Water spirit
Encyclopedia
Water Spirits occur in many cultures and mythologies:
In West African and African Diaspora religious traditions:
In Celtic mythology:
In Germanic mythology:
In Greek mythology:
In Japanese folklore:, alternately called or , are a type of water sprite
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In Oceania mythology:
In Roman mythology:
In Slavic mythology:
In West African and African Diaspora religious traditions:
- Mami WataMami WataMami Wata is venerated in West, Central, Southern Africa, and in the African diaspora in the Caribbean and parts of North and South America. Mami Wata spirits are usually female, but are sometimes male.-Appearance:...
is a transcultural pantheonPantheon (gods)A pantheon is a set of all the gods of a particular polytheistic religion or mythology.Max Weber's 1922 opus, Economy and Society discusses the link between a...
of water spirits and deities of the African diasporaAfrican diasporaThe African diaspora was the movement of Africans and their descendants to places throughout the world—predominantly to the Americas also to Europe, the Middle East and other places around the globe...
. For the many names associated with Mami Wata spirits and goddess, see Names of Mami Wata. - A jengu (plural miengu) is a water spiritSpiritThe English word spirit has many differing meanings and connotations, most of them relating to a non-corporeal substance contrasted with the material body.The spirit of a living thing usually refers to or explains its consciousness.The notions of a person's "spirit" and "soul" often also overlap,...
and deityDeityA deity is a recognized preternatural or supernatural immortal being, who may be thought of as holy, divine, or sacred, held in high regard, and respected by believers....
in the traditional beliefs of the SawaSawaSawa may refer to:*The Sawa peoples of CameroonLocations*Sawa, Nepal*The Sawa Defence Training Centre of Eritrea*Sawa, Lesser Poland Voivodeship Arts*SAWA, Japanese techno-pop singer*Devon Sawa, Canadian actor...
ethnic groups of CameroonCameroonCameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
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In Celtic mythology:
- An Each uisgeEach uisgeThe each uisge is a mythological Scottish water spirit, called the Aughisky in Ireland. It is similar to the kelpie, but far more dangerous.The Each Uisge, a supernatural water horse found in the Highlands of Scotland, is supposedly the most dangerous water-dwelling creature in the British Isles...
is a particularly dangerous "water horse" supposed to be found in Scotland; its Irish counterpart is the Aughisky. - A KelpieKelpieThe kelpie is a supernatural water horse from Celtic folklore that is believed to haunt the rivers and lochs of Scotland and Ireland; the name may be from Scottish Gaelic cailpeach or colpach "heifer, colt".-Description and behaviour:...
is a less dangerous sort of water horse. There are many similar creatures by other names in the mythology including:- the nuggle (Orkney)
- the shoopiltee, the njogel, or the tangi (Shetland)
- the cabbyl-ushtey (Isle of Man)
- the Ceffyl Dŵr (Wales)
- the capall uisge or the glashtin (Ireland)
- Morgens, Morgans or Mari-Morgans are WelshWelsh peopleThe Welsh people are an ethnic group and nation associated with Wales and the Welsh language.John Davies argues that the origin of the "Welsh nation" can be traced to the late 4th and early 5th centuries, following the Roman departure from Britain, although Brythonic Celtic languages seem to have...
and BretonBreton peopleThe Bretons are an ethnic group located in the region of Brittany in France. They trace much of their heritage to groups of Brythonic speakers who emigrated from southwestern Great Britain in waves from the 3rd to 6th century into the Armorican peninsula, subsequently named Brittany after them.The...
water spirits that drown men.
In Germanic mythology:
- The Neck (English) or the Nix/Nixe/Nyx (German) are shapeshifting water spirits who usually appear in human form.
- The UndineOndine (mythology)Undines , also called ondines, are elementals, enumerated as the water elementals in works of alchemy by Paracelsus. They also appear in European folklore as fairy-like creatures; the name may be used interchangeably with those of other water spirits. Undines are said to be able to gain a soul by...
or Ondine is a female water elementalElementalAn elemental is a mythological being first appearing in the alchemical works of Paracelsus in the 16th century. Traditionally, there are four types:*gnomes, earth elementals*undines , water elementals*sylphs, air elementals...
(first appearing the alchemicalAlchemyAlchemy is an influential philosophical tradition whose early practitioners’ claims to profound powers were known from antiquity. The defining objectives of alchemy are varied; these include the creation of the fabled philosopher's stone possessing powers including the capability of turning base...
works of ParacelsusParacelsusParacelsus was a German-Swiss Renaissance physician, botanist, alchemist, astrologer, and general occultist....
