Watterswyn

October 27, 2026 by cazzy99

Tradition: Dutch Mythology
Alternative Names: Watterswyn
Category: Pig

The Myth

The Watterswyn is a pig-like water spirit from the island of Schiermonnikoog in the Netherlands. According to local tradition, this dangerous creature lurked near the sea and threatened small children who ventured too close to the waves.

The Watterswyn was said to seize children who approached the water’s edge, making it a frightening figure associated with the dangers of the sea. Its story served as a warning to children to keep their distance from the waves and avoid wandering too close to the shoreline.

Sources

Van der Veen, Abe. “Van aardmannetje tot zwarte juffer: Een lijst van Nederlandse en Vlaamse elfen en geesten.” Abe de Verteller.

Pig-Faced Women

October 27, 2026 by cazzy99

Tradition: English Mythology, Dutch Mythology, French Mythology
Alternative Names: Pig-Faced Lady, Pig-Faced Woman
Category: Pig

The Myth

Pig-faced women are figures from a legend that emerged in the Netherlands, England, and France around the late 1630s. The stories describe wealthy women whose bodies are otherwise entirely human but whose faces resemble those of pigs. In the earliest versions, this strange appearance resulted from witchcraft rather than birth or natural causes.

The most familiar version tells of a pig-faced woman who marries a man. On their wedding day, her husband is offered a choice: she can appear beautiful to him but retain her pig-like face in the eyes of everyone else, or appear beautiful to everyone else while looking like a pig to him. When he leaves the decision to his wife, the enchantment is broken, and her human appearance is restored. The tale became particularly popular in England and later spread to Ireland, often presenting the breaking of the curse as a lesson about respect and personal choice.

Over time, the magical elements faded, and stories about pig-faced women increasingly circulated as claims about real people. In early nineteenth-century Dublin, rumours suggested that the reclusive philanthropist Griselda Steevens had hidden herself because she possessed a pig’s face. In London in late 1814 and early 1815, reports spread about a supposed pig-faced woman living in Marylebone, accompanied by alleged portraits that were published as evidence of her existence. Showmen also exhibited supposed pig-faced women at fairs, though some attractions may have involved shaved bears dressed in women’s clothing rather than actual people with unusual faces.

Belief in pig-faced women gradually declined, and the legend had largely disappeared from public attention by the twentieth century. One of the last significant works to present their existence as genuine appeared in 1924. The legend illustrates how a supernatural folktale could evolve into a widely circulated urban rumour, reinforced by sensational journalism and public entertainment.

Sources

“Pig-Faced Women.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed October 27, 2026.

Langarm

October 25, 2026 by cazzy99

Tradition: Dutch Mythology
Alternative Names: Langarm
Category: House dweller

The Myth

Langarm is a frightening creature from the folklore of Edam, in North Holland, Netherlands. It was said to inhabit a deep pool beside a windmill, known as a molenkolk. During the 1920s and 1930s, children were warned to stay away from the water because Langarm lurked beneath its surface, waiting to seize anyone who came too close.

According to the local warning, Langarm would grab a child with its long arm and pull them down into the depths of the pool. Its name, meaning “long arm” in Dutch, evokes the creature’s threatening ability to reach out from the water and drag its victims beneath the surface.

The story was passed down through a woman from Edam who recounted the warning her father had known. The available account does not describe Langarm’s appearance beyond the implication of its long arm, nor does it explain whether the creature was believed to emerge from the water.

Langarm belongs to the tradition of frightening water-dwelling beings used to keep children away from dangerous places. By imagining a creature waiting in the depths of a mill pool, the warning transformed a real physical hazard into a supernatural threat, discouraging children from approaching the water’s edge.

Sources

Van der Veen, Abe. “Van aardmannetje tot zwarte juffer: Een lijst van Nederlandse en Vlaamse elfen en geesten.” Abe de Verteller. https://abedeverteller.nl/van-aardmannetje-tot-zwarte-juffer-een-lijst-van-nederlandse-en-vlaamse-elfen-en-geesten/

Tongesnaier

October 25, 2026 by cazzy99

Tradition: Dutch Mythology
Alternative Names: Tongesnaier
Category: House dweller

The Myth

Tongesnaier is a frightening figure from the folklore of Zeeland, in the Netherlands. It is described as an ugly man who threatens to cut off the tongues of children who stick them out mockingly at other people.

