Tradition: Czech Mythology
Alternative Names: Schneuztuchein
Category: Nymph
The Myth
The pond at Chudiwa was once home to wonderfully tiny waterwomen. These little spirits would float their silk handkerchiefs upon the water and spread them out to dry on a pole.
One day, a good-for-nothing horseman rode past the pond and spotted one of the delicate silk cloths. Unable to resist the temptation, he stole it and carried it away with him.
The waterwoman immediately noticed the theft and called out a threatening warning: “You will cut your hair, your snouts don’t have long at all.”
The rider only laughed at her words and urged his horse onward, believing he had nothing to fear from such a tiny creature. But his amusement did not last. The moment he tried to blow his nose into the stolen handkerchief, his nose fell off.
The little waterwoman had taken her revenge. The horseman learned too late that even the smallest of water spirits could punish those who stole from them.
Sources
Sagen.at contributors. (n.d.). Schneuztüchlein. In Sagen.at, from https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/tschechien/watzlik/schneuztuechlein.html