Water & Legends (mythology)

General

It is true that there are numerous stories and creatures that have something to do with water.The reason is that ancient people wanted to explain all those weird things that happened and were related with water. They did not have any scientific explanation so they wanted to believe that gods cause them!

Nessie

I found this interesting information at http://www.lenntech.com/water-mythology.htm...

Nessie is a mysterious creature claimed to inhabit the Loch ness lake near Inverness, Scotland. The creature is often thought of as female, because of the female tone in its nickname. There are many reports of sightings and some people have even taken pictures they claim to be the monster, but none has been marked conclusive evidence so far. The creature is now thought to be a plesiosaur (a carnivorous aquatic animal from the dinosaur era). Many palaeontologists are against the theory, and claim that the water is to cold for a cold-blooded dinosaur to live in, and that the loch simply does not have enough food to preserve it. Additionally, the dinosaur would have to surface often to breathe, and therefore it would have been seen more often. Some palaeontologists claim it is impossible for an animal that went extinct millions of years ago to live in a lake that dates only 10,000 years back. But many people still believe, stating that animals can adapt to different conditions through time.

And an other one I want to share with you. The Great Flood...

A tale is told about a young man in the past, that a day in which his father was hunting nutria and birds, left in search of a taboo nutria, and killed it. He did so when his father and mother were not there, since they left long before he killed the nutria: this is what the story tells.

But then the story tells that a heavy wind rose, and a violent storm began. And the rain came down till water covered all of the earth.

The young man who killed the nutria remained alive, and ran to save his life, and, how the story tells, he ran to the top of a hill. He remained in the top of the hill, and waited for the flood to retreat. The flood always retreats quickly, doesn’t it?

So the flood retreated, and when he saw he could do it, he went down the hill. When he saw that his brother and mother and father were drowned and hanged from a tree, he went down of the hill, as the story tells.

So he saw that everybody was drowned; and he also saw animals, whales and dolphins scattered throughout the woods, as the flood retreated. So the young man of the past went away, he went away with a girl, the two of them, and they began to build a boat.

They had nothing to build the boat with; so they decided to cover the boat with grass, and they remained there till morning came, this is what the story tells.

When the cold came, the young man had a vision: he dreamed of a coipo, he said he saw him. He also said he dreamed with food, and that he ate in his dream, it was a kind of vision of the future.

And while he was eating in his sleep, he woke up, and said to himself:
- Why was I dreaming of this coipo? I killed the coipo, and ate it while I was sleeping; but how, if I have no fire?
Then he fell asleep again, he slept, and then he woke up: then he woke up his woman too, how the story tells. And he said to his wife:
- Look, go and get a big wooden stick, I dreamt that a coipo was coming, so I send you to fetch the stick to kill him, and we will eat it.

So he felt asleep again, and everything he dreamt, appeared. So the earth was full of animals and things again, this is what the story tells.

The Bride of the Water God

I found a story linked to water = ].

A long time ago, there was a time that was very bad for the people who inhabited these lands. Bulane, the Water God, had not sent any rain for many months. So slowly the rivers dried, first the small ones and then the big ones too, the lakes retired and the wells had no more water in them.
People began following the elephants, and digging everywhere, because these animals normally know where to look for water in dry times. So they dug where the rivers were and where the lakes had been, but the only thing they found was sand.

So, the great chief Rasenke decided that they had to look for water in another region, and he sent Mapopo, his first man, with a caravan of oxen which fetched big dried pumpkins and other things to carry the water in, food for the trip, and wheat and valuable objects he could exchange for water, if he had the luck of finding it.

Mapopo travelled for a long time. One day, he arrived at a very high mountain and from up there could see a small river coming down from the other side. He ran down the mountain and did not stop till he arrived to the river. But when he was almost drinking the water, an invisible hand blocked his head.

He could not believe it, but he ordered to all his men to fill up the pumpkins. But when they tried to do so, they could not get not a drop of that water. So Mapopo, desperate, called for the Water God.

- Sir, why don’t you let us drink?
- Mapopo, said the Water God, you have to come back with the daughter of your chief, princess Motsesa. I want her to be my bride, and then you will be able to drink all the water you want. But if she refuses, all the people will die of thirst in a few days.
- Sir, answered Mapopo, I will bring the message to my chief; but please, let us drink, otherwise the message will never arrive to its destination, because we will die before being able to arrive back to the village. I cannot speak for my chief; I am just a servant of his.
The God Bulane understood, so Mapopo and all of his men could drink water and fill up the pumpkins for all the trip back home. The Water God agreed that his promised wife could not suffer thirst.

