Sprites, Naiads, and Nymphs: Exploring Water Spirits in Folklore and Mythology

Across ancient folklore and mythology, water sprites have fascinated cultures as mystical guardians of freshwater realms. Known by many names, they are most famously depicted in Greek mythology as Naiads, the nymphs of streams, rivers, and fountains. These beings were seen not just as protectors but as embodiments of the water’s life-giving and destructive powers. Often revered for their beauty and charm, they played pivotal roles in rituals, myths, and daily life, symbolizing the close bond between humanity and nature’s sacred waters. Whether inspiring ancient offerings or passing into cultural memory as alluring yet unpredictable figures, sprites like Naiads reveal humanity’s timeless respect for the elemental forces that sustain life.

Watch a related video on Naiads and their captivating myths

Understanding Water Sprites in Folklore

Water sprites are fascinating entities that have held a place in folklore for centuries. Representing the duality of water—both life-sustaining and treacherous—these supernatural spirits have captivated human imagination across cultures. Below, we’ll explore what water sprites are, how they’re perceived worldwide, and their symbolic importance in myths.

What Are Water Sprites?

Water sprites are mythical spirits tied to aquatic environments like rivers, lakes, and springs. Often described as ethereal and alluring, these beings are typically portrayed with enchanting beauty and a graceful demeanor. In folklore, sprites are often thought to be immortal, with a strong connection to nature that enables them to influence their surroundings.

While their appearances vary depending on the legend, they are generally regarded as protectors or guardians of water, embodying its purity and unpredictability. Some stories suggest that interacting with these spirits could lead to blessings, while others warn of dangerous, seductive qualities. This dual nature mirrors humanity’s experience with water itself—essential, yet capable of destruction.

For more information on their diverse appearances across myths, check this overview of water sprites and their cultural context.

Water Sprites Across Cultures

Water sprites feature prominently in stories from around the world, though they take on different names and characteristics depending on the region. Below are some notable examples:

• Slavic Folklore: Rusalkas are Slavic water spirits associated with lakes and rivers. These figures are often depicted as the restless souls of women who died near water, oscillating between protective and vengeful roles.
• Irish Mythology: Selkies, found in Celtic tales, are shapeshifting sea creatures that transform from seals into humans. These beings are deeply tied to themes of love, longing, and transformation.
• Japanese Legends: Japanese Kappas are water creatures that embody trickery and danger. Unlike the graceful sprites of Europe, Kappas are mischievous entities with a reptilian appearance.

Each iteration of water sprites reflects the broader cultural values and attitudes toward water, illustrating a universal recognition of its power. Read more about their cultural variations here: Water spirit across cultures.

Symbolic Significance of Water Sprites

Water sprites carry rich symbolic meanings that reveal humanity’s complex relationship with water. Purity is one of the most common associations, as these spirits are often linked to clear, life-giving springs and rivers. Many myths cast them as protectors of fertility, ensuring the well-being of crops, animals, and humans alike.

Interestingly, water sprites also embody danger and mystery. Their allure can lead people into treacherous waters or spiritual lessons. This tension between beauty and peril symbolizes the dual role water plays in human life as both a sustainer and destroyer.

These spirits also carry broader metaphysical implications, illustrating how water links the natural, human, and spiritual worlds. To gain a deeper understanding of their layered symbolism, visit this analysis of water sprites and cultural connections.

Water sprites, in their many forms, are a testament to the enduring connection between myth and the environment. By examining their stories, we glimpse how ancient cultures sought to explain and venerate the life-sustaining forces around them.

The Naiads: Freshwater Nymphs of Greek Mythology

In Greek mythology, Naiads are among the most enchanting figures, embodying the essence of freshwater sources. They’re more than mythical beings; they represent the vitality and perils of natural waters that sustain human existence. Their stories span across rivers, lakes, and springs, linking humanity’s relationship with freshwater to divine reverence.

Origins and Taxonomy of Naiads

The Naiads trace their lineage as daughters of the river gods, often springing from Oceanus, the primordial titan of the seas, or individual river deities. These freshwater nymphs were grouped by the specific bodies of water they governed, leading to classifications like:

• Limnades: Nymphs of lakes and marshes.
• Potameides: Guardians of rivers and streams.
• Pegaeae: Spirits of natural springs.
• Crinaeae: Protectors of small fountains and wells.
• Eleionomae: Nymphs linked to wetlands.

Their classification reflects the varied freshwater ecosystems they inhabited and safeguarded. Understanding this taxonomy helps in viewing how Greeks personified and honored their environment. Find more details on classifications here.

