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Seawoman

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Tradition: Czech Mythology
Alternative Names: Sea-Woman
Category: Nymph

The Myth

At Teufelsee, a dark lake in the Bohemian Forest, two servants were cutting wood nearby when lunchtime arrived. They sat upon a rocky ledge with their feet dangling over the water and began to eat, gazing out across the lake’s shadowy surface.

Suddenly, a woman emerged from the middle of the lake and swam towards them. She wore a bluish robe and shone like silver against the dark water. As she reached the shore, she performed a sudden somersault, revealing her black shoes to the astonished woodcutters. Then, just as mysteriously as she had appeared, she vanished.

The two servants fled in fear. They dreaded that the seawoman might return and drag them beneath the lake’s waters. Her brief appearance left them with a chilling warning: the dark waters of Teufelsee might conceal something beautiful, strange, and dangerous.

Sources

Sagen.at contributors. (n.d.). The Seawoman. In Sagen.at, from https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/tschechien/watzlik/seeweib.html

Lamia

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Tradition: Greek Mythology
Alternative Names: Lamiai, Mormo, Gello
Category: Nymph

The Myth

Lamia was once a beautiful queen of Libya who caught the attention of Zeus, the king of the gods. The two became lovers and had children together, but Zeus’s wife, Hera, discovered their affair and took revenge on Lamia. In different versions of the myth, Hera kidnapped Lamia’s children, killed them, or drove Lamia to kill them herself. Overwhelmed by grief, Lamia descended into madness and began hunting and devouring other people’s children. Her beauty faded as she became a terrifying monster, forever associated with the loss of children and a mother’s unbearable sorrow.

Zeus granted Lamia certain supernatural powers, including prophecy and the ability to remove her own eyes and put them back whenever she wished. Some stories explain this strange gift as a way to ease her suffering, since Hera had cursed her with sleeplessness or the inability to close her eyes. Lamia could also change her appearance, making her a particularly frightening and unpredictable figure.

Over time, the name Lamia came to describe a broader class of terrifying spirits. These Lamiai haunted the night and were invoked by parents and nurses to frighten children into behaving. Like other bogeymen of ancient folklore, they were said to snatch and swallow children, sometimes even devouring them alive. In some traditions, Lamia became closely associated with Mormo and Gello, other frightening figures used to warn children against disobedience.

Later stories transformed Lamia into a seductive creature who preyed on young men. She could disguise herself as a beautiful woman, lure a victim into a false sense of security, and then feed on his flesh or blood. One famous tale tells of a mysterious woman who seduced Menippus of Lycia. The philosopher Apollonius of Tyana recognised that she was not human but an empousa, a supernatural being often associated with Lamiai. When he exposed her true nature, the luxurious mansion and wedding preparations she had created vanished, revealing the deception. The creature confessed that she had been fattening Menippus up because she desired the blood of young men.

Lamia’s monstrous nature was sometimes linked to serpents. In ancient stories and later interpretations, she could possess a snake-like body or other features that blurred the boundary between woman and beast. Her name also became associated with other terrifying female figures who preyed on the living.

The legend of Lamia endured for centuries, inspiring writers and artists long after the ancient Greek world had passed. She became a symbol of monstrous motherhood, dangerous seduction, and the fears surrounding children and the night. Her story also inspired John Keats’s poem Lamia, which draws on the tradition of the beautiful woman whose supernatural identity conceals a terrible secret.

Sources

Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). Lamia. In Wikipedia, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamia

Miawka

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Tradition: Slovakian Mythology
Alternative Names: Majka, Mauka, Mawka, Nawka, Nejka, Niauka, Niawka, Śpiewnica, Tanecznica, Wyniwka
Category: Nymph, Cat

The Myth

Miawki were dangerous female spirits in Slavic and Lemko folklore, resembling beautiful young women and often associated with the rusalki. They appeared in fields when the grain began to ripen, dancing among the grasses and golden stalks. Their beauty, liveliness, and playful nature concealed a cruel spirit, and some were imagined with feline features or even as cat-like creatures.

According to folk belief, miawki were the spirits of unbaptized children who returned to the world each year when the grain ripened. They were said to be as small as cats, and their name was associated with the sound miau, the mewing of a cat. Despite their small size, they could be deadly.

