Are there any legends related to water?

Question

Are there any legends related to water?

Answer 1

Water Demons

Scotland

In many of the deep pools of the streams and rivers guardian-demons were believed to reside, and it was dangerous to bathe in them.

Sometimes, when a castle or mansion was being sacked, a faithful servant or two contrived to rescue the plate chest, and to cast it into a deep pool in the nearest stream.

On one occasion a diver was got to got to the bottom of such a pool to fetch up the plate of the neighboring castle. He dived, saw the plate chest, and was preparing to lift it, when the demon ordered him to go to the surface at once, and not to come back. At the same time the demon warned him that, if he did come back, he would forfeit his life. The diver obeyed. When he reached the bank he told what he had seen, and what he had heard.

By dint of threats and promises of large reward, he dived again. In a moment or two afterwards his heart and lungs rose and floated on the surface of the water. They had been torn out by the demon of the pool.

Holy Lake near Neuhoff

Germany

There is a lake known as Holy Lake near the village of Neuhoff not far from the Elbe River in the district of Wolmirstedt.

At the time of Burkhard, the twenty-seventh archbishop of Magdeburg, who served from the year 1295 to the year 1304, this lake was filled with spirits and ghosts. They often frightened the fishermen and boatsmen, and caused them much harm, drowning and causing the miserable death of many a man. When Archbishop Burkhard, a very pious and God-fearing man, heard of this, he went to the lake with great sincerity, and blessed the place, driving the evil spirits away, and they have never been seen there again.

From that time until the present day the lake has been known as Holy Lake.

Brother Nickel

Germany

On the Island of Rügen, in a thick forest, there is a deep lake. It is rich with fish, but its water is cloudy, and one cannot fish there. Nonetheless, many long years ago a number of fishermen attempted to do so, and brought their boat to the lake. The next day they returned home for their nets, and when they came back, their boat had disappeared. Then one of the fishermen looked around and discovered the vessel stuck in the top of a tall beech tree.

He cried out: "Who in the devil put my boat up the tree?"

They saw no one, but a voice from nearby answered, saying, "The devils did not do it. I did it together with my brother Nickel!"

Water Nixes, The Water-Man, and His Wife

Poland/Germany

The water-man (Wendish wodny muz), also called the nix (Wendish nykus), as well as his spouse the water-woman (wodna zona), lives in the rivers, lakes, and ponds of Lusatia. He tempts passers-by to go bathing, in order to drown them. This he does to everyone who trespass into his domain while bathing. Blue spots on a drowned person's body are a sign that the nixes caused the drowning.

In appearance a nix cannot be distinguished from a human. On dry land he is powerless, and can be taken prisoner and forced into servitude. He produces children with his wife, and these interact with human children. They even associate with humans at dances and fall in love with pretty girls and young men. The daughter of a water-man can always be recognized by the wet hem on her skirt.

The water-man usually wears a red cap on his head, and the water-woman red stockings on her feet. Further, in the towns of Upper Lusatia it has been observed that if a man wearing a linen jacket with a wet bottom hem comes to the weekly market and buys grain at above the market price, then grain will become more expensive. However, if he sells grain at a better price than others, the price of grain will fall. This man is the water-man.

His wife is often seen sitting on a bank in her red stockings spinning or bleaching her laundry. In this last instance it means there will be rainy weather or high water. Just as the water-man bargains with grain, she bargains with butter, thus giving an indication of future prices.

In the region around Zittau during the moon's first and last quarters, the water-man sits on riverbanks where the water is slow and deep and makes no sound. His appearance is ugly, with a very pale face and long black hair that hangs down to his shoulders. He is dressed from head to foot in brownish-yellow leather that has been put together entirely from little scraps. By moonlight he counts them aloud, at the same time slapping his legs with his hands. He can be recognized by this sound.

Curiosity seekers and daredevils, lured by this sound, have seen him sitting there on an overhanging bank and have attempted to interrupt him by counting and clapping. He slipped into the murmuring water, and nothing happened to them, but then they had the unpleasant experience of hearing clapping and counting in front of their house every night. This continued until fear and anger finally caused them to join in with the counting, upon which they heard loud laughter, and were then no longer disturbed in their rest.

Answer 2

check this link

http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/water.html

Answer 3

Yes! And almost every country has story or legends related to water. In Germany they have Holy Lake, Brother Nickel, Lorelei. In England, they have the Yorkshire Legends and Traditions of Wells, The Water Snake in Russia, The Mirrow in Ireland, Water Demon in Scotland, The Sea Nymph in Sweden and a lot more. Browse the net to find out more about these stories.

Answer 4

Poseidon

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poseidon

Answer 5

A few thousand.   Most major waterfalls have a "maiden abandoned who jumped to her death" story.   Most large rivers have stories of the god who created it; most wild rivers have similar legends of why it is so rocky.   I think there is a Paul Bunyon tale about digging the Mississippi and the Great Lakes.   Rainbows are made with water and there are stories galore about them, starting with pots of gold at the end of.

Answer 6

Yes