Roles and Attributes of Naiads

Naiads carried roles that extended beyond myth, deeply impacting how ancient Greeks viewed water. As guardians of freshwater sources, they were believed to maintain the vitality of the waters they embodied. Their attributes reflect their semi-divine nature:

• Beauty: Naiads were described as stunningly beautiful, akin to the pristine clarity of the waters they symbolized. Their allure played a significant role in mythological tales, often leading mortals and gods alike into their realm.
• Immortality: While they were ageless, their lives were intrinsically tied to the health of their waters. Polluted or dried-up sources could lead to their demise.
• Healing and Life-Giving Powers: Beyond their physical allure, the Naiads were also considered powerful healers. Their waters were thought to have restorative properties, making them essential to local rituals.

Their attributes cemented their place in both mythology and communal life. Learn more about their divine essence here.

Cultural Importance of Naiads in Greek Society

Naiads were not mere mythological entities; they held a profound place in ancient Greek life. Local communities worshiped them, attributing the health of their freshwater sources and agricultural prosperity to these nymphs. Offerings were made at their springs, particularly during droughts or agricultural festivals.

Their significance extended beyond worship into cultural expressions:

• Town Names: Many ancient Greek towns and cities were named after prominent Naiads, showcasing their esteem. For example, fountains like Arethusa were central to both myth and local identity.
• Art and Literature: Naiads were frequent subjects in sculptures and frescoes, appearing in flowing forms that mirrored the fluidity of water. Poets such as Hesiod and Homer celebrated their beauty and mystique.

Ultimately, the Naiads shaped a unique interplay between myth and ecology. Dive deeper into their cultural prominence by exploring this article.

Enchanting Yet Complex: Naiads’ Dual Nature

The Naiads’ portrayal in mythology goes beyond idealized beauty, dipping into complexity and contrast. They could be generous, offering blessings like fertility, good health, or even hero guidance. However, their connection to water’s volatility made them unpredictable and potentially dangerous.

Their duality stems from the reality of water itself: it sustains life but can also destroy it. Stories, such as those warning against wandering too close to streams at night, highlight this peril. Naiads, while enchanting, were known to drown those who polluted their waters or arrogance that led them to trespass sacred boundaries.

This dual nature made Naiads a vivid symbol of water’s dichotomy—life-giving and life-taking, depending on how humans interacted with it. For more on their intricate character, read this piece.

Each story and attribute of the Naiads weaves together threads of admiration, respect, and caution. Their enduring presence in Greek mythology underscores the ancients’ acknowledgment of water’s invaluable, yet paradoxical, role in life.

Comparison with Other Water Spirits in Greek Mythology

Greek mythology presents a rich tapestry of deities and spirits, with water nymphs forming a captivating subset. Among them, Naiads, Nereids, and Oceanids stand out as prominent water-associated figures, each with distinct roles and habitats. Understanding their differences and examining their connections to river gods, the Potamoi, sheds light on the depth of ancient Greek beliefs.

Naiads versus Nereids and Oceanids: Distinctions in Habitat, Roles, and Mythology

Naiads, Nereids, and Oceanids are collectively categorized as water nymphs, yet their habitats and mythological narratives set them apart. Each spirit is tied to a specific type of aquatic environment, reflecting the Greeks’ nuanced relationship with water.

• Habitats:
  • Naiads: These spirits presided over freshwater sources such as springs, rivers, lakes, and fountains. Their existence was deeply tied to the vitality of their waters; a dried-up spring could signify the demise of its Naiad.
  • Nereids: Dwelling in the Mediterranean Sea, Nereids represented the guardianship and fertility of the ocean. They were seen as benevolent spirits aiding sailors and calming storms, highlighting the Greeks’ reliance on the sea for trade and travel.
  • Oceanids: Oceanids hailed from the vast, primordial ocean, embodying its boundlessness and mystery. They were often considered daughters of Oceanus and Tethys, pivotal figures in Greek cosmology.
• Roles in Myths:
  • Naiads often acted as intermediaries, facilitating interactions between mortals and the divine. In some cases, they were known for their influence on fertility and well-being, especially in agricultural contexts.
  • Nereids were celebrated for aiding heroes in great adventures, such as Thetis’ role as mother to Achilles or Galatea’s enduring mythology.
  • Oceanids, like Styx, the spirit of a boundary river, symbolized deeper, universal allegories linked to the cosmos and oaths between gods.
• Cultural Depictions: Naiads were often depicted as serene yet mischievous figures connected to their local environment. On the other hand, Nereids exuded a serene elegance reflective of maritime beauty, while Oceanids presented a more ethereal, celestial quality.

Their distinctions emphasize the Greeks’ recognition of both the specific and universal significance of water. For further exploration of how nymphs like Naiads, Nereids, and Oceanids intertwine in mythology, read this comprehensive guide to water nymphs in Greek mythology.

Connections to the Potamoi: Familial and Symbolic Relationships

Naiads are frequently described as the daughters of the Potamoi, river gods who personified individual rivers in Greek mythology. These familial ties deepen the symbolic relationship between water nymphs and Greek natural landscapes.

The Potamoi themselves were divine sons of Oceanus and Tethys, positioning them as central figures within the aquatic pantheon. Each Potamos governed a specific river, granting it spiritual significance. Examples include Achelous, considered the largest river of Greece, and Scamander, closely tied to the Trojan War.

