Water Mistress
Veps · deity · timeless · Recorded classification
Veden emäg, the mistress of the water, belongs to the family of host spirits that Veps tradition assigns to every river and lake: vedehiine the 'waterman', veden ižand the 'master of the water', veden emäg his mistress-wife, and veden uk the 'water old man'. Like the other emäg figures of Veps lower mythology, she is the female head of the watery household, approached by fishermen and by families washing or drawing water, who owed her respect and small offerings. Water spirits in Veps belief were quick to punish offence, and diseases 'coming from the water' were traced back to them.
Domains
- fresh water
- fishing
Powers
- to grant or withhold the fish of her waters
- to send illness or drowning upon those who offend the water
Relations
- consort of: Water MasterIn Veps belief the master spirit (ižand) of a natural space as a rule had a wife-mistress (emäg), and the mistress of the water is named alongside the water master among the host spirits of any body of water.Vinokurova, I. Yu. Mifologiya vepsov: entsiklopediya. Petrozavodsk: Izdatel'stvo PetrGU, 2015. (secondary)
Sources
- Veden emäg, the 'mistress of the water', is the female host spirit of rivers and lakes in Veps belief, counterpart and consort of the water master.: Vinokurova, I. Yu. Mifologiya vepsov: entsiklopediya. Petrozavodsk: Izdatel'stvo PetrGU, 2015. (secondary); Holmberg (Harva), Uno. Die Wassergottheiten der finnisch-ugrischen Völker. Helsinki: Société Finno-Ougrienne, 1913. (secondary)