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