• Symbolic Connections:
  • Naiads, as progeny of the Potamoi, represented the life-giving potential of rivers. Their presence symbolized the continuation of life, fertility, and abundance.
  • In myths, these familial links often underscored the interconnectedness of waterways, reflecting how rivers nourished distant lands and unified civilizations.
  • The protective qualities of the Naiads were seen as inherited traits, passed on from their Potamoi fathers who embodied the strength and vitality of rivers.
• Cultural Worship: The Potamoi and their Naiad daughters were frequently revered in local practices. Rituals involving offerings at riverbanks sought to appease these spirits, ensuring bountiful harvests and water clarity.

These nymphs’ direct ties to living waterways mirrored the Greeks’ dependency on rivers for agriculture, trade, and sustenance. Ancient Greeks saw rivers and their spirits as both nurturing and temperamental, a delicate balance that had to be respected. Learn more about the Potamoi and their roles as river gods here.

Naiads’ link to the Potamoi and their differences from other nymphs reflect a broader narrative about the natural environment’s spiritual significance in ancient Greece. This contrast and symbolism forge a vivid picture of how water spirits encapsulate both mythology and ecology.

Water Sprites in Modern Interpretations

Water sprites continue to captivate the imagination, evolving beyond folklore and becoming symbols of nature, ecology, and spirituality in modern culture. From literature and media to environmental awareness, these ethereal spirits reflect humanity’s changing perspective on water and its importance.

Water Sprites in Literature and Popular Media

Water sprites have made their way into books, films, and TV series, often transcending their mythological roots to embody new themes. Perhaps the most iconic modern incarnation is Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid,” which was famously adapted by Disney. While Andersen’s tale features a mermaid rather than a freshwater sprite, it shares characteristics with Naiads through its focus on the relationship between water beings and humanity.

Other works, like Oscar Wilde’s “The Fisherman and His Soul,” put a darker twist on the water-spirit archetype, showcasing the complexities of love and sacrifice. In television, shows like Charmed and The Witcher depict water spirits or nymphs as mystical beings with the power to manipulate water or guide fateful events. These portrayals echo the allure and danger associated with sprites in folklore, drawing obvious parallels with Naiads’ myths.

Modern video games also feature water sprites inspired by mythology, such as the reflective nature spirits found in RPG titles. These interpretations often serve as allegories for environmental wisdom, underscoring the intrinsic link between water and life. Learn more about their role in literature and media here and here.

Environmental Symbolism and Relevance Today

In today’s age of environmental awareness, water sprites have become poignant symbols of humanity’s fragile connection to natural ecosystems. These spirits, rooted in the rivers, springs, and lakes of old folklore, serve as reminders of water’s sacredness—a resource that demands respect and careful stewardship.

Water sprites often embody water’s life-giving and purifying qualities, making them perfect metaphors for ecological balance. They symbolize the interconnectedness of human life and natural cycles, reminding us that pollution or neglect of water sources directly impacts our world. Basia Irland, an environmental artist, even uses water as a central theme in projects addressing water scarcity and ecological preservation. This creative environmental lens transforms the romanticized image of water sprites into a call for action against climate change. Dive deeper into this concept here.

Moreover, water sprites evoke a sense of reverence for the unseen forces in nature, encouraging mindfulness toward how we interact with water sources. By highlighting the dual nature of water—its ability to nurture and destroy—they compel us to develop a sustainable relationship with our environment.

The continued presence of water sprites in modern contexts bridges ancient reverence with present-day ecological consciousness. Explore this intersection of mythology and environmentalism here.

Conclusion

Water sprites, Naiads, and nymphs persist as powerful symbols in folklore, bridging humanity’s ancient reverence for water with modern environmental consciousness. Their mythology captures the dual essence of water—sustainer of life and harbinger of danger—while reflecting cultural values and ecological dependence across eras.

These spirits transcend mythology, resonating through literature, media, and contemporary discussions on conservation. They stand as reminders of our shared responsibility to protect the life-giving waters they embody.

By honoring the lessons embedded in these myths, we both celebrate the cultural heritage they represent and acknowledge the pressing need to safeguard our natural ecosystems.

Brucero Fee a la riviere postcard 2007
https://technotink.net/treasure/?post_type=product&p=10899

Navajo Spring
Manitou Springs, Colorado, USA

Just off of Main Street in historic Manitou Springs, at the back of the popcorn and candy store in front of the amusement arcade, a natural soda spring comes out of the wall in a decorated font. It is one of eight famous natural springs that put this town on the map. The spring was initially visited by Native American Indians who sought their healing and spiritual powers, which some believed were gifted by the great spirit called Manitou.

