Episode 52: Water Fae: Oceans, Rivers, Lakes: Water in Folklore

The folklore of oceans, rivers and lakes in a nutshell and how I reimagined it for my writing.

Written and narrated by Ronel Janse van Vuuren. Copyright 2023 Ronel Janse van Vuuren — All rights reserved.

Learn more about Water in folklore here.

Get the transcript here.

Music: Secrets by David Fesliyan (FesliyanStudios.com) and Dramatic Heartbeat by FesliyanStudios.com

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 Origin of the Fae book series. You’ve met them on the podcast, now see them in action. Go to ronelthemythmaker.com/originofthefaeseries for more.

You can now support my time in producing the podcast (researching, writing and everything else involved) by buying me a coffee. This can be a once-off thing, or you can buy me coffee again in the future at your discretion. Go to buymeacoffee.com/ronel to support me.

We’re continuing our exploration of Water Fae.

Today’s Subject: Oceans, Rivers, Lakes: Water in Folklore

Folklore in a nutshell by Ronel

Oceans, rivers and lakes have many myths tied to them all over the world.

In Greek mythology, each source of water has a god, goddess or nymph attached to it. The river Styx is not just a river the gods made vows on, but a goddess that makes sure that those vows are honoured.

In Norse mythology, Odin gave one of his eyes to drink from Mimir’s Well to gain the wisdom within. And, of course, the ocean goddess Ran and her husband Aegir had nine giant daughters – who happen to be the waves.

Tir fo Thoinn is, according to legend, one of many places the Tuatha de Danaan had fled after their epic defeat by the Milesians. Lakes and the ocean, of course, hide the route between this world and the other. Stories about cities beneath water filled with merpeople are common in all coastal lands – this one just references Celtic myth.

And we all know the myth of the Fountain of Youth – searching for it never ends well.

Water is mysterious and ever-changing. It is capable of creation and destruction. And whether wells and springs and the rest are holy or not, whether they host nymphs and other water fae or not, one thing is clear: without water, all life on Earth will perish.

And now for my interpretation of the fae in an origin of the fae: Oceans, Rivers, Lakes

Tir fo Thoinn, the Land beneath the Waves, is the home realm of most water fae. On the surface there is nothing, as is usual on lakes and other places of entrance in the mortal realm and Faerie, but below the waves is an entire kingdom. Palaces, houses and more inhabited by water fae and aquatic faery creatures who farm, herd and otherwise labour the same as in any other kingdom. It’s a prosperous land with pockets that specifically belong to certain races.

Some bodies of water are sacred: the lake of Avalon where the Lady of the Lake resides, giving guidance and help to Arthur and his knights; Mimir’s Well that nourishes the World Tree Yggdrasil; and a couple of non-descript lakes, springs and wells that move place and through time to help those in need.

As fluid sentient beings, oceans, rivers and lakes find form in the nine daughters of Ran who are the waves, the river Styx who is a goddess, and other ways that water itself comes to life without losing itself in a form that will bind it – such as human, animal or fae.

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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You can now support my time in producing the podcast (researching, writing and everything else involved) by buying me a coffee. This can be a once-off thing, or you can buy me coffee again in the future at your discretion.

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