).
In Greek mythology:
- Naiads were nymphs who presided over fountains, wells, springs, streams, and brooks
- CrinaeaeCrinaeaeIn Greek mythology, the Crinaeae were a type of Naiad nymphs associated with fountains or wells.The number of Crinaeae includes but is not limited to:# Aganippe# Appias...
(Κρηναῖαι) were a type of nymph associated with fountains - LimnadesLimnadesIn Greek mythology, the Limnades / Leimenides were a type of Naiad. They lived in freshwater lakes. Their parents were river or lake gods.The number of Limnades includes but is not limited to:...
or Leimenides (Λιμνάδες / Λειμενίδες) were a type of naiad living in freshwater lakes. - PegaeaePegaeaeIn Greek mythology, the Pegaeae were a type of naiad that lived in springs. They were often considered daughters of the river gods , thus establishing a mythological relationship between a river itself and its springs....
(Πηγαῖαι) were a type of naiad that lived in springs.
- Crinaeae
- NereidsNereidsIn Greek mythology, the Nereids are sea nymphs, the fifty daughters of Nereus and Doris, sisters to Nerites. They often accompany Poseidon and can be friendly and helpful to sailors fighting perilous storms. They are particularly associated with the Aegean Sea, where they dwelt with their father...
were sea nymphs. - SirenSirenIn Greek mythology, the Sirens were three dangerous mermaid like creatures, portrayed as seductresses who lured nearby sailors with their enchanting music and voices to shipwreck on the rocky coast of their island. Roman poets placed them on an island called Sirenum scopuli...
s were bird-headed women living in the sea near a rocky island coastline.
In Japanese folklore:, alternately called or , are a type of water sprite
Sprite (creature)
The term sprite is a broad term referring to a number of preternatural legendary creatures. The term is generally used in reference to elf-like creatures, including fairies, and similar beings , but can also signify various spiritual beings, including ghosts. In Eoin Colfer's Artemis Fowl books,...
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- A is a hair-covered version of a Kappa.
In Oceania mythology:
- Adaro (mythology)Adaro (mythology)The Adaro were malevolent merman-like sea spirits found in the mythology of the Solomon Islands.Said to arise from the wicked part of a person's spirit, an adaro is described as a man with gills behind his ears, tail fins for feet, a horn like a shark's dorsal fin, and a swordfish or sawfish-like...
were malevolent mermanMermanMermen are mythical male equivalents of mermaids – legendary creatures who have the form of a human from the waist up and are fish-like from the waist down.-Mythology:...
-like sea spirits found in the mythology of the Solomon IslandsSolomon IslandsSolomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...
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In Roman mythology:
- CamenaeCamenaeIn Roman mythology, the Camenae were originally goddesses of childbirth, wells and fountains, and also prophetic deities.There were four Camenae:*Carmenta*Egeria*Antevorta, or Porrima...
were goddesses of springs, wells and fountains, or water nymphs of Venus (mythology)Venus (mythology)Venus is a Roman goddess principally associated with love, beauty, sex,sexual seduction and fertility, who played a key role in many Roman religious festivals and myths...
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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 ghostGhostIn traditional belief and fiction, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a deceased person or animal that can appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the living. Descriptions of the apparition of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to...
, water nymphNymphA nymph in Greek mythology is a female minor nature deity typically associated with a particular location or landform. Different from gods, nymphs are generally regarded as divine spirits who animate nature, and are usually depicted as beautiful, young nubile maidens who love to dance and sing;...
, succubusSuccubusIn folklore traced back to medieval legend, a succubus is a female demon appearing in dreams who takes the form of a human woman in order to seduce men, usually through sexual intercourse. The male counterpart is the incubus...
or mermaidMermaidA mermaid is a mythological aquatic creature with a female human head, arms, and torso and the tail of a fish. A male version of a mermaid is known as a "merman" and in general both males and females are known as "merfolk"...
-like demonDemoncall - 1347 531 7769 for more infoIn Ancient Near Eastern religions as well as in the Abrahamic traditions, including ancient and medieval Christian demonology, a demon is considered an "unclean spirit" which may cause demonic possession, to be addressed with an act of exorcism...
that dwelled in a waterway. - For potoplenyk, rusalka, vila/wila/wili/veela, and vodianyk, see also Slavic fairiesSlavic fairiesFairies in Slavic mythology come in several forms and their names are spelled differently based on the specific language. Among the ones listed below there were also khovanets , dolia , polyovyk or polevoi , perelesnyk , lesovyk or leshyi , blud , mara Fairies in Slavic mythology come in several...
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