Neptune's Dolphins

In pondering Water Elementals, I understood that they encompassed all of the qualities of water, especially its energies. One could say that Water Elementals are the personification of water in all its forms. In that light, the folklore about beings that lived in water could be considered stories about Water Elementals. Each Being possess a particular character of water – whether stormy sea or placid lake.

 

Heron Michelle, in “Elemental Witchcraft,” describes the powers of water as cyclical and tidal, with ebbs and flows. Water governs the shape of things by defining what is land and what is not. According to Michelle, the projective power of water is to dare, to be fearless and overcome barriers. With water, a person can cover a new emotional landscape. The receptive power of water is to accept the existing boundaries and allow the water to contain the person in stillness.

 

The Water Elementals live in shimmering bodies of unconscious feelings and irrationality. Water is both a window seeing into the unknown and a mirror reflecting back the known. Nothing is as it seems. Like water, these beings haunt lonely stretches of rivers, swim out with the tide, or linger by the reeds of the pond.

 

One place to experience the mysteries of water is the swamp. Wetlands, marshes, and bogs are fertile places of dark waters and muddy soils. Both beautiful and dangerous, the landscape hides much that captures the unknowing person. Mysterious lights float over the waters with phantom beings enticing the unwary to explore more.

 

Worldwide, there is much folklore of swamp beings. In the Amazon River Basin, people tell of Boto, the pink dolphin of the murky waters. Besides guarding the Amazon manatee, the Boto will come on the shore and seduce people. In Australia, the Bunyip lurks in swamps, billabongs, and other places of wetlands. According to myths, the Bunyip protects the fish and will attack those who violates the fertile places. In England, the Tiddy Mun controls the waters of the Fens. When the Fens were drained, the Tiddy Mun sent floods and pestilence to the neighboring villages. In modern times, as the Fens are being restored, the Tiddy Mun is quiet.

 

Most stories of swamp beings in North America seem to center on large humanoids. These beings are either a part of the swamp such as “Swamp Thing” or a combination of human and swamp creature such as “Alligator Man.” Others are similar to Bigfoot, and attack people venturing deep into the swamp such as the Skunk Ape.

 

I decided that a friendly being could live in the swamps like the Everglades. The gentle manatee that is slow moving could be the basis for the Swamptee – friendly, watching over the fertility of the swamp. The Swamptee encourages the grasses to grow, and the swamp animals to flourish undisturbed. She is like a mermaid except with a manatee body instead of a fish one. She has ample flesh because She encourages abundance and plenty. Water is broad and wide, and so is the Swamptee.

 

I am sure given the great size of the Swamptee will enable Her to stand up to those who would harm the swamp. As her paddle flippers and flat tail direct the muck, the Swamptee will overwhelm these people with water and mud. Meanwhile, her great size allows Her to float on the surface to frighten them into leaving.

 

The Swamptee is kind to those who seek knowledge below the surface. She will guide those who dare enter the mystery. She will shape the formless giving them firm boundaries. The gentle Swamptee will fertilize the subconscious with wonder and curiosity.

 

Works Used:

 

Hall, Manly P., “The Elements and Their Inhabitants. (1928).” E-book. Edizioni Aurora Boreale. 2002.

—, “Unseen Forces: Nature Spirits, Thought Forms, Ghosts and Spectors, the Dweller on the Threshold. (1924).” E-book. Borodino Books. 2018.

 

Kruse, John, “Beyond Fairy.” Woodbury (MN): Llewellyn. 2020.

 

Maxim, Gabiann, “Monsters and Creatures.” Summer Hill (Australia): Rockpool. 2018.

 

Michelle, Heron, “Elemental Witchcraft.” Woodbury (MN): Llewellyn. 2021.

 

“Elementals and the Guardians of the Watchtowers.” Otherworldly Oracle. 1 December 2020. Web. https://otherworldlyoracle.com/elementals-guardians-of-the-watchtowers/.

 

Zell-Ravenheart, Oberon, “Grimoire for the Apprentice Wizard.” New Page Books: Franklin Lakes (NJ). 2004.