They were then frequented by white Euro-American settlers, who pushed the tribes out and commercialized the area. Legend has it that the Utes placed a curse on all whites that the Westerners could never have a successful business in this place because of the commercialization of this particular spring. By the late 1880s, the Westerners built a large bathhouse and spa, as well as a bottling plant, on this former location but did not succeed. The waters, however, were famous throughout America at that time and place.

The spring waters are fissured through rock fractures from the rainwater and snowmelt from Pikes Peak. Water reaching the depths becomes heated and mineralized, flowing up through the Ute Pass fault zone into limestone caverns that carbonate them and are tapped into by natural springs or wells. Each spring in the area has its distinct taste and flavor. This particular spring originally had a bowl-like concretion of calcium carbonate large enough to dip or wash oneself in.

From 1871-1972, Chief Joseph Tafoya – Chief Joe “Little Deer” and his family came to this spot to do authentic Indian dances and songs from the Tewa tribe of the Pueblo Reservation of Santa Clara, New Mexico. In 1889, Jerome Wheeler built a 3 story bottling plant east of the arcade. He used these waters to bottle up to 5,000 gallons of water daily, selling it worldwide as table water for the famous non-alcoholic Giner Champagne. After the collapse of the plant, the spring fell into abuse and was restored in 1991 by Manitou’s residents and donors.

Navajo Spring: “Chief Joseph Tafoya – Chief Joe ‘Little Deer’ 1891-1972: Generations of the Tafoya family have presented authentic Indian dances and songs on this site and at the Manitou Cliff Dwellings Museum since 1925. The Tafoya Family Dancers are members of the Tewa tribe from the Pueblo Reservation of Santa Clara, New Mexico, and descendants of the ancient Puye Cliff Dwellers. For 15 years, Chief Joseph Little Deer served both as governor of the Santa Clara Reservation and Chairman for the All Pueblo Indian Council. He introduced a democratic form of government on the reservation, opened his home to orphaned Indian children, and worked tirelessly to improve the living conditions of his people. Chief Little Deer married Petra Suazo, a great niece of Cheif Manitou so named for his active promotion of Manitou Springs at the turn of the century. Chief Manitou danced for 20 summers at the Cliff Dwellings museum. Navajo Spring is one of the seven natural soda-type springs that led to the settlement of Manitou. The early French trappers named the bordering creek “Fountaine qui Bouille”, the Boiling Water. Mineral deposits containing large amounts of carbonate of lime created a natural basin where the Indians bathed their sick and wounded. The white mineral basin now is hidden under the arcade floor. In 1889, Jerome Wheeler built a 3-story bottling plant east of the arcade and used Navajo Spring for bottling up to 5000 gallons of water a day. The water was sold worldwide as table water of the popular non-alcoholic Ginger Champagne. Navajo Spring was restored in 1991 by generous assistance from various donors” ~ sign outside the Spring.

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Stratton Spring
Manitou Springs, Colorado

From the deep fissures of the Ute Pass Fault, where the rainwater and snowmelt of Pikes Peak meet and become heated and mineralized in the deep limestone caverns where they take thousands of years to make their way to the surface absorbing numerous minerals and nutrients as well as natural carbonation. Stratton Spring was a drilled source by the Stratton Foundation to serve the town where they felt it was located along earlier Native American trails.

_{“Stratton Spring was drilled in 1936 by the Myron Stratton Foundation., The soda-type spring has a controlled flow of two gallons per minute and is drilled to a depth of 167 feet. This site was the junction of early Indian trails and several major mineral springs. Later it became the major access to the Mount Manitou Incline and the Pikes Peak Cog Railway and was the loop were Stratton’s Trolley Line reversed to return to Colorado Springs. Winfield Scott Stratton was a carpenter and a building contractor in Colorado Springs. He tried his hand at prospecting and became the first millionaire from the Cripple Creek Gold Strike. Stratton died in 1902 and bequethed his fortune to the care of the county’s needy children and elderly. The Myron Stratton Foundation, named in honor of Winfield’s father, still continues to serve the public. Stratton Spring was restored in 1989 by a grant from the EL POMAR Foundation and volunteer assistance from citizens of Colorado. “}

_{~ sign outside the Spring. September 6, 2012: Manitou Springs, Colorado.}

The Mountain Ute would come through this pass alongside many other tribes to pay homage and be treated by the magical waters they believe were blessed by the Great Spirit Manitou. In the late 1880s, developers and Westerners pushed the tribes out of the valley. They began commercializing the healing waters with spas, bathhouses, and other commercial ventures, such as bottled water companies. This spring, one of 10 within Manitou Springs, was believed to have healing properties to treat TB and other illnesses.

This spring flows two gallons a minute of naturally carbonated soda-type spring water. The well was drilled to a depth of 167 feet. This Spring being drilled has little folklore besides its more modern healing attributes. It was drilled by Winfield Scott Stratton, a local carpenter and building contractor who lived in the area after trying his hand at prospecting during the Cripple Creek Gold Strike, which led him to become the first millionaire from that Gold Rush. He died in 1902 and willed his fortune to care for the county’s elderly and needy children through the Myron Stratton Foundation. The Spring was restored in 1989 through an EL POMAR Foundation grant and various volunteers and donors from the region.

