Category: Mythology

Tradition / Region: Sweden
Alternate Names: Strömkarlen, Bäckamannen, Kvarngubbe, Kvarnrå, Forskarlen, Dammapågen
Category: Water spirit

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The Myth

In Swedish folklore, Näcken dwelled in lakes, rivers, streams, and mill waters, haunting places where the current moved quietly or gathered strength beneath the surface. He was not a single spirit but a powerful water-being known by many names, feared and respected wherever people lived close to water.

Näcken most often appeared as a naked man, sometimes young and slender, sometimes old and bearded, seated upon a rock or at the water’s edge. His hair was said to be green or woven with foliage, as if grown from the river itself. In his hands he held an instrument, most often a violin, though he was also known to play horns, flutes, or other melodies. His music was said to be irresistibly beautiful. Those who heard it felt drawn toward the sound, their feet carrying them closer to the water without their will.

Näcken was a master of deception. Though water might seem shallow and harmless, he could seize a person’s footing, locking their legs in place and pulling them beneath the surface. Many drownings were blamed on him, and children were warned never to trust the calm of a stream or the beauty of music drifting across the water at dusk.

At times, Näcken took other forms. He could appear as animals — a black or white horse, a bull, a dog, or a cat — and these shapes often bore a subtle wrongness, such as having three legs instead of four. He could also disguise himself as floating objects or tempting treasures, lying in wait for the unwary.

Näcken was not merely a minor spirit, but a powerful force of the natural world, sometimes spoken of as nearly divine. He embodied the danger of water itself: beautiful, life-giving, and deadly. To encounter him was to be reminded that rivers and lakes were alive, watching, and never fully under human control.

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Tradition / Region: Polish and Slavic folklore
Alternate Names: —
Category: Supernatural lights / wandering spirits

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The Myth

In marshes, swamps, and peat bogs, people spoke of small lights that appeared at night, hovering just above the wet ground. These wandering flames were known as Błędne ogniki. They flickered softly, drifting without clear purpose, and were most often seen where the land was treacherous and paths were uncertain.

According to Polish and wider Slavic belief, Błędne ogniki were the souls of the dead. They were commonly said to be the spirits of wicked or dishonest people, especially unjust landowners and fraudulent surveyors who had cheated others during their lives. After death, they were condemned to wander endlessly, glowing faintly as a sign of their unrest and repentance.

The lights were feared by travelers. It was said that Błędne ogniki could lead people astray, drawing them off safe paths and deeper into bogs where they might become lost or perish. To follow the lights was dangerous, and their appearance was usually taken as a bad omen.

In some regions, however, the lights were also linked to hidden treasures buried beneath the earth. In these tales, the glow was believed to come from the lanterns of underground beings guarding their riches. Even so, such encounters were risky, for those who chased the promise of wealth often met misfortune instead.

Thus Błędne ogniki were remembered as restless lights of the night — spirits bound to the land, warning travelers that not every guiding flame leads to safety.

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Tradition / Region: Japan
Alternate Names: Monster Whale Curse
Category: Curse / supernatural phenomenon

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The Myth

During his years working as a kamishibai artist, Mizuki Shigeru once created a paper-theater story called Monster Whale. The tale told of a man who ate nothing but whale meat. Over time, his body began to change, and he slowly came to resemble a whale himself. As the story neared its end, the man was struck by a severe fever. Even after consulting a doctor, no cause for the illness could be found.

While performing this story repeatedly, Mizuki himself fell ill with an unexplained fever. Medical treatment brought no answers, and the sickness lingered. Eventually, he decided to stop performing Monster Whale. Soon after, his fever disappeared as suddenly as it had come.

Mizuki laughed it off at the time, calling it the curse of the monster whale. Yet as years passed, he reconsidered the experience. He came to feel that the story may have touched on something unseen, something that did not reveal itself openly. As the tale of the monster whale concludes in his later writings, collected in works such as Nihon Yokai Taizen, it leaves a quiet warning: though nothing may seem to be happening, there is always something mysterious moving just beyond human sight.

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Tradition / Region: Ancient China
Alternate Names: —
Category: Omen beast / monstrous ape

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The Myth

In the ancient text Classic of Mountains and Seas, it is said that in the Western Mountains there exists a strange beast called Zhu Yan. Its form is like that of a powerful ape, but its head is white and its feet are red. It possesses immense strength and an unsettling presence.

Zhu Yan does not wander without consequence. When it appears in the world, its coming is taken as a sign of catastrophe. The sighting of this beast foretells the outbreak of great war, bringing violence and upheaval wherever its presence is known. Thus, Zhu Yan is remembered not for deeds it performs, but for the disaster that follows in its wake.

