Vodyanyk

The Vodyanyk or vodyanoy is a water spirit in Ukrainian and Slovak mythology. It is considered to be the equivalent of the German nix.

This creature appears as a naked old man with a frog-like face, greenish beard, and long hair. His body is covered in scales and algae. The creature has a fish tale and webbed feet and eyes that burn like coals. Due to his wrinkled appearance, he is often called “Grandfather” by locals.

When angered, the Vodyanyk breaks dams, washes down mills, and drowns people and animals. He even drags people underwater to serve him as slaves.

So what inspired this interesting creature?

In Czech and Slovak folklore, the features of the creature are different from the Eastern Slavic conception. He is considered more human with gills and webbed fingers and wears strange clothing. In these stories, they can be either good or evil and can be appeased by gifts. For example, fishermen would sprinkle tobacco over the surface of the water in exchange for a better catch.

There are few different origins for the stories of the Vodyanyk. It is said the creature emerges from the souls of wicked people who are denied entry into heaven. Some historians believe that the creature emerged from the people’s fear of death and the afterlife. It became a boogeyman story for those who lived a bad life.

Other historians point to a more tangible explanation for the origins of the Vodyanyk.

Ukrainurus hypsognathus is an extinct species of giant salamander related to those found in Asia, modern day Russia, and the United States. The group are considered primitive salamanders due to their features and some species are considered fully aquatic.

Like the modern Japanese Salamander – which the Kappa is based on – Ukrainurus could grow to lengths of around 1.5 m. It lived in the Miocene (around 11.5 million years ago).. The remains of this animal was found in an abandoned quarry near the village of Grytsiv in western Ukraine in 2013.

The holotype dentary of Ukrainurus hypsognathus shown in A, lingual; B, dorsal; C, labial; D, ventral views. Scale bar = 1 cm. Image from Vasilyan et al. 2013.

This creature would have had a strong bite force, which would have been used to prey on fish, frogs, and other salamanders. Though Ukrainurus may have been less flexible than modern salamanders.

Like the Kappa, Vodyanyk share many features with giant salamanders. They have the frog face, aquatic lifestyle, and a penchant for drowning prey. It is possible that these giant salamanders inspired both of these myths. And the fear of mortality helped perpetuate the stories.

Sources:

Cryptobranchoidea. Wikiwand. (n.d.). Retrieved July 28, 2022, from https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Pancryptobrancha

Heying, H. (n.d.). Cryptobranchidae (giant salamanders, Hellbenders). Animal Diversity Web. Retrieved July 28, 2022, from https://animaldiversity.org/site/accounts/information/Cryptobranchidae.html

Horton, K. (2021, June 10). The proud, demanding Vodyanoy Rules Russia’s rivers and Lakes. Atlas Obscura. Retrieved July 28, 2022, from https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/monster-mythology-vodyanoy

Vasilyan, D., Böhme, M., Chkhikvadze, V. M., Semenov, Y. A., & Joyce, W. G. (2013). A new giant salamander (Urodela, Pancryptobrancha) from the miocene of Eastern Europe (Grytsiv, Ukraine). Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 33(2), 301–318. https://doi.org/10.1080/02724634.2013.722151