The Chief Rasenke was not happy about giving his daughter Motsesa to the Water God, even though it was evident that there was no other solution. The girl left with a caravan full of gifts for Bulane.

The caravan arrived in the valley; the carriers left the gifts there and bade Motsesa farewell, and went sadly back to the village.

So Motsesa remained alone in the middle of all those big mountains, till darkness came and invaded the valley. She was frightened, and looked everywhere to find a good place to sleep, but she couldn’t see any shelter or any living being. She didn’t know what to do. The sky got darker and darker, and when the top of the mountains could not be seen any more, she became very frightened. So she screamed:

- I don’t know where to sleep!
- Sleep just here - answered a voice.
- Here? asked the girl.
- Just here - answered the mysterious voice.

There was nobody there. The princess, who was afraid of wild animals, of the chill and even of the voice who spoke her, stayed awake a long time before she could close her eyes. But she was so tired from the long trip, that finally she fell asleep.

When she woke up, she found herself inside a house, lying in a luxurious bed, and all around her were dishes filled with rich and delicious foods. Since she was hungry, she began to eat, and just as she finished every dish, some invisible hands took it away.

Later, when she felt hungry again, the same invisible hands brought her more food. And so she lived many days, with all she needed around her, but never seeing anybody: she only heard, sometimes, the mysterious voice.

A long time passed, and Motsesa had a child.
Some days later, the mysterious voice gave her permission to go and visit her parents, but just for a visit. When she came back to the mountain, Motsesa brought with her her small sister Senkepen, to be less alone in there.

One day she asked Senkepen to stay with the baby while she went to look for water. But when she was away, the baby began to cry: and Senkepen sang him a song to calm him down. Suddenly, the girl saw a beautiful and elegant man appearing in front of her; his clothes were so bright that she had to close her eyes.

- I am Bulane, the father of the baby - said the man -. Don’t sing any more absurd songs and give me my child. I will stay with him.

Bulane took the child, and the girl, very frightened, ran away. Then Motsesa was back and began sweeping the floor, not knowing that her sister was gone. So she saw Bulane, a very high and bright figure, with her son on his shoulders.
Even if she was very scared, she managed to ask him:

- Who are you and what are you doing with my son?
- I am his father, answered a familiar voice; this is why I have my baby on my shoulders. I am your husband, Motsesa. I am Bulane, the one that opens new paths. Some day I will put my son an armour and he will become a brave warrior who will defend his people, and will be king. I show new paths to the people. The servants of your father had found water because I told them where to look for it. Now I will show you my town. I want you to know, Motsesa, that you are married to a king!

Motsesa was shy, and looked around her: suddenly she saw that there were houses for everybody, that there were many people, sheep, oxen and goats, bringing baskets of food, milk and yoghurt from the mountain. When they saw her, everybody treated her with respect, saluted her and called her “our queen, mother of the prince". Motsesa, who did not expect the love that people showed to her, felt so happy that she cried in joy.

Video...

I found a very interesting video in Youtube = )

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhqLHdfRVpg

THE MYTH OF THE IONIAN SEA.

Greece has many myths and legends.One of them is the myth of theIonian sea.
Io was a very beautiful princess.Zeus,the father of the gods,saw her and fell in love with her.Hera,Zeus' wife,was jelous of Io.She went from Olymp down to earth,went ti Io's palace and tranfigured her in a cow.Then she called a monster called Argos and asked him to keep an eye on her.Zeus learned this and ordered his true servent,Hermes,to go and kill Argos.And this happened.But Hera,when she discovered that Argos was dead,got furious and called a big fly,to hunt the cow Io wherever she goes.Io,when she saw the fly,started to run and fell in the sea,where she drowned.The sea she fell in was named,after her name,Ionian sea.

THE NARRATION OF WATER IN MYTHOLOGY IS EXPECTABLE

I'm interested in mythology too. It is inevitable to narrate water and water related things in mythology, because it has strong effects in humans' lives. The purity of water, its relationship with fertility, etc. cause water to take place in myths. Moreover, there are several water resources that are thought to be sacred in mythology, which are Nil, the Ganges, Euphrates, Tigris.

Lorelei

Her beauty was her undoing. Lorelei was not willfully seductive, but men could not resist her charms, and she could not resist their advances. She was bringing scandal and disgrace to the respectable town of Bacharach-on-the-Rhine.
There was even talk that she must be a witch or a woman possessed of the devil. The bishop, however, would not hear of an execution without due process, and he summoned her to his court. His questions were at first stern and severe. Her answers were simple and sincere. The bishop's severity, his piety, and his priesthood, however, did not prevail, and in the end he pronounced her free of all guilt.

