In Slavic mythology, the vodyanoy are water spirits known for dragging their victims into the swamp. They are never seen too far away from their watery abodes because when on land, they have no power but are formidable in water homes. They usually float in rivers, streams, or ponds on a half-sunken log and can be heard making loud splashes as they go with preferences for rivers with strong currents and murky swamps.
In folklore, do not offend the vodyanoy or they will break dam walls, destroy watermills and drown people and animals. Workers near waterways like fishermen, millers, and even bee-keepers made sacrifices in attempts to appease these beings. For bee-keepers, nothing affects the beeslike the state of a nearby river and its flowery banks. In some occasions, the vodyanoy are known to drag their victims down to the depths of their underwater realm and make slaves of them.
Folklore states anyone bathing after sunset, at midday, at midnight, or on a holy day without having made the sign of the cross before entering the vodyanoy’s territory makes themselves a target for it. They are known for attacking poor swimmers, but may also place alluring items such as ribbons and hand mirrors near the banks of water bodies to entice people closer before launching at them from the water.
The Czech, Slovenian, and Slovak equivalent of the Russian vodyanoy is known as a vodník (plural vodníci) and there are both good and malicious types. Their aim is to trap the souls of drowned people in porcelain lid-covered cups. These ghost cups are a form of status, with the number of cups representing their power or strength to other vodyanoy. Should the lid of the cup be removed, the soul will float away, escaping in the form of a bubble.
Vodyanoy are known to marry the drowned or disinherited girls although they will occasionally target happily married women. When a woman gives birth to a vodyanoy’s child, he will emerge from his swamp to request the services of a midwife, who will be handsomely rewarded in gold and silver.
They are believed to hibernate during winter months but when awaken, they crush the ice in the river to disperse it. If in a poor mood once woken, they will destroy the odd watermill but if in a good mood, they will guide fish into fishermen’s nets or warn them against floods.
The vodyanoy also enjoy games of cards, smoking a pipe. Fisherman might place a pinch of tobacco on the surface of the water in the hope the vodyanoy would give them a fish in return.
The vodyanoy resembles a naked old man with a swampy beard, long green hair, and a face like a frog. His body is inevitably covered in algae and mud and he’s covered in black fish scales. He has large webbed hands hands, a fish tail and eyes that are said to burn like hot coals.
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