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A water spirit is a kind of
supernatural Supernatural refers to phenomena or entities that are beyond the laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin (above, beyond, or outside of) + (nature) Though the corollary term "nature", has had multiple meanings si ...
being found in the
folklore Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, rangin ...
of many cultures:


African

Some water spirits in
traditional African religion The traditional beliefs and practices of African people are highly diverse beliefs that include various ethnic religions.Encyclopedia of African Religion (Sage, 2009) Molefi Kete Asante Generally, these traditions are oral rather than scriptura ...
include: *
Mami Wata Mami Wata (Mammy Water), or La Sirene, is a water spirit venerated in West, Central, and Southern Africa and in the African diaspora in the Americas. Mami Wata spirits are usually female but are sometimes male., p. 1. Attributes Appearance T ...
is a transcultural
pantheon Pantheon may refer to: * Pantheon (religion), a set of gods belonging to a particular religion or tradition, and a temple or sacred building Arts and entertainment Comics *Pantheon (Marvel Comics), a fictional organization * ''Pantheon'' (Lone St ...
of water spirits and deities of the
African diaspora The African diaspora is the worldwide collection of communities descended from native Africans or people from Africa, predominantly in the Americas. The term most commonly refers to the descendants of the West and Central Africans who were ...
. For the many names associated with Mami Wata spirits and goddess, see Names of Mami Wata., p. 1. * Owu Mmiri of some riverine people of
Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
are often described as mermaid-like spirit of water. * A
jengu A jengu (plural miengu) is a water spirit in the traditional beliefs of the Sawa ethnic groups of Cameroon, particularly the Duala, Bakweri, Malimba, Batanga, Bakoko, Oroko people and related Sawa peoples. Among the Bakweri, the name is lien ...
(plural miengu) is a water spirit in the traditional beliefs of the Sawa ethnic groups of
Cameroon Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the ...
, 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

In
Celtic mythology Celtic mythology is the body of myths belonging to the Celtic peoples.Cunliffe, Barry, (1997) ''The Ancient Celts''. Oxford, Oxford University Press , pp. 183 (religion), 202, 204–8. Like other Iron Age Europeans, Celtic peoples followed ...
: * An Each uisge is a particularly dangerous "water horse" supposed to be found in Scotland; 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 capall uisge or the glashtin (Ireland) * Morgens, Morgans or Mari-Morgans are
Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peopl ...
and Breton water spirits that drown men. * Selkie


Germanic

In
Germanic mythology Germanic mythology consists of the body of myths native to the Germanic peoples, including Norse mythology, Anglo-Saxon mythology, and Continental Germanic mythology. It was a key element of Germanic paganism. Origins As the Germanic lang ...
: * The Nixie (English) or the Nix/Nixe/Nyx (German) are shapeshifting water spirits who usually appear in human form. * The Undine or Ondine is a female water elemental (first appearing the alchemical works of
Paracelsus Paracelsus (; ; 1493 – 24 September 1541), born Theophrastus von Hohenheim (full name Philippus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim), was a Swiss physician, alchemist, lay theologian, and philosopher of the German Renaissance. He ...
). * Jenny Greenteeth in the folklore of
Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancas ...
*
Peg Powler Peg Powler is a hag and water spirit in English folklore who inhabits the River Tees. Similar to the Grindylow, Jenny Greenteeth, and Nelly Longarms, she drags children into the water if they get too close to the edge. She is regarded as a bogeyman ...
said to inhabit the
River Tees The River Tees (), in Northern England, rises on the eastern slope of Cross Fell in the North Pennines and flows eastwards for to reach the North Sea between Hartlepool and Redcar near Middlesbrough. The modern day history of the river has bee ...
in Yorkshire * The grindylow in the folklore of both Lancashire and Yorkshire.


Ancient Greek

In
Greek mythology A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the origin and nature of the world, the lives and activities o ...
: * Naiads were nymphs who presided over fountains, wells, springs, streams, and brooks **
Crinaeae In Greek mythology, the Crinaeae (; grc, Κρηναῖαι, from Greek " κρήνη") were a type of Naiad nymphs associated with fountains or wells. The number of Crinaeae includes but is not limited to: *Aganippe * Appias * Myrtoessa * The ...
(Κρηναῖαι) were a type of nymph associated with fountains ** Limnades or Leimenides (''Λιμνάδες'' / ''Λειμενίδες'') were a type of naiad living in freshwater lakes. **
Pegaeae In Greek mythology, the Pegaeae (; ) were a type of naiad that lived in springs. They were often considered great aunts of the river gods (Potamoi The Potamoi ( grc-gre, Ποταμοί, "Rivers") are the gods of rivers and streams of the earth ...
(Πηγαῖαι) were a type of naiad that lived in springs. * Nereids were sea nymphs. *
Siren Siren or sirens may refer to: Common meanings * Siren (alarm), a loud acoustic alarm used to alert people to emergencies * Siren (mythology), an enchanting but dangerous monster in Greek mythology Places * Siren (town), Wisconsin * Siren, Wiscon ...
s were bird-bodied women living in the sea near a rocky island coastline.