"I cannot continue like this!" she cried. "My eyes are the destruction of every man who looks into them. I have loved only one man, and he abandoned me and left for a distant land. Please let me die!"

But the good bishop could not bring himself to pronounce a death sentence. Instead, he proposed that she dedicate herself to God, and called three knights to accompany her to the convent. Arrangements were made forthwith, and the three knights were soon underway with their beautiful ward.

When their path led them past a high cliff overlooking the Rhine, Lorelei had one last request of her escorts. "Please," she said, "let me climb the cliff and have one last look into the Rhine." Unable to deny her this wish, the three knights tethered their horses, and the four of them climbed to the top of the cliff.

Standing at the edge of the precipice, Lorelei said, "See that boat on the Rhine. The boatman is my lover!" And with no further warning, she jumped from the cliff into the Rhine.

The three knights also met their death there, without a priest and without a grave.

Who is the singer of this song?
A boatman on the Rhine,
And we always hear the echo
Of the Three-Knight-Stone:

Lorelei
Lorelei
Lorelei

As though there were three of us.

Water Nixes, The Water-Man, and His Wife

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.

The Merrow

The Merrow, or if you write it in the Irish, Moruadh or Murrúghach, from muir, sea, and oigh, a maid, is not uncommon, they say, on the wilder coasts. The fishermen do not like to see them, for it always means coming gales.
The male Merrows (if you can use such a phrase -- I have never heard the masculine of Merrow) have green teeth, green hair, pig's eyes, and red noses; duck-like scale between their fingers.

Sometimes they prefer, small blame to them, good-looking fishermen to their sea lovers. Near Bantry in the last century, there is said to have been a woman covered all over with scales like a fish, who was descended from such a marriage. Sometimes they come out of the sea, and wander about the shore in the shape of little hornless cows.

They have, when in their own shape, a red cap, called a cohullen druith, usually covered with feathers. If this is stolen, they cannot again go down under the waves. Red is the color of magic in every country, and has been so from the very earliest times. The caps of fairies and magicians are well-nigh always red.

Brother Nickel

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!"

Holy Lake near Neuhoff

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.

Yorkshire Legends and Traditions of Wells

Springs and wells of water have, in all lands and in all ages, been greatly valued, and in some regarded with a feeling of veneration little, if at all, short of worship.
They have yielded their treasure to the sustenance and refreshment of man and beast, as age after age of the world's history has passed along, and have been centers around which village story and gossip have gathered for generation after generation. Little wonder, therefore, is it that legends and traditions abound concerning them. These are often extremely local, and therefore little known.

The names alone, however, suggest much. The memory of the mythical gods, satyrs, and nymphs of the ancient heathen times lingers in a few, as in Thors-kil or Thors-well, in the parish of Burnsall; and in the almost universal declaration -- by which not over-wise parents seek to deter children from playing in dangerous proximity to a well -- that at the bottom, under the water, dwells a mysterious being, usually named Jenny Green-teeth or Peg-o'-the-Well, who will certainly drag into the water any child who approaches too near to it.

The tokens of medieval reverence for wells are abundant. The names of the saints to whom the wells were dedicated yet cling to them. "There is scarcely a well of consequence in the United Kingdom," says the editor of Lancashire Folk-lore, "which has not been solemnly dedicated to some saint in the Roman calendar."

Thus in Yorkshire we have Our Lady's Well or Lady Well, St. Helen's Well (very numerous), St. Margaret's Well at Burnsall, St. Bridget's Well near Ripon, St. Mungo's Well at Copgrove, St. John's Well at Beverley, St. Alkelda's Well at Middleham, etc. Dr. Whitaker remarks that the wells of Craven, which bear the names of saints, are invariably presided over by females, as was the case with wells under the pagan ritual, in which nymphs exclusively enjoyed the same honor.

Water Demons

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.

shen

In Chinese mythology, the shen or chen (Chinese: pinyin: shèn or chèn; Wade-Giles: shen or ch'en; literally "large clam") is a shapeshifting dragon or sea monster believed to create mirages.

namazu

In Japanese mythology, Namazu is a giant catfish who causes earthquakes. Namazu lives in the mud beneath the earth, and is guarded by the god Kashima who restrains the fish with a stone. When Kashima lets his guard fall, Namazu thrashes about, causing violent earthquakes.