A miawka might approach a traveller who had lost their way among the fields, charming them with tricks and playful antics until they felt cheerful and at ease. Then the spirit would begin to tickle its victim, provoking uncontrollable laughter until the unfortunate person died. Miawki were believed to feed on the blood of those they killed.

In southern Lesser Poland, miawki were described as exceptionally beautiful, with blue eyes and fair hair decorated with cornflowers, ears of grain, and poppies. They danced upon the grass and lured unsuspecting people away from familiar paths. Although they were dangerous, they were considered less cruel than the południce, other female spirits associated with the fields and the dangers of working beneath the summer sun.

Sources

Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). Miawka. In Wikipedia, from https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miawka

Nariphon

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Tradition: Thai Mythology
Alternative Names: Makkaliphon, Makkaliphala, Nari-Lata-Vela, Thuyaung Tree
Category: Nymph

The Myth

The Nariphon is a magical tree from Buddhist mythology that grows fruit shaped like beautiful young women. Also known as the Makkaliphon, the tree grows in the mythical Himaphan Forest, where its unusual fruits attract the attention of the Gandharvas, celestial beings who pluck the maidens from the branches and carry them away. The fruits grow attached to the tree by their heads and are said to possess human-like internal organs, although they have no bones. They can also sing, dance, and wield magical powers.

The Nariphon tree features in the story of Vessantara, a previous incarnation of the Buddha. According to legend, the god Indra created a pavilion in the forest for Vessantara, his wife, and their two children. When Vessantara’s wife went into the forest to gather food, she risked encountering hermits and yogis who had gained supernatural powers through meditation but had not overcome their worldly desires.

To protect her, Indra created twelve Nariphon trees whose fruits resembled his own beautiful wife. Whenever Vessantara’s wife went out to gather food, the trees produced these alluring fruits. The hermits took the female-shaped fruits back to their homes and became so absorbed in them that they slept for four months, losing the powers they had gained through meditation. In this way, the trees protected Vessantara’s wife from unwanted attention.

Thai folklore holds that the Nariphon trees continue to bear fruit even after Vessantara and his family have passed away. Each fruit remains on the tree for seven days before withering if nobody picks it. However, the trees are destined to disappear when the Buddha’s teachings are lost, a moment traditionally predicted to occur five thousand years after his death.

The Nariphon remains a familiar figure in Thai religious imagery and popular folklore. Some Buddhist temples display representations of the tree, including Wat Pheut Udom near Pathum Thani, where it appears alongside scenes of ghosts and the Buddhist hells. Stories also claim that the tree grows in the Phetchabun Mountains, although supposed photographs and physical specimens have frequently been exposed as hoaxes.

Similar mythical trees appear elsewhere in Southeast Asia. In Myanmar, the tree is known as the Thuyaung tree, while in Sri Lanka it is called Nari-Lata-Vela. The Nariphon also appears in the Lao epic Sang Sinxay, showing how the legend has spread beyond Thailand.

Sources

Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). Napea. In Wikipedia, from https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napea

Napaeae

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Tradition: Greek Mythology
Alternative Names: Napaeas, Valley Nymphs
Category: Nymph

The Myth

The Napaeae are nymphs of classical mythology who dwell in wooded valleys, hidden among trees and the peaceful slopes of the countryside. Their name comes from the Greek word napaios, meaning “of the valleys” or “of the wooded glens.” Unlike the Naiads, who inhabit freshwater, or the Dryads, who are associated with trees, the Napaeae are connected to the sheltered valleys where forests and meadows meet.

They are mentioned by Roman poets and writers, who describe them alongside other nymphs of the natural world. The Limoniads watch over meadows, while the Pediads inhabit plains. In Greek tradition, valley nymphs are also known as Auloniads.

The Napaeae appear in Virgil’s Georgics, where the nymphs who once accompanied Eurydice through sacred groves punish the beekeeper Aristaeus by sending a devastating plague upon his bees. His mother, Cyrene, advises him to offer gifts and beg their forgiveness, urging him to honour the merciful Napaeae so that they might set aside their anger. The story reveals that these seemingly peaceful spirits could bring misfortune upon those who offended them, but might also be appeased through offerings and reverence.

Other classical writers also invoke the Napaeae when describing the beauty and divinity of the natural world. The poet Columella calls upon nymphs dwelling in sacred groves, meadows, mountains, and springs, while Statius mentions the maidens of the valleys among the attendants who once surrounded Ismenis. Their presence in these works reflects the ancient belief that nature was filled with divine beings who watched over its many landscapes.