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The Magical Mineral Springs of Manitou
~ 354 Manitou Ave, Manitou Springs, Colorado ~
Article by Thomas Baurley, Leaf McGowan, Techno Tink Research

The little touristy village of Manitou Springs is most famous for its mineral springs, which well up through eight fonts (previously ten fonts, upwards of 50 springs) peppered throughout the town. These springs are free to visit, and each holds its own variation of minerals, magic, folklore, and healing properties that visitors have sought throughout the ages. Each has its unique flavor, natural carbonation, and effervescence.

This valley was originally heavily frequented by various Native American tribes who visited Fountain Creek and its natural springs for their healing magic, offering homage and great respect to the spiritual powers that dwell here. They believed these magical springs were the gift of the Great Spirit Manitou, after which the town and valley were named. They brought their sick here for healing. The aboriginal inhabitants and visitors of the area called the “Great Spirit” as “Manitou”, and felt these mineral springs was its breath, as the source of the bubbles in the spring water. This made the waters and grounds extremely sacred.

The Ute, Arapaho, Cheyenne, and many other tribes came here to partake of the great spirit’s breath. They would heal their sick here, collect the waters, stay for winters, and share in the waters as an area of peace where no conflict was allowed. There were believed to have been ten natural springs in the valley. The Euro-Americans caused conflicts and skirmishes with the Natives, pushing them out so they could utilize the valley for business, resort, tourism, and commerce. It is said that after the Natives left, they cursed the area for the Whites and that no company would ever succeed there. Some believe Manitou Springs has since been an ever-changing valley with businesses coming and going, failing and closing, and new ones coming in and replacing those that left.

Stephen Harriman Long was one of the first white explorers to record the waters in 1820. The expedition’s botanist and geologist, Edwin James, detailed the healing nature of the waters. The explorer George Frederick Ruxton wrote in his travel about these “boiling waters” as well that “… the basin of the spring was filled with beads and wampum, pieces of red cloth and knives, while the surrounding trees were hung with strips of deer skin, cloth, and moccasins”. Throughout the world, it is a common practice to leave similar objects, items, and cultural artifacts around the world at magical and healing springs, wells, and bodies of water.

Nearly 50 years later, Dr. William Abraham Bell and General William Jackson Palmer made plans to develop a health resort here during the Civil War with “a vision of dreamy summer villas nestled in the mountains with grand hotels and landscaped parks clustered around the springs” that they called “Fountain Colony” and “La Font.” It became Colorado’s first resort town. By 1871, white settlers had begun developing the area for tourism, health care, and profit.

A resort was soon developed here, taking advantage of the waters and incorporating them into medicinal and healing water therapies. This brought great prosperity to the region. By 1873, a developer named Henry McAllister, who worked for Palmer, spread the news about the medicinal benefits of the Springs and pushed for it to become a spa resort with an “incomparable climate and scenery” as its backdrop.

Then came various medicinal practitioners, such as Doctor Edwin Solly, who pushed the area as a resort for healing and therapy. They preached that the combined waters to drink, soak in, and breathe pure air mixed with the sunny climate would be the most effective prescription to treat tuberculosis. The commercial businesses began to claim the various springs, enclosing some of them as the village grew.

The first was the Cheyenne Spring House, established as a red sandstone brick, conical-roof structure. Immediately after, over 50 wells and springs were drilled, many enclosed. Once popularity disappeared and “dried up,” many of these springs were capped, paved, and closed. However, as the fad died, medical centers and hospitals around the United States improved.

Manitou became forgotten and suffered abandonment. The Mineral Springs Foundation was formed in 1987 as an all-volunteer 501(c)3 non-profit to protect, improve, maintain, and manage the springs. It targets the restoration of some springs and promotes their popularity once again. The Foundation hosts walking tours called “Springabouts” every Saturday from Memorial Day to Labor Day, beginning downtown. Tours can be arranged by visiting the Tourist center or calling 719-685-5089.

Upon request, the visitor center will provide maps, brochures, detailed content charts, and sampling cups. They can also be found on their website at http://www.manitoumineralsprings.org. The series of springs has been developed as a National Register of Historic Places district and is located in one of the country’s largest districts of its kind. It was initially called the “Saratoga of the West” and established as a resort community within a spectacular setting at the edge of the Rocky Mountains along the base of Pikes Peak. Numerous bottling companies moved into the area, making a profit on the waters, the most famous of which was “Manitou Springs water” and was sold globally.

Geology: The waters come from two sources in the Rampart Range and Ute Pass: “deep-seated waters” that travel through limestone caverns and drainage systems created by karst aquifers. The water dissolves the limestone and absorbs carbonic acid, carbon dioxide, and other minerals, making it “effervescent” or slightly naturally carbonated. Volcanic and inner core processes heat it. Through time, the waters return to the surface naturally using an artesian process rising to the surface, collecting soda, minerals, and sodium bicarbonate upwards. The other sources of water are Fountain Creek and Williams Canyon, snow melt, rainwater, and surface waters.