Japanese

In Japanese folklore: * , alternately called or , are a type of water sprite. * A is a hair-covered version of a
Kappa Kappa (uppercase Κ, lowercase κ or cursive ; el, κάππα, ''káppa'') is the 10th letter of the Greek alphabet, representing the voiceless velar plosive sound in Ancient and Modern Greek. In the system of Greek numerals, has a value ...
.


Mesoamerican

In
Aztec The Aztecs () were a Mesoamerican culture that flourished in central Mexico in the post-classic period from 1300 to 1521. The Aztec people included different ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl ...
belief: * Ahuizotl; a dog-like aquatic creature that drowned the unwary.


Oceanic

In the mythology of Oceania: * Adaro were malevolent merman-like sea spirits found in the mythology of the
Solomon Islands Solomon Islands is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania, to the east of Papua New Guinea and north-west of Vanuatu. It has a land area of , and a population of approx. 700,000. Its capit ...
.


Roman

In
Roman mythology Roman mythology is the body of myths of ancient Rome as represented in the literature and visual arts of the Romans. One of a wide variety of genres of Roman folklore, ''Roman mythology'' may also refer to the modern study of these representa ...
: *
Camenae In Roman mythology, the Camenae (; also ''Casmenae'', ''Camoenae'') were originally goddesses of childbirth, wells and fountains, and also prophetic deities. List of Camenae There were four Camenae: *Carmenta, or Carmentis * Egeria, or Ægeria, o ...
were goddesses of springs, wells and fountains, or water nymphs of
Venus (mythology) Venus (), , is a Roman goddess, whose functions encompass love, beauty, desire, sex, fertility, prosperity, and victory. In Roman mythology, she was the ancestor of the Roman people through her son, Aeneas, who survived the fall of Troy and f ...
.


Slavic

In
Slavic mythology Slavic mythology or Slavic religion is the religious beliefs, myths, and ritual practices of the Slavs before Christianisation, which occurred at various stages between the 8th and the 13th century. The South Slavs, who likely settled in the Bal ...
: * A
Vodyanoy In Slavic mythology, vodyanoy or vodyanoi ( rus, водяно́й, p=vədʲɪˈnoj; lit. ' efrom the water' or 'watery') is a water spirit. In Czech and Slovak fairy tales, it is called ''vodník'' (or in Germanized form: ), and it is consider ...
(also wodnik, vodník, vodnik, vodenjak) is a male water spirit akin to the Germanic
Neck The neck is the part of the body on many vertebrates that connects the head with the torso. The neck supports the weight of the head and protects the nerves that carry sensory and motor information from the brain down to the rest of the body. In ...
. * A
Rusalka In Slavic folklore, the rusalka (plural: rusalky/rusalki; ; pl, rusałka}) is a typically feminine entity, often malicious toward mankind and frequently associated with water, with counterparts in other parts of Europe, such as the French Mel ...
(plural: ''rusalki'') was a female
ghost A ghost is the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that is believed to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to re ...
, water
nymph A nymph ( grc, νύμφη, nýmphē, el, script=Latn, nímfi, label=Modern Greek; , ) in ancient Greek folklore is a minor female nature deity. Different from Greek goddesses, nymphs are generally regarded as personifications of nature, are ...
, succubus or
mermaid In folklore, a mermaid is an aquatic creature with the head and upper body of a female human and the tail of a fish. Mermaids appear in the folklore of many cultures worldwide, including Europe, Asia, and Africa. Mermaids are sometimes asso ...
-like
demon A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in religion, occultism, literature, fiction, mythology, and folklore; as well as in Media (communication), media such as comics, video ...
that dwelled in a waterway. * А
Berehynia The pagan Slavs were polytheistic, which means that they worshipped many gods and goddesses. The gods of the Slavs are known primarily from a small number of chronicles and letopises, or not very accurate Christian sermons against paganism. Addi ...
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 Ukrainian nationalism refers to the promotion of the unity of Ukrainians as a people and it also refers to the promotion of the identity of Ukraine as a nation state. The nation building that arose as nationalism grew following the French ...
. *
Moryana Moryana (russian: Моря́на, ) is a female sea spirit in Slavic folklore, possibly a goddess. Moryana was a sea vodyanitsa and daughter of the Morskoy Tsar, and also, according to some beliefs, she ruled the winds. Sometimes the ''moryany/mor ...
is a giant sea spirit from Russian folklore. * For potoplenyk, vila/wila/wili/veela, and vodianyk, see also Slavic fairies.


Thai

* Phi Phraya (ผีพราย, พรายน้ำ), a female 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.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Water Spirit Water spirits