Water Fae: An Introduction | The Faeries and Folklore Podcast

ByRonel Janse van Vuuren
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Episode 35: Water Fae: An Introduction to Water Faeries

All about the next chapter of creatures we’re going to look at on the podcast: Water Fae.

Transcript

You’re listening to the Faeries and Folklore podcast by Ronel.

I’m dark fantasy author Ronel Janse van Vuuren. With nearly a decade of digging around in dusty folklore books, researching creatures of imagination that ignited my curiosity, I’m here to share the folklore in a nutshell and how I reimagined it for my writing in an origin of the fae.

This is the Faeries and Folklore podcast.

Hi, I’m your host Ronel Janse van Vuuren. You can just call me Ronel. In today’s episode, we’re continuing our exploration of the fae realm.

This episode is brought to you by my book Once… Tales, Myths and Legends of Faerie available in eBook, audiobook and paperback. Learn more at ronelthemythmaker.com/my-books.

Introduction to Water Fae

Water. It is the element of life. It is the source of all life on earth. It is also a source of destruction.

Water has a life of its own. A whole world exists within water that land dwellers can only dream of. Various water kingdoms ruled by more than just undines – water spirits, nymphs and fae of various kinds.

Wherever there’s water, water fae are sure to be found. Grindylows lurking in the depths of a pond, water spirits riding the crests of waves or dancing on the surface of lakes, mermaids on rocks combing their hair, selkies sunning themselves close to shore… The world of the water fae is seemingly endless as the ocean.

For the most part, water fae are thought to be beautiful and entrancing to humans. It is well-established that they play with emotions. There is a commonly held misconception that they are sweet and gentle – and they are, until they drown you. Most all water fae can change their shape – and those who can’t, can use a glamour so strong to make humans believe that they have. Though they are bound to their water source, they have ways to move freely through the world through interconnected waterways. Most have a great love of music and use it to lure humans in. Some are in the habit of bestowing magical gifts on humans, though most are more interested in eating them.

Water is the most travelled route in the fae realm. The points where land and water meet are doorways between worlds. Thus islands, lakeshores, riverbanks, the edges of wells, and beaches are places where the mortal realm intersects with Faerie. It is why people have been warned since forever not to rest or sleep near the edges of streams: they could accidentally enter the fae realm or fall under the enchantment of the water fae living there. Falling in a tidal pool can be like falling through a doorway between realms…

There are so many water fae, that I had to combine some with similar traits. For the next couple of months, we’ll be looking at these fae in folklore and how I reimagined them for my writing.

Remember that you are always welcome to ask questions – and if you have a specific creature in mind, let me know!

Let’s do this thing.

I hope that you’ve enjoyed this episode of the faeries and folklore podcast and that you’ve learned something new about faeries.

Remember that you can get a transcript of this episode in the description. If you’re new to the podcast, why not go and grab your free copy of Unseen, the second book in the Faery Tales series, on my website ronelthemythmaker.com? Loads of folklore, magic and danger await! Take care!

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