vodyanoy, The demon of the rivers

River spirits are present in almost every mythology imaginable. To name a few the Japanese Taki Reio, the Greek River Nymph, the Scottish Each-Uisge, pick up any ancient culture and chances are they have a water spirit. The Slav’s culture is notorious to trace back thanks to the many revolutions and political turmoils that plagued these people history. However, one of the monsters of legends that managed to survive throughout time is a water spirit named Vodyanoy.

This water beast was known to live in the frozen rivers and lakes of the Siberian tundra. Translating to “The one in the water”, it generally looked like a merman, but instead of the fairy tales sexy bodybuilder, the Vodyanoy had a frog-like face, a long bear and grey or green skin. Yeah, not exactly the thing you want to encounter in the middle of the night.

This water beast was known to live in the frozen rivers and lakes of the Siberian tundra. Translating to “The one in the water”, it generally looked like a merman, but instead of the fairy tales sexy bodybuilder, the Vodyanoy had a frog-like face, a long bear and grey or green skin. Yeah, not exactly the thing you want to encounter in the middle of the night.

Of course, many versions of this monster existed all across Siberia and Eastern Europe. For example, in northern Russia lived the Vodyan Tsar, a club-wielding weather-controlling old man. Czech and Slovak Folklore have a different Vodyanoy, presented as much more humanoid than the Siberia’s one. They would target women to bring them to their underwater palaces.

Those reading my previous posts on mythology fun-facts may have noticed that I mostly talk about big scary monsters. This one is one more on the list. And to the ones who may wonder why, my answer is simple. Talking about eldritch horror is a lot funnier than about “My Little Pony”, don’t you agree!? Enjoy!