Marshes are dangerous places at the best of times, but European folklore fills the fens with otherworldly perils as well. Let's take a look at...
- The Nefarious Näcken
- Skulking Jenny Greenteeth
- The Lurking Bolotianyk (AKA Bolotnik, Balotnik or Blotnik)
- Will-o'-the-Wisp and the Lantern Men
- The Bizarre Tarasque
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| Waterlilies were a sign that a näcken may be lurking nearby... (Robert Guss) |
The Nefarious Näcken
The Scandinavian näcken was both musical and malevolent. This shapeshifting water spirit could be found in streams, mill ponds, beaches, creeks and water meadows - and the presence of waterlilies dramatically increased the likelihood of an encounter.
So what did the näcken do to foster such a fearsome reputation? Well, the simplest bit of mischief was his habit of biting bathers and inflicting diseased small wounds that never really healed... or outright drowning incautious swimmers. Various rituals could be followed to help avoid this danger - throwing stones in a high arc to hit the water vertically, spitting on or stabbing the beach with a knife were all said to ward off a näcken.
Another talent of the näcken was music - they were expert fiddlers (sometimes the stories substitute this for a flute or accordion) and could lure people into the water with their music... or enchant them to dance all night, sometimes resulting in death by exhaustion. Particularly skilled human musicians were sometimes said to have made a bargain with a näcken - by visiting them on three Thursdays and then sacrificing a cat or drops of blood on the last visit, one could learn a portion of their musical talent.
Yet another trick was shapeshifting - the näcken often took the form of an old naked man, but could take other shapes (such as a fiancé or attractive stranger) to lure a victim to their death. They could also take the form of a "brook horse" that (like similar Scottish and Irish creatures) would carry riders into a watery grave!
A similar water spirit can be found in the Näkki, a shapeshifting water-hag that lurked in murky pools, under bridges and sometimes in springs or wells. She'd use her talents to appear as a friendly (or even attractive) human, only to reveal her true nature and drag victims beneath the water when they got close!
Skulking Jenny Greenteeth
Ever wondered what could be lurking below the surface of a weed-covered pond? British folklore had an answer - a predatory water hag known as Jenny Greenteeth.
The story goes that Jenny Greenteeth lurked beneath the surface, waiting for an unwary victim to get close. She particularly favored still bodies of water choaked with duckweed, small floating plants that aggressively cover the surface of a pond if nothing stops them.
The first glimpse prey would get was a woman with green skin, green hair, big eyes and wicked claws lunging for them. The hag would then drag her victim back below the surface, with the weed-covered water rolling back over her hiding place.
The folklore of Jenny Greenteeth does have an element of "truth in television" as duckweed-covered pools can be pretty dangerous. It's hard to judge their depth, they may have a sticky mud bottom and duckweed naturally spreads back out to cover any momentary clear spot on the surface!
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| Fairly effective camouflage... (Townsend Walton) |
The Lurking Bolotianyk (AKA Bolotnik, Balotnik or Blotnik)
A rather unappealing creature from Slavic folklore is the bolotianyk, whose name alone means swamp, mud or puddle depending on the region.
Depictions of the creature vary, but a running theme is a bulky old man that sits at the bottom of a swamp. His skin is often covered in scales and algae, while he can either have large frog-like eyes or no eyes at all.
This malevolent trickster would attempt to ensnare people (especially ones playing pipes at night) and animals that got too close to the water's edge. It could make the sounds of ducks or cows to lull prey into a false sense of security, produce strange lights to lure the curious or even grow mind-altering plants to stupefy travelers. Anything that came within reach would be grabbed and dragged down into the muddy depths.
Ukrainian and Belarusian takes on this creature are sometimes a bit less nasty, inviting travelers to spend the night in their beautifully decorated homes and lavishing their guests with gifts... only for the morning to reveal that they've spent the night wandering in the swamps and the gifts were simple vegetation and detritus!
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| Could wisps be oxidizing phosphorus? (m63mueller) |
Is there a more iconic bit of marsh folklore than the will-o'-the-wisp?
Usually perceived as floating, flickering flames or glowing lights, the scientific jury is still out on what actually causes this phenomena. One theory is that "ignis fatuus" (foolish fire) is actually phosphorous released beneath the water - oxidizing phosphorus can create puffs of eerie glowing smoke... and all it takes is exposure to normal air.
Folklore claims that wisps were really the malevolent spirits of the bog (or even the ghosts of those who drowned in the marshes) and that they would attempt to lure travelers to their deaths. Decaying organic matter (up to and including human bodies) is a source of phosphorus, so there may actually be something to that theory - treacherous areas where animals have drowned (or even areas with plenty of sloppy, rotting vegetation and deep water) would be more likely to be phosphorus-rich and thus have wisps!
Will-o'-the-wisps may rely on gentle trickery to lure victims to their doom, but the lantern men of Cambridgeshire in England are a great deal more aggressive. Seen in places like Wicken Fen, the lantern men initially behave like a typical wisp... but are also drawn to both whistling and the presence of lights. Dropping face down in the mud with your mouth pressed to the ground is said to throw them off, while alternating whistles with a friend or abandoning your light can create an opportunity to escape... and stories tell of crushed or burnt lights recovered the next day.
The mysterious death of wherryman Joseph Bexfield in 1809 is sometimes attributed to the work of a lantern man. Bexfield was an experienced swamper and highly familiar with the marshes, but one night he made the mistake of going to collect a parcel he'd left on his wherry (shallow-draught cargo boat.) His body washed up three days later.
Lantern men were sometimes attributed another power - the ability to take the breath of a victim. If we cycle back to the theory that these marsh apparitions are caused by gas, it's quite possible that they could asphyxiate those breathing the noxious swamp vapors!
The Bizarre Tarasque
Believe it or not, the Tarasque isn't just the fevered imaginings of a Dungeons and Dragons writer - the creature is actually based on a creature from the mythology of Provençal in France, where it was said to haunt the swamps of Tarascon and banks of the Rhône.
A fearsome hybrid of dragon, crocodile, turtle, scorpion and lion, the beast was said to be 15m in height and 20m in length. What did it eat? Well, with those features you might have already have guessed the answer - whatever (and whomever) it liked.
The beast's reign of terror was stopped by a young nun known as Martha. Armed only with faith, holy water and a cross, she managed to subdue the beast and leash it with her girdle. The fearsome monster was led before the people of Tarascon, who promptly put it to death. Martha's exploits led to her sainthood, and Tarascon still holds parades (complete with an effigy of the beast) to this day.
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