The warm water then flows into a limestone cavern, where it becomes carbonated and springs forth to the surface in natural and human-drilled locations. Most of these waters take thousands of years to complete their voyage from the mountain snow-capped peaks down to the inner earth and back up to the surface, freeing their content and solutions from being affected by industry, development, and atmospheric contamination.

The Springs of Manitou:
https://wells.naiads.org/the-magic-and-minerals-of-manitou-springs/

• Cheyenne Spring – This natural sweet soda spring comes from limestone aquifers and is believed to be over 20,000 years old.
• Iron Spring – The Iron Spring is named after its harsh, foul, iron-tasting flavor and content. It was a man-made spring drilled in the 1800s and prescribed to patients for iron deficiency.
• Lithia / Twin Spring – This is a combined location of two man-made drilled springs—Twin Springs and Lithia Springs. It is popular for its Lithium content and sweet taste, calcium, lithium, and potassium content. It’s popular to mix it in lemonade.
• Navajo Spring is a natural soda spring over which commercial development was built. It is now within and beneath the popcorn and candy store. This was the most popular spring, frequented by Native Americans and early Euro-American settlers, and was the founding spring for the village. It originally fed a large bathhouse and bottling plant, bringing fame to the town.
• Old Ute Chief Spring – is a defunct spring outside the old Manitou Springs bottling plant.
• Seven Minute Spring – A man-made spring drilled in 1909 to enhance the neighboring hotel’s tourist attraction. Its unique carbonization caused it to erupt like a geyser every 7 minutes. It became dormant until the 1990s, when it was re-drilled, and the surrounding park was established.
• Shoshone Spring—This natural spring had sulfur content and was prescribed by various physicians for curative powers before modern medicine became popular and effective.
• Soda Spring – located in the spa stores next to the arcade.
• Stratton Spring—The Stratton Foundation created this man-made drilled spring as a service to Manitou Springs village, where tourists could come and partake of its waters. It is dedicated to early Native American Trails.
• Wheeler Spring—This is another man-made drilled spring donated to the city by settler Jerome Wheeler of the New York Macy’s. Wheeler resided and banked in the town during the mining and railroad period. His former home is located where the current post office is today.

References:

• Gazette 2015 “List Manitou Springs”. Website referenced 12/21/16 at http://gazette.com/list-the-springs-of-manitou-springs/article/1565225.
• Harrison, Deborah 2003 “Manitou Springs”. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7385-2856-4.
• Manitou Springs Chamber of Commerce 2012 “The History of Manitou Springs”.
• Mineral Springs Foundation 2013 “Mineral Springs”. Website referenced 12/21/16 at http://www.manitoumineralsprings.org
• Manitou Mineral Springs 2015 “7 Minute Spring”. Website referenced 12/21/16 at http://manitoumineralsprings.org/7-minute-spring.html
• National Register 2013 “American Dreams – National Register of Historic Places in El Paso County, Colorado.
• Visit Colorado Springs 2016 “Manitou Mineral Springs”. Website referenced 12/21/16 at http://www.visitcos.com/manitou-mineral-springs.
• Wikipedia 2016 “Manitou Springs Mineral Springs”. Website referenced 12/21/16 at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manitou_Mineral_Springs

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The Legend of St. Werburgh

A Mercian princess who converted over at an early age to become a Benedictine nun, through her life became the Patroness of Chester, Abbess of Weedon, Trentham, Hanbury, Minster in Sheppey, and Ely. Even though she was born a princess with royal blood, she cared not for the easy life that came with royalty, otherwise dedicating her life to only do good and make others happy, growing good and wise herself. Although her life fluctuated in various positions and titles in her religious orders, she never changed the humility that had always characterized her, and in her devotion to all those in her care that she was more servant to the people than a mistress. All felt God had rewarded her for her childlike trust by many miracles making her one of the best known and loved of the Saxon Saints.

Villagers and animals alike were said to have come to St. Werburgh to be healed or given advice. She was rumored to have a magical connection with all animals as well, being able to communicate with them just as she could with humans. St. Werburgh became quite taken by a flock of geese that frequented the convent meadows and swam in the pond. There was one goose that became her favorite that she had named Gray king, he had a black ring around his neck and was quite fat, seemingly the happiest within the flock. Unfortunately, Gray King and his flock would often get into the cornfields, infuriating Hugh, the convent steward. Hugh asked Werburgh to handle this trouble.