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Tradition / Region: Scandinavia (Sweden, Norway, Sámi regions)
Alternate Names: Skogsrå, Tallemaja, Ulda, Hulder
Category: Forest spirit / seductive nature being

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The Myth

Deep within the Scandinavian forests, people spoke of the Huldra, a hidden woman who ruled the woods and the spaces between trees. She appeared as a beautiful young woman, dressed like a farmer’s daughter or forest maiden, her voice gentle and her manner inviting. Those who met her often believed they had encountered an ordinary human, for she moved easily among people and spoke their language. Yet the Huldra was never entirely what she seemed.

Those who looked too closely, or who followed her too far into the forest, might glimpse what she concealed. Beneath her skirt could be seen the tail of an animal, often that of a cow or fox, or her legs might be covered in coarse hair. Some said that if she turned her back, it was hollow like the inside of a rotting tree. For this reason she wore long clothing and kept her secrets well hidden, revealing them only to the careless or the doomed.

The Huldra was one of the rå, the wardens of the natural world, spirits who governed forests, waters, and mountains. As skogsrå, she claimed dominion over the woods and all who worked within them. Charcoal burners, who labored day and night tending their kilns, were said to be especially favored by her. While they slept from exhaustion, the Huldra would watch over the burning charcoal, waking them if danger threatened. In return, the men left food for her in a hidden place, knowing that respect earned protection.

Yet her kindness was matched by danger. Men who mocked her, tried to expose her secret, or followed her seduction without respect often lost their way in the forest, fell ill, or were never seen again. Some tales tell of men who were lured into marriage with a Huldra, only to discover her true nature too late. Others say that if she were treated well, baptized, or brought fully into the human world, her tail would fall away and she could live as a woman, though the forest would mourn her loss.

Thus the Huldra remained a presence both alluring and feared — a reminder that the forest was alive, watchful, and governed by powers older than humanity, rewarding respect and punishing arrogance in equal measure.

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Tradition / Region: Dagestan (Rutuls, Avars, Andians, Botlikhs, Laks, and others)
Alternate Names: Untul Ebel, Yadlad Nin
Category: Disease spirit / evil spirit

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The Myth

Zalzanagy was known among the peoples of Dagestan as the mother of illnesses, an evil spirit whose coming brought sickness and misfortune. She was said to appear as a woman of enormous stature, with a long nose, thick unkempt hair, and clothing of rags or long white or black garments. Wherever she showed herself, illness followed, and sometimes war, famine, or epidemic spread soon after. Yet it was believed that she could be appeased with food or old clothes, and that doing so might spare a household or an entire village.

Once, a young girl fell gravely ill, and her grandmother stayed by her side through the night. In those days there were no lamps, only torches. By the flickering light, the grandmother saw a strange, naked creature, small like a child, standing behind the half-open door. She leapt up and seized it, demanding to know who it was and why it had come. The creature answered, “Rub my body with oil.” Its body was hard and rough like oak bark. The grandmother rubbed two whole jars of oil into its skin until it was satisfied. After this, the girl recovered, and the illnesses that had plagued the village vanished.

Another tale tells of a shepherd named Surkhay, who lived long ago in the village of Shodroda and tended cattle at the Girgutl farm. One evening, after driving the cattle into the barn, he went to fetch water. Nearby he heard a sound like the moaning of a sick woman. Looking around, he saw a giant figure dressed in rags. He called out, but it did not answer. Realizing it was no human, and fearing an attack, he unleashed his two fierce dogs. Though the dogs feared no man, they fled at once from the creature. Surkhay then threw a stone at it, and then another. Fire burst from the creature’s mouth. When he threw a third stone, Surkhay collapsed and lost consciousness. He lay senseless for an entire day. When he awoke, he could not move. The village elders said he had encountered Untul Ebel, who had struck him with illness for his defiance.

There is also the story of Mariet, a woman from the village of Rutul. One day, after milking the cows and driving them into the barn, she went to bake bread. Near a bridge, she turned and saw a tall woman sitting upon a pile of stones. Her long, shaggy hair flowed freely, her face was strikingly beautiful, and she was dressed from head to toe in white. Mariet froze, unable to move as the woman smiled silently at her. Remembering her mother’s words, she said a prayer and threw a small piece of dough toward the woman. At once, the figure vanished. Mariet crossed the bridge, baked her bread, and returned home, never seeing the woman again that day. Soon after, however, she fell ill and remained so for a long time. People said that had Yadlad Nin appeared dressed in black instead of white, the sickness would have claimed many lives in the village.

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