The creature’s name is associated with the act of cutting out a tongue, reflecting the punishment it threatens to inflict. Its role was to discourage children from making faces or sticking out their tongues to ridicule others, turning disrespectful behaviour into something that could bring a terrifying consequence.

The available account provides no further details about Tongesnaier’s appearance, origins, or activities beyond this threat. It survives as a local figure used to frighten children into behaving respectfully.

Tongesnaier belongs to the tradition of frightening figures invoked to discourage disobedience and insolence. Through the threat of a brutal punishment, the story reinforces the expectation that children should not mock or deliberately provoke others.

Sources

Spinwijf

October 24, 2026 by cazzy99

Tradition: Dutch Mythology
Alternative Names: Spinjuffer, Spin-An
Category: House dweller

The Myth

The Spinwijf is a mysterious old woman dressed in white who appears spinning by moonlight in lonely, secluded places. Her spinning produces exceptionally long threads, and she is known for using them to trap unsuspecting young men and girls. The creature is reported in Friesland, Drenthe, and Groningen, including the village of Jipsinghuizen.

In Jipsinghuizen, the Spinwijf lives on the Spinberg, where she can be seen spinning in the evening. She produces long threads that she stretches across the ground to make young men stumble. Once they fall, she captures them. Her spinning is therefore not merely a quiet domestic activity but a means of ensnaring people who wander too close to her secluded domain.

In Drenthe, another Spinwijf inhabits a field of grain. When a girl walks through the corn, the old woman seizes her and spins all the hair from her head. This frightening tale connects the spirit’s spinning directly to human hair, turning an ordinary agricultural landscape into a place of supernatural danger.

The Spinwijf combines the familiar image of an elderly woman spinning thread with a threatening supernatural nature. Her long threads become traps for young men, while her encounter with girls in the grain field results in the loss of their hair. These regional stories portray her as a dangerous figure who hides in isolated places and uses her spinning to capture or torment those who approach her.

Sources

Pok

October 24, 2026 by cazzy99

Tradition: Dutch Mythology
Alternative Names: De Pok
Category: House dweller

The Myth

Pok is an evil spirit in Frisian folklore associated with the spontaneous heating of hay. When a blackened patch is discovered inside a bale of hay, people say that Pok has been there, attempting to start a fire.

The spirit’s association with hay reflects the danger of hay heating and potentially catching fire during storage. In the folk belief recorded by Van der Molen, a dark spot in the hay serves as evidence that Pok has tried to kindle a blaze. No further details about the spirit’s appearance or other activities are provided in the available account.

Sources

Boezehappert

October 19, 2026 by cazzy99

Tradition: Dutch Mythology
Alternative Names: Boesjappert
Category: Goblin

The Myth

The Boezehappert, also known as the Boesjappert, is a frightening supernatural creature from the folklore of Friesland and Groningen in the northern Netherlands. In Friesland, it is described as a female necker, or water spirit, that lurks in deep lakes and ditches. It is said to drag children underwater when they play too close to the water’s edge, capturing and devouring them. The creature served as a terrifying warning to children to stay away from dangerous waters, return home when darkness fell, and never linger beside lakes or ditches after sunset.

A poem describes the Boezehappert as an enormous creature measuring four ells in length, with glowing green eyes, large, sharp teeth, horns, scales, and sharp claws. Its monstrous appearance reinforces its role as a predator lurking beneath the water, waiting for unwary children to approach.

In Groningen, the Boezehappert is associated instead with the spirit of a rye field. Despite this difference, it also served as a bogeyman used to frighten children into behaving properly. The creature’s regional variations reflect how local folklore used supernatural threats to warn children of dangers in their surroundings, whether the deep waters of Friesland or the fields of Groningen.

Sources

Hunen

October 17, 2026 by cazzy99

Tradition: Dutch Mythology
Alternative Names: Huinen, Hunnen, Hunewief (giant’s wife), Hunewiven (giant women)
Category: Giant

The Myth

Hunen are giants from the folklore of Drenthe and Overijssel in the eastern Netherlands. They are credited with building the region’s ancient megalithic tombs, known as hunebedden, as well as huneborgen and huneschanzen. They were enormous, powerful men capable of extraordinary feats of strength, including pulling entire trees out of the ground. Their immense strength made them dangerous to ordinary people, even during seemingly harmless encounters.