Following an earthquake near Edo (modern day Tokyo) in 1855 (one of the Ansei Great Quakes), the Namazu became worshiped as a yonaoshi daimyojin (god of world rectification). He appeared in a series of unsigned prints, showing him forcing the wealthy to excrete coins for the poor, and atoning for his actions against the peasants. The portraits are known as Namazu-e. The Namazu was not always bad, as seen on the right.

shachihoko

A shachihoko is an animal in Japanese folklore with the head of a tiger and the body of a carp. It was believed that this animal could cause the rain to fall, and as such, temples and castles were often adorned with roof ornaments (shibi) crafted in the form of a shachihoko, in order to protect them from fire.

The above kanji can be pronounced in two different ways. When pronounced "shachihoko", it refers to the mystical animal mentioned above. When pronounced "shachi", it usually means orca. This is a source of confusion, even among the Japanese.

The folklore is derived from Makara of Hindu mythology.

albaia

Abaia is a huge, magical eel in Melanesian mythology.

According to Melanesian mythology the Abaia is a type of large eel which dwells at the bottom of freshwater lakes in the Fiji, Solomon and Vanuatu Islands. The Abaia is said to consider all creatures in the lake its children and protects them furiously against anyone who would harm or disturb them. It is said that those who are foolish enough to try and catch the fish from a lake containing the Abaia are immediately overwhelmed by a tidal wave caused by the thrashing of the Abaia’s powerful tail.

Another version of the legend states that if someone were to harm a creature living in the Abaia’s home, the Abaia would cause a great rain storm flooding the land and drowning those who had caused the harm. One example of this ability is illustrated in the following story:

One day a man discovered a lake in which were many fish, and at the bottom of the lake lived a magic eel, but the man knew it not. He caught many fish and returned the next day with the people of his village whom he had told of his discovery, and they also were very successful, while one woman even laid hold of the great eel, Abaia, who dwelt in the depths of the lake, though he escaped her.

Now Abaia was angry that his fish had been caught and that he himself had been seized, so he caused a great rain to fall that night, and the waters of the lake also rose, and all the people were drowned except an old woman who had not eaten of the fish and who saved herself in a tree.

Although it would seem that the magical powers of the Abaia are the byproduct of human imagination and its fear of the unknown, it has been suggested that Abaia legend may have stemmed from encounters with an actual undiscovered species of giant eel living at the bottom of these remote lakes.

ika-roa

In Māori mythology, Ikaroa is the long fish that gave birth to all the stars in the Milky Way or the Mother Goddess of the all the stars - ornaments of the Sky God. Ika-Roa is also an alternative name for the Milky Way. Ika-roa was also called Mangōroa (long shark) or Mangōroa i ata (long shark in the early dawn).

salmon of wisdom

The Salmon of Wisdom or Salmon of Knowledge (bradán feasa) is a creature figuring in the Fenian Cycle of Irish mythology.

The Salmon figures prominently in The Boyhood Deeds of Fionn, which recounts the early adventures of Fionn mac Cumhaill. According to the story, it was an ordinary salmon that ate the nine hazel nuts that fell into the Well of Wisdom (aka Tobar Segais) from nine hazel trees that surrounded the well. In doing so, the salmon gained all the knowledge in the world. Moreover, the first person to eat of its flesh would, in turn, gain this knowledge.

The poet Finn Eces spent seven years fishing for the salmon. When he finally caught it, he instructed his apprentice, Fionn, to prepare it for him. Fionn burned his thumb when spattered with a drop of the hot fat from the cooking salmon and immediately sucked on it to ease the pain. Unbeknownst to Fionn, all the wisdom had been concentrated into that one drop, and Fionn had just imbibed it all.

When he brought the cooked meal to Finegas, his master saw a fire in the boy's eyes that had not been there before. When asked by Finegas, Fionn first denied that he had eaten of the fish. But when pressed, Fionn admitted his accidental taste. Throughout the rest of his life, Fionn could access this font of knowledge merely by biting his thumb.

It was this incredible knowledge and wisdom gained from the Salmon of Knowledge that allowed Fionn to become the leader of the Fianna, the famed heroes of Irish myth.

In Welsh mythology, the story of how the poet Taliesin received his wisdom follows a similar pattern.

Source

Quote used for the above posts is http://www.lenntech.com/water-mythology.htm
Go ahead and check it out for everyone who is intrested, it's a good read.

triton

Triton is the god of the sea and messenger of the deep in Greek mythology, son of Poseidon and Amphrite, and though to be a merman

Gods

In the old days, any tribe had its own religion, and different religions described many gods. Here is are some examples of these divinities. Keep in mind that some may overlap.

