#aquatic creatures | bestiarium (2024)

The waterduivel [Belgian/Flemish folklore]

(image source: commissioned by @another_maker on Instagram)

There is no shortage of myths about aquatic monsters that grab people and drag them to a watery death, it is a common trope throughout mythology and folklore around the world. This is a natural consequence of people’s fear of water, and also because parents used to tell such tales to children to dissuade them from playing close to water, where they might drown.

In Flanders, Belgium, the local waterways were haunted by creatures known as waterduivels. The name ‘waterduivel’ literally means ‘water devil’ and it’s used both to refer to a specific creature and (sometimes) as a general term for mythical aquatic monsters. Hence, the abilities and appearances of waterduivels vary between stories.

One account from Leo Janissen (second source, I haven’t succeeded at locating a copy of his work but I did find second hand descriptions), describing the waterduivels that supposedly live in the river Maas, claims that these creatures were humanoid with black skin and horns protruding from their heads. Their faces were adorned with curved, wicked tusks and their large eyes where glowing like burning coals. On Saint John’s Day, which is July 24, these monsters are more dangerous than usual. They climb out of the water and drag as many people as they can find below the waves.

Another account from Kinrooi – written down in Leuven in the mid-20th century – claims that the duivels sometimes wielded large, curved metal hooks which they used to pull people under the water if someone looked into a well. This story may have been invented to scare children who might otherwise fall into a well and drown. Sometimes these creatures also had a metal chain, which they rattled to scare people. These monsters also had some degree of control over cats: people who met a waterduivel often found themselves being followed by a large herd of cats. In one story, the protagonist is chased by 60 cats – all of them had bright white fur – until he found his courage and attacked one of the feline pursuers, chopping off its front paw. The next morning, one of the women in the village had lost her hand (the implication being that the cats that consort with waterduivels are actually shapeshifting witches in disguise).

One myth from Bruges tells of a beautiful girl named Marieke. She was the lover of a young and handsome bard named Claes. Claes traveled between castles and palaces to sing to nobles and barons, which left little time to spend with his loved one. One day, he gave her a beautiful necklace with a slice of agate, which Marieke cherished dearly. Every time she looked at the jewel, she thought of Claes.

At the quay next to her house, there lived a wicked waterduivel. He lusted after the beautiful girl and one day, he used his considerable magic prowess to transform himself into a golden bird. After landing on the windowsill, the fiend watched Marieke closely and eventually asked her what she would give to see her lover again. “Anything” was her reply, as she was consumed by love. The bird then told her to go to the edge of the water at exactly midnight, for Claes would be there.

Marieke was suspicious but the desire to see Claes again was stronger than her common sense, and she did as she was told. But as soon as the Belfort’s clock struck 12, the waterduivel climbed on land and sucked all the blood and the very life force out of her body, before disappearing beneath the waves. Claes found her there the next morning, and his heart immediately ceased beating. He fell on top of her, locked in a kiss from which neither of them would ever get up.

Another tale from Weert claims that a waterduivel lived there and regularly pulled people under, until one day the monster somehow got hooked to a ship and was pulled away. Yet another story tells of a waterduivel hiding in the canal. Sometimes it could be heard making strange noises, and the next morning lots of dead fish were floating on the surface. Nobody dared to eat them, for the fish were killed by supernatural forces.

These monsters were always malicious but some of them were tricksters, preferring to prank and annoy people rather than outright hurting or drowning victims. It is said that one such creature made its home in the waterways of Wetteren. The waterduivel would wait in a stream or river until a traveller walked by, and then it would jump on its victim’s back and demand to be carried to whatever destination it had in mind.

But not all of these stories had sad endings, for not all of the waterduivels were cunning and smart. One myth is about the Schaartje stream, where a waterduivel made horrible noises and nobody dared to come close to the water. Until one day, a brave drunk man was walking to Sint-Jan and passed by the stream. He heard the ruckus but wasn’t having any of that bullsh*t and ignored the fiend. Surprised, the monster came on land and the man asked him who he was. “I’m the waterduivel”, it said. “If you’re a waterduivel, then you should be able to swim” the drunkard replied. He was a physically strong and fit man, and so he had no trouble overpowering the fiend and yeeting it into the water. It drowned there, for indeed the creature was incompetent and never learned how to swim.

Sources:De co*ck, A., 1921, Vlaamsche Sagen uit den Volksmond, Maatschappij voor goede en goedkope lectuur, Amsterdam, 219 pp.https://www.abedeverteller.nl/van-aardmannetje-tot-zwarte-juffer-een-lijst-van-nederlandse-en-vlaamse-elfen-en-geesten/ which cites “Janissen, L., 1930, Het Lokkend Licht” but I haven’t been able to obtain a copy of this work.http://brugselegenden.blogspot.com/2014/11/de-legende-van-de-waterduivel-van-de.html which cites Van Acker, R., Uitgaven West-Vlaamse Gidsenkring, Wandeling 7. https://www.volksverhalen.be/brugge_marieke(This, this and this story from Volksverhalenbank, which is an initiative of the Leuven university, to gather Flemish folktales and myths.)Peeters, K. C., 1979, Vlaams Sagenboek, Davidsfonds, Leuven.

I want to add a small footnote: this is my last daily post on this blog. I had written most of them in advance but this was the last article I had prepared. I will still write new posts and update the blog every now and then, but I won’t be uploading a new post every day because I don’t have enough free time to research and write new ones. Thanks for reading this stuff!