As far back as the posting I made on the type of Gargoyle dragons known specifically as Necks and Nokkers, I mentioned that the names were also in common usage for what Coleman et al would call Freshwater Merfolk, and that legends about the creatures also went back into the Middle ages
if not also including the older stories of Fauns and Nymphs. On the one hand the females could be described as alluring "Inland Mermaids" but on the whole they were otherwise described as Kappa-like.
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| A Girl Troll Encounters a Norrken |
There is a long confusion in Europe also between the Freshwater "Sprites" (the name which is most commonly used), wildmen that just happened to go swimming, seals and other unexpected but otherwise normal creatures which are in turn described as monstrous. Part of the confusion could refer to the legs and feet: it has been remarked by some (including Mark Hall) that the "Goatlegged" fauns have swimming legs that are jointed the same as the "frog's legs" ascribed to Kappas, and going along with this is the common superstition is that Dwarfs and Elves do not want their feet to be seen by humans because actually they have webbed duck's feet. That could eaily be a story derived from confusions with "Water-Goblins" and "Water-Brownies." Brian Froud's
Faeries speaks of such creatures as being "Water-Brownies" but they include such recognised individuals as Peg Powler. The creatures are also taken to be the human morph of shapeshifting water-horses such as the Kelpies. Some of the water sprites of British lore also turn out to be "Goatlegged" and one of the Wikipedia entries mentions that the Norrkens of Scandinavia are essentially identical to the Kappas of Japan.
It would seem that such creatures have ticker manes of hair on the back while their fronts and limbs were much smoother. I suppose in some cases the thicker hair could be poorly dried and give the appearance of "Spines" on the back as Coleman et all have it, but I do not find any good indicators for this from actual myth and folklore I have examined. The thicker hair on the back slicked down is probably what is described as the Kappa's"Shell" and while the tale about needing to keep a supply of water on the dished part of the head to remain on land is probably an addition for story purposes, I can well believe that the tops to the heads of such creatres really are "Dished", especially in comparison to a normal human's domed forehead.
Such creatures may well also retain a short tail.
The "Classic" Watersprites or Water-Goblins of Europe are connected to Prague and are the subject of a famous opera by Dvorak. The general description is once again much the same as a Kappa but with emphasis on large fishlike eyes, long hair especially on the head and back where it forms a mane, and a monkeylike body but with webbed hands and feet. They are ordinarily of "Dwarf" size, about 4-5 feet tall.
Some of the depictions still try to make the Watersprites as cute or attractive while others focus on making them look monstrous. As is in the case of regular Merfolk at sea, it is usually the case that the females and young ones seen at sea are thought to be attractive while the adult males and elderly females are ugly and threatening. This may well be an actual evadvantage to them since it is much the same in ther types of OW monkeys and baboons, and probably is some sort of a social status indicator. The larger and more poweful males actually are meant to be uglier and more intimidating as part of their function in society to defend the others and to gain an advantage over other males during mating competitions.
The world map shows some general areas where such creatures are reported, and once again I would like to thank Tyler Stone for making the key suggestions as to the nature and identity of these creatures. He deserves the credit because frankly I had given up on the subject by the time he made his suggestions.
Tolkien basically took over a description of a Watersprite (Water-Brownie) and put it in his book The Hobbit (Hobbits=Brownies), as the Gollum, and Gollum became an ongoing important character in his epic series Lord of the Rings. But he did not invent Brownies, Trolls, Watersprites, Elves, Dwarves, Ogres or any of the rest of them-he only made his own versions by giving them specific languages and cultures NOT specified in the original European Folktales (which he insisted other authors "Didn't get right")
This is incidentally the 200th posting on this blog.
Best Wishes, Dale D.