The Napaeae also appear in Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes. As Don Quixote prepares to perform his penance in the mountains of Sierra Morena, he calls upon the Napaeae and Dryads, asking them to listen to his sorrow without disturbing their peaceful woodland homes.

Sources

Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). Napea. In Wikipedia, from https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napea

Boerlavrouw

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Tradition: Belgian Mythology
Alternative Names: Berlavrouw, Boerrede Vrouw
Category: Nymph

The Myth

The Boerlavrouw is a mischievous air spirit from the folklore of Antwerp, Belgium, associated with the wind blowing across fields of flax. She was said to play among the plants as they lay drying in the fields, sometimes teasing the farmers with her tricks.

Her favourite prank was to pick up bundles of flax and carry them into a neighbouring farmer’s field, leaving them there to cause confusion. The farmers might find their drying flax mysteriously displaced, with no obvious explanation for how it had travelled from one field to another.

The Boerlavrouw was more than just a playful spirit: she was the personification of a gust of wind, given a human-like identity in local folklore. Her antics offered a supernatural explanation for the sudden breezes that swept through the flax fields and scattered the farmers’ crops.

Sources

Abe de Verteller. (n.d.). Van aardmannetje tot zwarte juffer: Een lijst van Nederlandse en Vlaamse elfen en geesten. In Abe de Verteller, from https://abedeverteller.nl/van-aardmannetje-tot-zwarte-juffer-een-lijst-van-nederlandse-en-vlaamse-elfen-en-geesten/

Anthousai

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Tradition: Greek Mythology
Alternative Names: Flower Nymphs
Category: Nymph

The Myth

The Anthousai are flower nymphs from Greek mythology, nature spirits whose beauty reflects the delicate splendour of blossoms. Their name is associated with flowers, and they are described as having hair resembling hyacinth blooms. Like other nymphs, they are connected to the natural world, embodying the beauty and vitality of the plants around them.

The Anthousai are among the different kinds of nymphs found in Greek mythology. While Naiads are associated with fresh water and Dryads with trees, the Anthousai are linked to flowers. They appear in the writings of Philostratus, where they are described among a group of nymphs encountered in a scene involving the god Pan. In the story, Pan attempts to approach the nymphs amorously, but they turn against him, restraining him and threatening to make Echo reject him.

Through their connection to flowers and their graceful appearance, the Anthousai represent the enchanting beauty of the natural world, while their encounter with Pan shows that even divine beings can face the resistance of the nymphs.

Sources

Fairbanks, A. (1931). Imagines. William Heinemann.

Jiaoxiao

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Tradition: Chinese mythology
Alternative Names: Jingjing
Category: Mermaid

The Myth

The Jingjing is a supernatural creature from Chinese folklore associated with sharks. It is capable of transforming into either a beautiful woman or a man.

One account tells of a married couple who take in a woman claiming to have suffered abuse at the hands of her stepmother. The woman is not what she appears to be, however, for she is actually a supernatural spirit of a shark.

Sources

Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). 鲛精 (Jiaojiang). In Chinese Wikipedia, from https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E9%B2%9B%E7%B2%BE

Mermaid of Zug

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Tradition: Swiss Mythology
Alternative Names: The Water Maiden of Zug
Category: Mermaid

The Myth

The Mermaid of Zug is a legendary water spirit associated with Lake Zug in Switzerland. According to local folklore, the Old Water King ruled a mysterious underwater kingdom and had a beautiful daughter who fell in love with the handsome son of Zug’s town clerk. Her father disapproved of their romance and forbade her from seeing the young man. When he noticed his daughter’s sadness, however, he agreed that she could marry her beloved if the young man came to live in his underwater realm.

The mermaid swam to the shore and called to the young man, who had also been longing to see her. She offered him a magical potion that allowed humans to survive beneath the water. He drank it willingly and followed her into the kingdom of Lake Zug, where they were married.

At first, the young man enjoyed his new life, but he eventually grew homesick for his parents, friends, and the town above the lake. Seeing his sorrow, the mermaid devised a way to return him to his former home. On a dark night in March, she poured her magical potion into the drinking water of the houses along Untergasse, a street in Zug’s old town.

On 4 March 1435, the street supposedly sank beneath the waters of Lake Zug. Yet, thanks to the mermaid’s magic, its inhabitants survived underwater rather than drowning. The young man was reunited with his family and neighbours, while the sunken settlement became part of the mysterious underwater world.