Abzu - water lord in Sumerian mythology that threatens to take back the creation of men by a universal flood, but is imprisoned beneath the earth by Enki (Mesopotamia)
Alignak – god of tides in Inuit mythology (Siberia, Greenland and Alaska)
Arnemetia – water goddess in British mythology
Asopus - river god in Greek mythology, and father to river nymph Aegina
Atl – god of water in Aztec mythology (Central Mexico)
Atlaua – god of fishermen in Aztec mythology
Boann – goddess of the River Boyne in Irish mythology
Chalchiuhtlatonal – god of water in Aztec mythology
Doris – goddess of the Mediterranean Sea, wife of Nereus and mother of the Nereids in Greek mythology
Duberdicus – god of water in Lusitanian mythology (Portugal)
Dylan Eil Ton – sea god in Welsh mythology (pre-Christian Britons)
Enki - god of the freshwater ocean of groundwater under the earth in Sumerian mythology (also referred to as Ea)
Hydros – god of freshwater in Greek mythology
Manannán mac Lir – sea and weather god in Irish mythology
Neptune/ Poseidon – god of the sea in Roman and Greek mythology
Nereus – god of the Mediterranean Sea, shape-shifter, fortune-teller, and son of Gaia and Pontus in Greek mythology
Nethuns – god of wells in Etruscan mythology (Italy)
Ninhursag - goddess of the waters and consort of Enki in Sumerian mythology
Pontus – pre-Olympian sea god in Greek mythology, and son of Gaia (earth) and Aether (air)
Proteus – early sea god in Greek mythology, he may be either a son of Poseidon, or of Oceanus and a Naiad
Rodon – god of the sea in Illyrian mythology (Balkans)
Saraswati – goddess of knowledge in Hinduism, originally a river goddess (the Saraswati River was named after her)
Tootega – goddess that walked on water in Inuit mythology
Trition - god of the sea and messenger of the deep in Greek mythology, son of Poseidon and Amphrite, and though to be a merman
Untunktahe – water god with great magical powers in Native America (Lakota) mythology
Varun - god of rain and the celestial ocean (above heaven and below the Underworld) in Hinduism
Yah - god of the waters in Canaanite mythology (Canaan)
Yami - goddess of rivers, sister to the Hindu god of death and daughter of the Sun god

Hydros

Hydros is the god of freshwater in Greek mythology

Ys

Myth tells us in Brittany a city called Ys once existed, which was built by a Briton king for his daughter Dahut. The city was built below sea level, and was protected by a dam to which only one man had the keys. But one day supposedly Dahut tricked the man into giving her the keys, and she opened the door in the dam to let her lover in. Consequently Ys was flooded and disappeared below sea level. Not all stories blame the flooding on Dahut. According to some gods destroyed the dam to punish the city. Ys was said to be so beautiful that the city of Lutèce was renamed Paris, which means similar to Ys.

Underworld

The Underworld is a mythological realm of the god or goddess of the dead, where the spirits of the deceased stay. It is known in many different languages under different names, such as Naraka (India), Helheim (Scandinavia and Germany) and Uca Pucha (Incas). The Underworld was separated from the worlds of the living by five rivers, namely Acheron (river of woe), Cocytus (river of lamentation), Phlehethon (river of fire), Lethe (river of forgetfulness), and Styx (river of hate). The latter was famous because Zeus forced gods to drink the entire river Styx if they had forsaken an oath. The water was said to be so foul that the god in question would lose his or her voice for nine years. Additionally, Achilles was dipped in the River Styx by his mother to make him immortal.

Mu

Mu was a continent once located in the Pacific Ocean that is believed to have sunk into the depths of the sea. Monsieur A. Le Plongeon derived the idea of Mu as a continent from ancient Mayan writings. Modern plate tectonics rules out the existence of a lost continent, because there is no evidence of aluminium-silicon alloys (SiAl) on the ocean floor, which would mark continental masses. Some people now believe Mu and Lemuria are actually the same continent.

POSEIDON

Poseidon is the Greek God of the seas. Usually depicted with a large beard, an a tripod.

Lemuria

Lemuria is a hypothetical lost continent that was located either in the Indian or Pacific Ocean. Its existence has been thoroughly researched, because many Darwinian scientists believed it to contain the missing link fossil records on the origin of the human species. At present scientists have rendered the existence of Lemuria unlikely by researching plate tectonics. However, occult writers and some ancient peoples have accepted its existence as a valid theory. They believe the continent existed long ago, and sank beneath the ocean because of geological changes. Helena Blavatsky claimed in her book in the 1880’s that the human population on Lemuria turned to black magic, causing the continent to sink and the gods to create a new race on Atlantis.