Werburgh called forth the geese and told Gray King how bad it was to steal the corn and spoil the harvest and left them with simply a scolding, a shake, and a light whipping. She ended the scolding by kissing Gray King before imprisoning them in a pen overnight with intent to gift them convent porridge the next morn before their release. This infuriated Hugh and he felt she didn’t do what he expected to punish them harshly is what they deserved. He hated birds except to feast on. Werburgh told Hugh to serve the geese porridge in the morning before releasing them. He was shocked by this task.

A plump goose as his reward, Hugh ate Gray King as a meal to make up for the lost corn. Werburgh was furious when she learned of this and commanded Hugh to bring her the bones. She punished Hugh to dedicate his life’s study to animals and how to care for them and forbid him to ever eat of bird or beast again, confining him for two nights in the pen where the geese were imprisoned. She took the bones of Gray king and ordered him to rise back to life. She then commanded the flock of geese to leave Weedon, never to return, to which day it is believed that a goose has never entered the village since.

Because of her miracles, her corpse was coveted by many. St. Werburgh instructed that her remains stay in Hanbury, but the nuns of Trentham refused to release them until those of Hanbury took her body to the tomb there – and in 708 C.E. her remains were exhumed when she was declared a Saint, in the presence of King Coelred of Mercia and his council. Her second miracle was that her body was found to be incorrupt and in the exact state, it was when she was laid to rest. 875 C.E. she was moved to the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul in Chester, which was renamed and rededicated to her, into a shrine of her honor, where she rests reconstructed today (after being destroyed by Henry VIII).

During Henry VIII most of the Cathedrals were ransacked and relics scattered, although St. Werburgh’s were eventually returned. Most of the figures in the Cathedral were mutilated. The female heads were accidentally placed on male shoulders, and vice versa by the workmen attempting to reconstruct them, and only 30 original figures remain. Today there is a statue of Saint Werburgh with a goose by her side at the Our Lady and St. Werburgh’s Church.

References:

• Bridgett, Ronald W. 1985 The Life of St. Werburgh: Princess of Mercia.
• Brown, Abbie Farwell 2004 The Book of Saints and Friendly Beasts.
• Our Lady and St. Werburgh 2003 The Legend of St. Werburgh. Website referenced 12/23/15 at http://www.ourladyandstwerburgh.co.uk/the-legend-of-st-werburgh.html
• Robert Appleton Co. 1912 The Catholic Encylopaedia, Vol. XV.
• Seomraranga.com n.d. “Holy Wells of Ireland”. Website referenced 12/25/15 at http://www.holywell.seomraranga.com/holywellsireland.htm
• Wikipedia n.d. “St. Werburgh”. Website referenced 12/26/15 at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Werburgh.
• Youtube n.d. “St. Werburgh’s Well, Swords, Dublin”. Website referenced 12/25/15 at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gdqude7t14M.

Naiads
http://www.naiads.org/well/?p=857

A Fresh water nymph that lives along springs, holy wells, rivers, waterfalls, and fountains known to be a guardian of the waters in her domain. Depicted as an attractive nude bathing woman, they are known to entice and lure men to their waters. Sometimes this is to seductive folly, a love affair, or a dangerous end. Derived from the Greek word ?????, or Naiás, meaning “to flow” or “running water”. The Naiad is a female water nymph or spirit that guard over wells, springs, streams, brooks, fountains, and fresh water pools or lakes. Some say the Undine is the salt water variant while the Naiad is the fresh water variant. They are not to be confused with River God/desses who embody rivers or inhabit still waters of ponds, lagoons, lakes, and marshes such as the pre-Mycenaean Lerna described in the Argolid.
They belong to Greek mythology but have spread throughout the European world-view. Although they are most believed to be associated with fresh water, since the Greeks believed that all of the world’s waters were one, flowing through a cavernous aquifer and inter-connected, they could be in more than one place at the same time. This is also their explanation in relation to Oceanids, Nereids, Undines, and Mer-folk. In the Greek myths about Arethusa, a water nymph of a spring, that could make her way from Peloponnesus to surface on the island of Sicily. They were worshiped by water cults who often made offerings into the waters or along its edges with such things as bins, coins, cloth, clothes, sandals, jewelry, treasures, figurines, flowers, and/or sacrificed animals to the waters in hopes the Naiads would bring them healing, inspiration, gifts, magic, blessings, or passage. In some practices, boys and girls that werre coming-of-age would dedicate their childish locks to the local Naiad of the spring. In Lerna, ritual cleansings utilized the magical waters from the Naiad’s spring or well that were believed to possess certain healing or medicinal properties. In ancient Mythology, Hylas of the Argo’s crew was lost when he was captivated by Naiads who were in awe of his beauty. They are known to be jealous fae folk – as in Theocritus’ tale of a Naiad’s jealousy when the Naiad Nomia or Echenais who was in love with Daphnis, the Shepherd. He was unfaithful to her on numerous accounts and she blinded him out of revenge. Hermaphroditus was forced into sex with the Naiad Salmacis, and when he sought to escape her, she fused with him, giving birth to hermaphrodites. In the mytho of Aristaeus, The Naiad Chlidanope marries Hypseus, the King of the Lapiths and giving birth to Cyrene. Aristaeus also consulted the Naiads when his bees died and his aunt Arethusa invited him below the water’s surface where he was washed with the waters from a perpetual spring and given his advice. Throughout Europe, magical springs and holy wells were at first attributed to various Deities and/or water nymphs before they were converted to wells and springs associated with Saints. It was a very common practice in Celtic cultures.