People had to be careful when a hune offered to shake their hand, as the giant’s grip could crush a person’s hand. In one tale, a farmer anticipated this danger by offering the hune the wooden handle of a manure fork instead. The giant squeezed it so forcefully that he ground the handle into powder. The story illustrates the extraordinary strength of the hunen and the need for ordinary people to use their wits when dealing with them.

The female hunen, known as hunewiven or hunewiefs, were associated with witchcraft. They could use their powers to heal people, but they could also inflict illness through magic. Their frightening reputation extended into family life, particularly in stories about protecting children. A Twents lullaby warns a hunewief to stay away from a baby’s cradle, threatening to beat her if she approaches. The song reflects the fear that a hunewief might make a child sick or steal it away.

The hunen thus occupy an important place in regional Dutch folklore as both legendary builders and powerful supernatural beings. While the male giants were known chiefly for their immense physical strength, their female counterparts possessed magical abilities that could bring either healing or harm. Their association with the ancient megalithic monuments of Drenthe and Overijssel connects these beings to the mysterious origins of the region’s prehistoric landscape.

Sources

Hänsken met de Hond

October 17, 2026 by cazzy99

Tradition: Dutch Mythology
Alternative Names: Wilde Jager, Jakko, Dirk met de Beer, Beerneken van Galen, the Eternal Jew, Hubertus, Hakkelberend, Hänsken met de Hond, Lodewijk van Nassau, Duvelsbender
Category: Ghost

The Myth

The Wild Hunter is the restless spirit of a man, often someone of high social standing, who was punished for insisting on hunting even on Sundays. Condemned to hunt eternally through the sky, he rides with a supernatural retinue of hunters and hounds, forming the terrifying procession known as the Wild Hunt. His passage is announced by a hellish uproar: dogs barking, hunting horns blaring, and hunters shouting and howling as they race through the air.

Encountering the Wild Hunter is considered extremely dangerous. Those who cross his path may be forced to join the eternal hunt, while others risk having their necks twisted around. His spectral procession is therefore more than a frightening spectacle; it is a deadly supernatural force that threatens anyone unfortunate enough to encounter it.

The Wild Hunter is also associated with strange occurrences on Christmas night. According to local traditions, he may take away anything left loose in a farmyard or move it somewhere else. His identity varies between regions, where he is known by numerous names, including Jakko, Dirk met de Beer, Beerneken van Galen, Hubertus, Hakkelberend, Hänsken met de Hond, and Lodewijk van Nassau. Some traditions also identify him with the Eternal Jew or call him the Duvelsbender. Despite these different identities, the stories share a central theme: a hunter condemned to pursue his quarry forever as punishment for violating sacred time.

Sources

Koalemen’ke

October 17, 2026 by cazzy99

Tradition: Dutch Mythology
Alternative Names: Kaolmenke, Kasper, Spirit of the Emma Coal Mine
Category: Ghost

The Myth

Koalemen’ke is a supernatural spirit associated with the Emma coal mine in Hoensbroek, Limburg, in the Netherlands. Also known as Kaolmenke, this mysterious being is described as a spirit of the mountain or the mine, connected to the coal deposits hidden underground. In later versions of the legend, the spirit is given the name Kasper. He wears the clothing of a coal miner and has red, glowing eyes, making him a frightening presence in the dark passages of the mine.

The legend tells of a young boy who disappeared inside the coal mine for three days. When he finally reappeared, he claimed to have spoken with the spirit of the mountain. His strange experience became associated with the mysterious being later known as Koalemen’ke, whose presence was believed to explain some of the uncanny occurrences deep underground.

Koalemen’ke protects the mine’s coal reserves, but his behavior toward the miners is not always benevolent. He sometimes steals their food and tools, disrupting their work and unsettling those who encounter him. More dangerously, he is said to be capable of causing a mine collapse. As both a guardian of the underground riches and a potential source of disaster, Koalemen’ke embodies the dangers and mysteries of working beneath the earth.