Fortunate Isles

The Fortunate Isles, or the Isles of the Blessed, were thought to be locations where heroes of Greek mythology entered a divine paradise. The islands were supposedly located in the Atlantic Ocean, near the Canary Islands. It is stated that Macaronesia may be what is left of these islands today.

kappa

These are Japanese water demons who look like small, naked men, with a turtle's shield and a water-filled bowl-shaped head. They lurk in water for unsuspecting passers-by to drag them into the deep and devour them. There are two strange ways to avoid this fate. One is to carve one's name into a cucumber and throw it into the water. Sicne the kappa love cucumbers more than anything else, there is a good chance that they are distracted enough by that treat. Another choice is to bow before the demon. The demon is then obliged to bow back, pouring out the water on his head. As long as there is no water, the kappa is helpless, and during the time it takes to replenish the water, flight is possible

Avalon

Avalon was a magical island that is said to have existed off the coast of Britain, and supposedly vanquished after some time. It was famous for its beautiful apples. Avalon is part of many stories and legends. It is said to be the island where Jesus and Joseph of Arimathea visited Britain, and consequently it is placed near Glastonbury and the church present there. Arthurian legend states the Lady of the Lake lived in Avalon. It is said that this is the island where they buried King Arthur after the fight with his son Mordred cost him his life. Another supposedly sunken island near the coast of Britain, called Lyonesse, is often associated with Avalon. It is said to be the birthplace of the legendary Tristan, from the legend of Tristan and Isolde.

Atlantis

The Greek philosopher Plato first mentioned Atlantis as an island that once existed. He stated this island was a naval power that had conquered parts of Western Europe and Africa. Some 9,000 years before Plato’s time a natural disaster caused Atlantis to sink into the sea. It is thought to have been located in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean between Africa and America. Throughout the centuries the theory of Atlantis was mostly rejected, and often parodied. During the Middle Ages the theory was forgotten, but it was rediscovered in modern times. Some philosophers think that Atlantis existed, and its peoples were highly culturally developed. They were even named predecessors of the modern Aryan race by some. It was thought they possessed aircraft and ships powered by some form of energy crystal. Modern theory sometimes states that some modern Islands are parts of Atlantis that rose from the ocean

anahita

Anahita (or Nahid in modern Farsi), meaning "unstained" or "immaculate", is the Persian goddess of war and motherhood, and hence the source of life. Her full name is Ardvi Sura Anahita Shahr Banu. She is the goddess of pure waters and fertility, and her temples built near natual springs, rivers or lakes.

Tristan and Isolde

Tristan was a knight in the court of King Marc of Wales. One day he was summoned to bring the princess of England, Isolde, to king Marc's court. The king of England had promised her to the king to be his wife. While on their way to Whales, a fortunate accident caused both Tristan and Isolde to drink the love potion aboard their ship that was meant for Isolde and king Marc. They fell in love with each other, and started meeting in secret after Isolde's wedding to the king. However, they were caught by a dwarf and king Marc was warned. To save Isolde's honour, Tristan dressed as a pilgrim, and as Isolde passed she asked the pilgrim to carry her across the river. After the pilgrim had done so, she swore to king Marc that none but him and this pilgrim had ever held her in his arms. King Marc, unaware of the fact that the pilgrim was actually Tristan in disguise, believed her and reinstated her as his wife.

Perseus

As Perseus, a hero of Greek mythology, passed the cliffs of Ethiopia, he noticed a beautiful woman tied to the rocks. She appeared to be the Ethiopian princess Andromeda, and she was to be offered to a sea monster that was sent to the country by a sea god her mother had aggravated. Perseus felt sorry for Andromeda and used his sickle to kill the monster. Together, Perseus and Andromeda returned to Andromeda's home. Her parents were very happy to see her again alive, and decided to approve of a marriage between their daughter and Perseus

Underworld

Every ancient nation has it's own mythology but most of them agree on one thing; the underworld.
Either named Kato Kosmos for greeks, Hellheim for the scandinabians and the german tribes, Naraka for the Indians or Ucha Pucha for the Incas it is the same exactly thing.
The only thing that seperated underworld from the above world are 5 different rivers namely Acheron (river of woe), Cocytus (river of lamentation), Phlehethon (river of fire), Lethe (river of forgetfulness), and Styx (river of hate).
As mentioned before river Styx is the river where Thetis soaked her Son, Achiles to grant him immortality.