Related to Undines, Oceanids (salt water), Nereids (Mediterranean), Water Nymphs, and Mermaids and Mermen.

Written, researched, and Copyrighted (© 2013) by Leaf McGowan, Thomas Baurley, Technogypsie Productions: www.technogypsie.com ~ http://www.naiads.org/well/?p=857.

Bibliography, References, and Recommended Reading:
• Burkert, Walter 1985 “Greek Religion”. Harvard University Press.
• Graves, Robert 1955 “The Greek Myths”.
• Homer “Odyssey” and “Iliad”
• Poe, Edgar Allen 1829 “Sonnet to Science”.
• Silver, Carole B. Silver “Strange and Secret Peoples: Fairies and Victorian Consciousness”. ISBN 0-19-512199-6.
• Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. undated “Naiads”, “Undines”. Web site referenced on March 8, 2014.

Undines
http://www.naiads.org/well/?p=853

Ondines or Undines is the modern English term for Water elementals, spirits or nymphs. The term is derived from the Latin term “Unda” meaning “a wave”. Undines are seen as the true essence or spirit manifestation of waves in water. It is believed to first have derived from the Greek alchemical works of Paracelsus as the elemental spirits of water. It also is descriptive in some meanings and works for the focus of attention for water magic, whose course and function the undines control. They are believed to exist within the waters themselves and not usually able to be seen with normal human vision, unless the human has an artifact, charm, or spell to allow them to see faerie folk or unless blessed by the undine to be revealed. Some believe that they live in the coral caves along lakes or on the banks of rivers. Smaller Victorian imagery of the undines depict them living under lily pads. When seen, they resemble human beings, except for those of Victorian description living in smaller streams and ponds fit more with the “Disney”-esque Tinker bell humanoid forms. Their clothing is usually described as being shimmery and green in color though reflective of all the shades and colors found in water. Undines are also centered in European folklore, as a type of water nymphs that become human when they fall in love with a human male and is doomed to die if he is unfaithful to her. Her essence is believed to have come from the Nereids, the attendants of Poseidon, the Sea god. Paracelsus first wrote about them, calling them spirits who inhabit the element of water. They are believed to dwell within every body of water in existence from streams, ponds, rocky pools, marshes, rivers, lakes, rivers, and ocean waves. Every waterfall, fountain, or well is believed to have an undine living within its waters. These also describe the Naiad, a female water nymph or spirit that guard over wells, springs, streams, brooks, fountains, and fresh water pools or lakes. Some say the Undine is the salt water variant while the Naiad is the fresh water variant. Sometimes they are confused with Mermaids and Mermen. They are also sometimes confused or entwined with Oceanids. Most mythology places Undines in salt water environments like the Oceanids and these creatures overlap and combine in folk tales around the world as either Nereids, Mermaids, Oceanids, Naiads, Undines, Ondines, or Water Nymphs. Some say they have interbred and there exists combinations, half-breeds, and mutations of these in watery realms. Since the Greeks thought of all the world’s waters as one biological system (blood stream and veins of Gaia, the Earth mother – Gaia Hypothesis) which perculates in from the sea through the cavernous aquifers within the earth, the waters would mix and inter-lap. They explain this in tales of such nymphs like Arethusa, the spring nymph, that could make her way from her spring through the subterranean flows from Peloponnesus to surface on the island of Sicily. It is through this manner that Undines and Naiads often get confused. They became objects of local water cults and worshiped in various ways with requests for healing, blessings, magic, or passage. Sometimes people would offer them pins, charms, cloth, clouties, flowers, plants, or ritually drowned animals into their waters. In hopes that they might communicate prophesy, oracles were situated by ancient springs or wells. As they were seen to be a jealous lot, they could endanger seamen, explorers, or boats passing within their realms.

Related to Naiads.

Written, researched, and Copyrighted (© 2013) by Leaf McGowan, Thomas Baurley, Technogypsie Productions: www.technogypsie.com ~ http://www.naiads.org/well/?p=853.

Bibliography, References, and Recommended Reading:
• Burkert, Walter 1985 “Greek Religion”. Harvard University Press.
• Graves, Robert 1955 “The Greek Myths”.
• Homer “Odyssey” and “Iliad”
• Poe, Edgar Allen 1829 “Sonnet to Science”.
• Silver, Carole B. Silver “Strange and Secret Peoples: Fairies and Victorian Consciousness”. ISBN 0-19-512199-6.
• Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. undated “naiads”, “undines”. Website referenced 3/8/2014.