2026-01-16
•3 min read
water spirits
monsters and myths
Bunyip: The Terror of the Billabong
The Australian bush is loud, but the billabong is silent. The Bunyip lurks in the stagnant water, a shapeshifting horror that hugs its victims until their bones break.
australian-mythologyaboriginal-dreamtimeswamp-monsters+2
monsters and myths
Imugi: The Proto-Dragon
It is a dragon that cannot yet fly. The Imugi spends a thousand years in the cold water, waiting for the moment it can catch a celestial pearl and ascend to the heavens.
2026-01-16
•2 min read
korean-mythologydragonsserpents+2
monsters and myths
Kappa: The River Child
It looks like a child with a turtle's shell and a beak. It loves cucumbers. It loves sumo wrestling. And it loves to drown people and steal their souls.
2026-01-16
•2 min read
japanese-folkloreyokaiwater-spirits+2
monsters and myths
Kelpie: The Water Horse
It stands by the loch, a beautiful horse with a dripping mane. It waits for you to climb on. But once you touch its skin, you can never let go.
2026-01-16
•2 min read
scottish-folklorewater-spiritsshapeshifters+2
monsters and myths
La Llorona: The Weeping Woman
If you hear a woman crying by the river at night, do not go to help her. She is looking for her children. And if she can't find them, she will take yours.
2026-01-16
•2 min read
mexican-folkloreghoststragedy+2
monsters and myths
Mami Wata: The Mermaid of Fortune
She is beautiful, enticing, and generous. Mami Wata brings wealth to those who worship her, and ruin to those who betray her. She is the mother of water, and she does not forgive.
2026-01-16
•2 min read
african-mythologywater-spiritsmermaids+2
monsters and myths
Naga: The Serpent King
They live in jeweled palaces beneath the earth and sea. Half-human, half-cobra, the Nagas are the guardians of water and wealth. Respect them, and they bring rain. Anger them, and they bring floods.
2026-01-16
•2 min read
hindu-mythologybuddhist-mythologyserpents+2
monsters and myths
Nokk: The River Musician
He sits by the waterfall, playing a melody so beautiful it makes the stones weep. But do not listen too closely. The Nokk wants to teach you his song, but the tuition is your life.
2026-01-16
•2 min read
scandinavian-folklorewater-spiritsmusic+2
monsters and myths
Qalupalik: The Siren of the Ice
Lurking beneath the frigid waters, the Qalupalik waits for the careless and the lost, whispering promises of warmth and comfort that can only lead to a chilling fate.
2026-01-16
•2 min read
inuit-mythologyarctic-legendswater-spirits+1
monsters and myths
Rusalka: The River Siren
She is the spirit of a woman who died a violent watery death. She sits on the riverbank, combing her green hair. She does not want to kill you. She just wants to play with you until you stop breathing.
2026-01-16
•2 min read
slavic-folklorewater-spiritsghosts+2
monsters and myths
Taniwha: The River Guardian
They live in the deep rivers and darkest caves of New Zealand. Some are protectors, guiding waka to safety. Others are man-eaters who will swallow you whole if you break their tapu.
2026-01-16
•2 min read
maori-mythologywater-spiritsguardians+2
monsters and myths
Tokoloshe: The Assassin Under the Bed
He is small, hairy, and has a hole in his head. He is the Tokoloshe, and he is the reason people in South Africa raise their beds on bricks.
2026-01-16
•2 min read
south-african-folklorezulu-mythologywater-spirits+2