Orpheus

Orpheus
Orpheus was a man that fell deeply in love with river nymph (naiad) Eurydice. They lived a happy life together, and Orpheus sang many a song about Eurydice's beauty. One day however, Eurydice was bitten by a snake while walking the fields, and she died instantly without being able to say goodbye to Orpheus. Orpheus, saddened by the loss of his loved one, decided to journey to the Underworld to try and get her back. He met up with Hades and Persephone, and sang to convince them of his love for the naiad. They were deeply moved, and told him he could take Eurydice back to the surface. However, he was to walk many paces ahead of her, and if he were to look back she would have to stay in the Underworld without him, forever. After some time Orpheus no longer heard Eurydice's paces behind him, and he started to doubt whether she kept up with him as he hastily tried to leave the Underworld. Eventually, he looked around at her. There she was, but he only looked into her eyes for a brief moment before she vanished into the Underworld forever. Orpheus attempted to find her again, but Hades would no longer allow him access. He returned to the surface alone, a broken man, and sang songs of Eurydice's beauty until the day he died.

Noah

In the bible, Noah and his family are mentioned as the sole human survivors of the Great Flood. Noah was of the tenth generation after Adam, and all peoples of the world would descend from his sons Shem, Ham and Japheth. According to Legend Noah was told by God to build an Arc to save himself and his family from the flood that would destroy all mankind. He brought two of every kind of animal with him in the Arc, one male and one female. After one hundred and fifty days the water receded, and the Arc washed onto the mountains of Ararat. Noah built an altar there, and afterwards continued his life. It is said he lived to become 900 years old, and therewith was the last of the ancient peoples that were immensely long-lived. The story has many versions and in the flood myths of different Ancient Near-East countries, the flood survivor is given different names. Examples are Atrahasis, Ziusudra, and Utnapishtim in Sumerian mythology. The man in the Sumerian myth is saved from the flood by a warning of groundwater god Enki (see 4). This god was usually depicted covered with fish scales, with two streams of water originating from his shoulders, one being the Tigris, and the other the Euphrates. Another example of a different version of the legend of the Great Flood is that of Manu in Hindu mythology

Menelaus

Menelaus was husband to Helena of Troy, before Paris came and took her away because he loved her. On his journey back from the Trojan War, he encountered Eudothea, daughter to the sea god Proteus. She confides in him and tells him that by capturing her father he could force him to reveal which of the gods Menelaus had offended, and how to satisfy them before returning home. Proteus usually slept on the beach among the whales, and there Menelaus captured him. Proteus, a shape-shifter in nature, turned into a lion, a snake, a pig, a tree, and some other things. However, Menelaus mentioned to hold him down and Proteus told him how to satisfy the gods. He also informed Menelaus that his brother Agamemnon was murdered, and that Odysseus stranded on the isle of Calypso on his way home from the Trojan War.

Bermuda Triangle

Bermuda, Puerto Rico and Fort Lauderdale compose the three edges of the well-known Bermuda Triangle.
Many things have been heard about this area.
Some claim that the rules of physics are not obeyed and some claim that the triangle has opossite magnetism, causing the GPS devices of the ships and planes to crash thus leaving the responsibles unable to respond.
The only sure thing about Bermuda Triangle is that over the past few decades many boats and planes have crashed which remains until now a mysery,

Manu

In Hindu mythology, Manu was a man that survived a great flood. One day as he washed his hands in the river, a fish swam into his hands and begged him to save his life. It was Matsya, an avatar (the bodily manifestation of a god). Manu put the fish in a jar, and as it grew bigger he subsequently placed in a tank, a river and than the ocean. Then, the fish warned him that soon a great flood would destroy all life. Manu built a boat and was towed onto a mountaintop by Matsya, thereby surviving the flood.

Daedalus and Icarus

One Greek legend tells us the story of Daedalus and his son Icarus being locked up in the labyrinth of the Minotaur by king Minos. Daedalus had one day helped the queen to get together with a white bull she had fallen in love with, and thus the Minotaur was born. A fierce creature, the Minotaur needed to be fed with at least fourteen Athens every nine years, so Daedalus and Icarus spend their time waiting until the Minotaur would find them, and eat them. One day Daedalus had formulated an escape plan; he decided to fabricate massive wings from the wings of birds his son shot from time to time. He tied together the bird wings with wax. Eventually, the massive wings were ready and the two set out to escape. Daedalus warned his son not to fly too close to the sun, because the wax would melt and the wings would no longer work. However, Icarus was so stunned by the whole thing working so well he totally forgot his father’s warning. He flew too close to the sun, the wax melted and his wings fell apart. Unable to help him, Daedalus watched helplessly as his only son fell down with amazing speed and landed in the sea. The blow as he hit the water was probably so fierce he died instantly.

