Vodnik / Water Sprite, Suchomasty, CZ - Epic Beings and Creatures on Waymarking.com

Vodník je jednou z nejznámejších postav ceských pohádek a povestí. Nazývá se též hastrman, vasrman, basrman a podobne (z nemeckého Wassermann – vodní muž). Jde o ztelesnení ducha vody, a proto se povesti o nem vyskytují prakticky všude, kde se nachází nejaká vodní plocha, at už jde o jezero, rybník, reku nebo potok. Krome ceských povestí je vodník znám také v Nemecku, zatímco napríklad ve Francii nebo Polsku jde o bytost prakticky neznámou. Podle lidové démonologie je vodník (podobne jako cert) padlý andel, který pri svržení z nebe spadl do vody.
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In Slavic mythology and Norse Mythology vodyanoy, Ukrainian vodianyk, Polish wodnik, Czech and Slovak vodník, Bulgarian vodnik, or Serbian vodenjak and Norwegian havmannen is a male water spirit. Vodník (or in germanized form hastrman) in Czech fairy tales is the same creature as the Wassermann or nix of German fairy tales.

In Czech and Slovak folklore the features of the vodník are markedly different to the East-Slavic conception; he has a completely human constitution and habits, except for few differences – vodníci have gills, webbed membrane between their fingers and their skin is algae-green in colour (as well as their hair, which is typically of pale green tone). Their overall dress and appearance is weird, sometimes even resembling a bum or vagrant; patchy shirts and (by modern standards) odd hats - often boaters with long speckled ribbons - are commonplace. They can withstand lingering for hours outside their ponds. When they do so, one can tell them unequivocally by their wet coat-tails from which water is dripping under all circumstances. The vodník's face is usually unshaven and it is not uncommon for a vodník to have a large, wet, tangled beard.

Czech and Slovak tales have both evil and good vodníci (relative to human beings) who do (or don't, respectively) try to drown people when they happen to swim in their territory. Anyway, whoever drowns, vodníci would store their souls in porcelain lid-covered cups. They consider their cups as the most valuable heritage and display their "work", and number these cups they see as proportional to their wealth and/or status among other vodníci.

(www.wikipedia.cz)

Time Period: Modern Epic Type: Mythical Exhibit Type: Figure, Statue, 3D Art Approximate Date of Epic Period: Not listed

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