Aloja
Mythology: Catalan
This creature is a feminine being that lives in places with fresh water. These "water-women" are said to be able to turn into water blackbirds.
According to legend, they are not immortal, but can live for thousands of years and retain their youth.
People say that the lakes where they bathe can boil in anger if any stranger enters them. In Majorca, the most famous water-woman is Maria Enganxa. According to tradition, she lives inside all the wells and cisterns and takes all the children that pass near them with her hook.
These women symbolize the fertility and life-giving virtues of water and are said to possess oneiric beauty.
They appear as small and innocent women with high self-esteem and very prideful of their beauty. They are good women and try to bring wealth and well-being to the areas they live in.
According to myth, they are nocturnal. They have shimmering gold or red hair, and emerald or deep blue eyes; wear fine, rich clothes; and enjoy viewing their reflections in lakes on full-moon nights. Some say they have beautiful wings of various colors. Many say they carry magic wands carved from hazel, which is considered to be the only wood capable of casting spells.
There are many legends about romance and marriage between water-women and humans. In order to marry a water-woman, a human must agree to the water-woman's conditions. Often, one of the conditions is that the husband cannot reveal that his wife is a water-woman. If he does, the water-woman leaves him and disappears with his fortune. However, it is also said that the water-woman will still comb her children's hair and dress them every morning.
Water-women are to avoid any relations with humans, though this is not always possible. When contact with humans does occur, it often turns out ill for the humans.
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Book of Shadows (MYTHICAL CREATURES A-Z)
RandomThis book is about all the mythical creatures around the world. I hope that you have fun exploring and learning about new creatures. I know its hard for people to find mythical creatures when writing a book or simply to read about, I tried. Finally...