Beowulf

Beowulf was a hero in an old Anglo-Saxon poem. He defeated two monsters living in a lake in an underwater cave. The monster Grendel had been torturing the people in Danish mead-hall Heorot for many years, and he had taken many a brave soldier for his dinner. When Beowulf and his army came, the people of Heorot could not believe they were capable of taking on the monster, but wanted to give them a chance nevertheless. Beowulf and his army waited for the monster in the hall, long after the residents had gone to sleep. As Grendel came it seemed at first Beowulf's men would get the worst of it, because their swords did not have any effect upon the giant monster's thick skin. Than Beowulf grabbed Grendel's arm and would not let go. A long struggle followed, and eventually Beowulf managed to tear off the arm. Grendel returned to his mother, and bled to death. Next, Beowulf went to the underwater cave to kill the mother as well. He managed to do so with a sword present in the cave that had once belonged to Grendel. As his man stared into the water and saw blood flooding upwards, they thought their great leader had perished. But Beowulf swam up, greeted his men, and returned to Heorot a hero.

Deucalion

In Greek mythology, Deucalion was the son of Prometheus, the Greek Titan of fire. Zeus was angry of the Greek people for their holistic beliefs, and he ended the Bronze Age with a Great Flood. The sea rose and washed everything clean, but Deucalion’s father had forewarned him of the flood. He built and provisioned an arc and consequently he and his wife Pyrrha were the sole survivors. As the flood ended they built an altar for Zeus and he changed rocks into children. The men were called Deucalions, and the women were called Pyrrhas.

Water nymphs (Naiads)

Nymphs are female nature entities that are bound to a particular location or land form. Naiads are water nymphs, and inhabit fountains, wells, springs, brooks, rivers, marshes, ponds and lagoons. The essence of a naiad was bound to the water body she inhabited. If a spring dried, the naiad within it died. In some stories naiads are depicted as dangerous creatures, because they could take men underwater when fascinated by their beauty, and these men were never to be seen again. Naiads were known by their jealous nature. A naiad that was once cheated by her husband is said to have blinded him in revenge. In Greek mythology naiads were friendly creatures that helped sailors fight perilous storms. They also had the power of foresight, and were said to make prophecies.

Vodianoi

These were water spirits in Slavic mythology that supposedly lived in underwater palaces made from sunken ships. They were depicted old men with long green beards, covered in hairs, scales and slime. It was said the Vodianoi were offended by the boldness of humans, and would therefore cause swimmers to drown. They took the drowned down to their underwater dwellings to serve as slaves, with the exception of millers and fishermen, whom they might befriend. Vodianoi were often married to Rusalka and like Rusalka, they may have been the spirits of unclean dead. Some thought they were able to transform into fish.

Uncegila

Uncegila was a mighty water snake in Native American (Lakota) mythology. She polluted rivers and subsequently flooded the land with salt water so nothing could grow. According to myth twins that hit the only fragile spot on her body eventually killed her. As the sun scorched her flesh it dried up the soils, and it is said this led to the development of the Nebraska and Dakota Badlands; a large desert area in the USA.

Titans

The Titans were twelve divine beings that ruled the earth in Greek mythology. They were associated with the primal concepts drawn from their names, such as ocean, moon and memory. Oceanus and Thetys, children of Uranus and Gaia, were the Titans that ruled over the sea. Oceanus was said to have the upper body of a man with a long beard and horns, and the lower body of a serpent. He ruled over the oceans. His sister Thetys ruled over the rivers, including the Nile and the Menderes. They married each other and had over 3000 children, known as the Oceanids. After the Olympians, the younger siblings of the Titans, eventually overthrew them, Poseidon (Neptune) and his unwilling queen Amphitrite ruled over the waters.

Tahoratakarar

In Polynesian mythology, a woman named Takua was once abducted by two evil spirits, and they stole the baby inside her. Than the sea rose, and the two spirits dissolved in a cloud. The boy, called Tahoratakarar, was raised by the sea itself. Other sea spirits built him a big boat that was tied to the Underworld. It sailed by night and stopped if someone died at sea, collecting his or her soul. The boat was known in myth as the Boat of Souls, or the Boat of the Dead. The myth resembles that of Charon in Greek mythology.