ghost living in the water.
  • Phi Thale (ผีทะเล), a spirit of the sea. It manifests itself in different ways, one of them being St. Elmo's fire, among other uncanny phenomenons experienced by sailors and fishermen while on boats.

Jain

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Apakāya ekendriya is a name used in the traditions of Jainism for Jīvas that were reincarnated as rain, dew, fog, melted snow and melted hail.[5]

References

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  1. ^ Drewal, Henry John (2008). "Introduction: Charting the Voyage". In Drewal, Henry John (ed.). Sacred Waters: Arts for Mami Wata and other divinities in Africa and the diaspora. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. ISBN 978-0-253-35156-2., p. 1.
  2. ^ "Serving Two Masters: The Case of the Self-Confessed Christian and Priestess of the Water Goddess". Daily Sun (Nigeria). 2007-07-30. Archived from the original on 2010-02-07. Retrieved 2018-04-28.
  3. ^ MacPhail, Malcolm (1896). "Folklore from the Hebrides". Folklore. 7 (4): 400–04. doi:10.1080/0015587X.1896.9720386.
  4. ^ Burnakov, Aleksei Venariy (2013). "Вода в традиционном мировоззрении хакасов: образ и символ (конец XIX — середина XX в.)". Türk Dünyası (36).
  5. ^ University of Calcutta: Department of Letters (1921). "Journal of the Department of Letters". Journal of the Department of Letters. 5. Calcutta University Press, originally from University of Chicago: 352.