Nelly Longarms (or Nellie Longarms) is a

hag HAG is a Swiss maker of model trains. The company was founded by Hugo and Alwin Gahler on 1 April 1944 in St. Gallen, Switzerland. The Gahler brothers originally manufactured model trains in O scale but due to competition, particularly by Märk ...

and water spirit in

English folklore English folklore consists of the myths and legends of England, including the English region's mythical creatures, traditional recipes, urban legends, proverbs, superstitions, and folktales. Its cultural history is rooted in Celtic, Christia ...

who dwells at the bottom of deep ponds, rivers and wells. Like the

Grindylow In English folklore, grindylow or grundylow is a creature in the counties of Yorkshire and Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West Engl ...

, Peg Powler and

Jenny Greenteeth Jenny Greenteeth a.k.a. Wicked Jenny or Ginny Greenteeth is a figure in English folklore. A river-hag, similar to Peg Powler or a grindylow, she would pull children or the elderly into the water and drown them. The name is also used to descr ...

she will reach out with her long sinewy arms and drag children beneath the water if they get too close. She is regarded as a

bogeyman The Bogeyman (; also spelled boogeyman, bogyman, bogieman, boogie monster, boogieman, or boogie woogie) is a type of mythic creature used by adults to frighten children into good behavior. Bogeymen have no specific appearance and conceptions var ...

figure who is invoked by parents to frighten children into proper behaviour.Bane, Theresa (2013). ''Encyclopedia of Fairies in World Folklore and Mythology''. McFarland & Co. p. 245. . The legend finds its origins around St Margaret's Garth,

Durham Durham most commonly refers to: *Durham, England, a cathedral city and the county town of County Durham *County Durham, an English county * Durham County, North Carolina, a county in North Carolina, United States *Durham, North Carolina, a city in N ...

, England. Residents have reported sightings and strange sounds, especially at night, since the early 18th Century. Nelly Longarms must typically be invited into a property for her to drag children into the water, and most sightings of the spirit are at the threshold of properties, often heard slamming or opening doors.

References

English folklore English legendary creatures Water spirits Hags Bogeymen {{europe-myth-stub