Myth of the Week · Czechia
The vodník for kids: the water goblin of Czech ponds
· P.Sean Tales
Every proper Czech pond has a vodník. He's a little green man in an old-fashioned tailcoat, with webbed fingers and a pipe, and he has strong opinions about his pond.
In the evening he sits on a willow branch over the water, smoking his pipe and watching his pond like a landlord. He can be mean or he can be a good neighbor. It depends on how you treat him. The old stories say millers who greeted him politely had good luck with their water wheels for the rest of their lives.
Down under the pond the vodník has a tidy little parlor, like a village kitchen. There's a stove that somehow burns underwater, a bench, and a shelf on the wall with little cups turned upside down. Under each cup is a soft glowing bubble. He won't tell anyone what they are. They're his collection, and that's all he'll say.
His oldest trick is ribbons. He hangs bright ribbons on the willow over his deepest pool, red and yellow and sky blue, the colors a kid can't walk past. Then he sits below and waits. Czech grandmothers had a simple rule for this. Ribbons that grow on trees belong to somebody you don't want to meet.
Did you know? The old people said you could always spot a vodník at the village fair, because the left tail of his coat never stops dripping.
Color the legend yourself
The vodník, his cups on the shelf and the ribbons on the willow are all in Myths & Legends of Czechia, along with Krakonoš, the Golem of Prague and the dragon of Brno.
Or start free: grab the free coloring pages.
You can find him in our book: Myths & Legends of Czechia.