According to the legend, on Sundays when the lake is exceptionally clear, children may still glimpse the submerged town beneath the surface. Some also claim to hear festive music rising from the underwater kingdom of the Water King.

Sources

Sagen.at contributors. (n.d.). Seejungfer von Zug. In Sagen.at, from https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/schweiz/zug/seejungfer_zug.html

Terutouo

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Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: 照兜魚
Category: Mermaid

The Myth

Terutouo is a sacred carp associated with Akamatsu Pond on Mount Daisen in Izumo Province. According to a tale recorded by the British folklorist Richard Gordon Smith, the creature could take human form and lived as a young woman named Chiyoko.

In 1646, a kind-hearted man named Ōtani Jinai lived in Matsue with his wife, Oryō. The couple had been unable to have children for many years and prayed to various deities for help. After hearing that Ōgamiyama Shrine on Mount Daisen was renowned for granting the blessing of children, they climbed the mountain to pray. On their way home, thick fog suddenly surrounded them, and a beautiful young woman appeared to guide Jinai through the mist. Learning that the couple had prayed for a child, she gave them a bottle of sacred water. She explained that the water had been collected as dew from the grass around Akamatsu Pond and offered to Ōgamiyama Shrine on New Year’s Day. She promised that drinking it would grant them a child. Oryō drank the water and immediately felt light-headed, as though she had been drinking alcohol, while sensing that her wish would be fulfilled. When the couple looked again, the mysterious woman had vanished.

The following year, Oryō gave birth to a daughter named Chiyoko, also known as Ochiyo. She grew into a beautiful and intelligent young woman. When she was sixteen, a marriage was arranged between her and a young man named Tamaoki, who was Jinai’s nephew. Tamaoki welcomed the arrangement, but Chiyoko did not love him. Unable to bring herself to reject the match and disappoint her parents, she allowed the engagement to proceed.

Before the wedding, Chiyoko asked to visit Ōgamiyama Shrine to give thanks to the gods. Her parents agreed, and she travelled to the mountain accompanied by her nurse, Osuma. After praying at the shrine, the two began their descent and reached Akamatsu Pond, where Chiyoko’s parents had encountered the mysterious woman years earlier.

Chiyoko gazed across the water and approached the shore. As vapour rose from the pond, she turned to Osuma and thanked her before saying goodbye. She explained that although she had been born into the human world, her human appearance was only temporary. Her true identity was that of a carp living in the region, and her real home was the pond itself. Entrusting Osuma with a letter for her parents, Chiyoko plunged into the water and disappeared.

When Osuma cried out, asking to see her once more, a gigantic golden carp leapt from the pond in a spray of water. Its face was unmistakably Chiyoko’s. Overwhelmed, Osuma knelt and prayed to the creature.

After hearing Osuma’s account and reading Chiyoko’s letter, Jinai and Oryō were heartbroken. In her letter, Chiyoko expressed gratitude to her parents and explained that, as Terutouo, she was a carp and could not marry a human. She also told them that if they wished to see her again, they should call her name beside Akamatsu Pond.

Jinai recognised the story as connected to the sacred carp of Akamatsu Pond, whose existence he had heard about before. He concluded that the deity of Mount Daisen had granted him a child in the form of a carp. In response, he built a shrine dedicated to Terutouo and enshrined Chiyoko’s letter there.

Several days later, Jinai, Oryō, and their relatives visited the pond. Jinai called out “Terutouo!” three times. A tremendous sound rose from beneath the water, seemingly answering his summons, but Chiyoko never appeared. Tamaoki, whose marriage to Chiyoko could no longer take place, was adopted by Jinai and later devoted his life to Shinto.

From that time onward, visitors reportedly developed the custom of calling Terutouo’s name three times beside the pond. The shrine established by Jinai attracted young men and women seeking blessings for successful marriages. Around Mount Daisen, carp also came to be respectfully called Terutouo-san, and the name was reportedly extended to people of high rank and religious officials.

Richard Gordon Smith, who collected Japanese folktales during the Meiji period, included illustrations made by a Japanese artist alongside his account. These depicted a divine woman appearing from the pond and Terutouo as a carp with a human face.

Sources

Japanese folklore blog contributors. (n.d.). Terutou. In TYZ Yokai Blog, from https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1077741621.html