My encounter with the Vodyanoi

In Slavic folklore, the Vodyanoy is a spirit who guards lakes and rivers. In my interpretation, he is also a Warden, an ancient being who helps guide the souls of those who drown across the Veil.

But the Vodyanoy is neither entirely good nor entirely evil.

He can protect his waters, offer guidance, and preserve the balance between worlds. He can also play cruel tricks on humans, mislead swimmers, and pull unsuspecting people into the depths. Like the water he commands, his nature can change without warning.

On Ivana Kupala, the traditional celebration of midsummer, it is believed that the Vodyanoy and other creatures of the forests and waters emerge to celebrate....and to play tricks on humans. For that reason, we were always warned never to swim in a lake on that night.

Unfortunately, one summer, my mother, my sisters, and I forgot that warning.

We were camping beside a lake we had visited countless times before. Both of my sisters are lifeguards, and all three of us are excellent swimmers. We knew the lake well. There had never been a noticeable current, and we had never considered its waters dangerous.

But that day, something changed.

A current appeared seemingly out of nowhere. It caught my youngest sister and me with such force that, despite our experience, we could not fight against it. The water carried us far from our campsite and left us on the opposite side of the woods, separated from my mother and my other sister.

All we could do was wait... and ask the Vodyanoi to calm his tricks and let us pass.

Eventually, the current calmed as suddenly as it had appeared, allowing us to cross the lake and return to our family. Yet the strange feeling surrounding the campsite did not disappear. Crows began gathering around us, watching from the trees and filling the woods with their calls.

We could not shake the feeling that we were no longer welcome there.

What was supposed to be a week-long camping trip ended the following morning. We packed our belongings and left the woods behind.

Perhaps it was only an unexpected current. Perhaps the crows were nothing more than birds drawn to a busy campsite.

Or perhaps we entered the water on a night when the lake belonged to something else, and the Vodyanoy allowed us to leave with a warning.