Povodni mož In Slovenian folklore there are countless tales of Povodni mož/Water man, sometimes called Gestrin. He is a water spirit, often described as half man, half fish, who can change his appearance on land and may play mischief on humans. Many tales have to do with kidnapping of young beautiful maidens, to whom they offer glittering treasures of pearls and gold, sometimes in gratitude for help.
Gestrin
Gestrin is Water Man, young rather than old, who has fins instead of feet. On the Drava River the fishermen and boatmen fear him. At night he likes to shows his head out of the whirlpool, sometimes he blows into his horn. Instantly water and sea maidens arise above the water surface and swim towards him. Gestrin is fierce by nature; he drags humans into the whirlpool or throws them onto the rocks. Boatmen and fishermen have a custom, that they throw into the water, before they venture on it, a ring, wrapped in a kerchief. In this way they calm Gestrin, and gain his goodwill.
The Water Man who is the master of Mura River, can be propitiated with gifts. A girl, a bold kind, was travelling with a large company by boat to a party in Prekmurje. It was not long before the Water Man realized what kind of goods were being transported in the boat, and began to raise huge waves, in order to overturn it. There was grave danger, that they would all drown; then one of the company remembered, that the girl must throw in the water something that she values most dearly, otherwise the Water Man will not stop until he has got her. The girl did as suggested and threw into the wild Mura waters her new sandals with beautiful heels. Only in this way was the company saved from certain drowning.
Gestrin
Gestrin je Povodni mož, bolj mlad kakor star, nima nog, temveč plavuti. Ob Dravi se ga boje ribiči in brodarji. Ponoči rad pomalja glavo iz cmrka, včasih tudi zatrobi v rog. Hkrati se pokažejo nad gladino Vodne in Morske deklice in splavajo k njemu. Gestrin je hude narave; ljudi vlači v cmrk ali jih meče na pečine. Brodarji in ribiči imajo navado, da vržejo v vodo, preden se podajo nanjo, prstan, zamotan v rutico. Tako potolažijo Gestrina in pridobe njegovo prijaznost.
Tudi Povodnega moža, ki gospodari v reki Muri, se da potolažiti z darili. Neka deklina, bolj predrzne vrste, se je z večjo družbo vozila v čolnu v Prekmurje na gostijo. Povodni mož je kaj kmalu spoznal, kake vrste blago se vozi v čolnu, in je začel vzdigovati strašne valove, da bi ga prekucnil. Bila je velika nevarnost, da se vse skupaj potopi; tedaj se spomni nekdo iz družbe, da mora deklina vreči v vodo, kar ji je najdražje, sicer ne bo Povodni mož prej miroval, dokler je ne dobi v pest. Deklina uboga in vrže v razburkano Muro nove opanke z lepimi peticami. Le tako se je rešila vsa družba gotovega potopa.
The maiden leaves home for the Water Man
Beautiful Meta minded the herd by the Sava River; she was a poor girl. God knows what she was thinking when something moved in the water and from the reeds begins to appear a man’s arm. Soon the whole body rises from the water; it was a giant, green and covered all over with scales. The maiden took fright, but the giant spoke in a kindly fashion:
"Don’t be afraid, maiden, my arm is hurt and I beg you to dress the wound. I will pay you well."
The girl turned back, tore her kerchief and started to bandage the arm of the man, who was so big, that she could barely reach his knee. While working on his wound, she forgot her fear and on finishing the job, she told him calmly to return the next day. The Water Man looked at her with gratitude in his eyes and disappeared under the water.
Later than was her custom Meta brought her sheep and goats home that evening. The next day the Water Man again appeared with his wounded arm. The maiden again dressed the wound. This went on for three weeks. When he came for the last time, he showed her a casket, which contained marvelous pearls. He gave it to the maiden and said: "Thank you, maiden for your compassion. As many times as you dressed my wound, so many pearls will you find in the casket. Now you will not see me any more. If you are happy and contented in the world, then remember the man, who made you the gift of good fortune. Keep well!"
He turned and left – and something played in his eyes. The maiden looked long at the spot where the man had disappeared in the water; her heart was heavy. The pearls that she began to view did nothing to make her happier. She brought home her herd and showed her parents what she was given. The riches of the poor shepherdess became know far and wide; from everywhere came suitors, who never bothered to notice her before. As much as they fawned and wooed, her heart remained cold. Not only that, she began to languish visibly; some untold sorrow was eating away her strength. One evening her mother came home from work: she called Meta, but Meta was nowhere to be found. With dark foreboding she went to the girl’s room. On the table stood the casket with pearls, on top a white leaf:
"Dear mother, pearls and all is yours; you will not see me again; I am going to the Water man."
Dekle odide za Povodnim možem
Lepa Meta je pasla ob Savi; bila je uboga deklica. Bog znaj, kaj je premišljevala, ko se je mahoma nekaj v vodi zgane in se začne iz bičevja pomaljati velika moška roka. Kmalu pride ostalo truplo iz vode; bil je velikan, ves luskinast in zelen. Deklica se ustraši, toda velikan ji veli s prijaznim glasom:
"Ne boj se, deklica, ranjen sem na roki in te prosim, da mi rano obvežeš. Dobro ti poplačam."
Deklica se obrne, takoj raztrga ruto ter začne obvezovati roko možu, ki mu je segala jedva do kolen. Med poslom jo je minil strah in ko je končala obvezo, mirno reče možu. naj pride drugi dan spet. Povodni mož jo pogleda s hvaležnim očesom in zgine v vodi.
Kasneje kot drugekrati je prignala Metka tisti večer drobnico domov. Drugi dan se je Povodni mož spet prikazal s svojo bolno roko pri deklici, ki mu je obnovila obvezo. To je trajalo tri tedne. Ko je prišel zadnjič, ji pokaže skrinjico, v kateri so se blesteli prekrasni biseri; da jo deklici rekoč:
"Hvala ti deklica za tvojo dobrotljivost! Kolikokrat si mi obvezala roko, tolikokrat po en biser najdeš v skrinjici. Sedaj me ne boš več videla. Če boš na svetu srečna in zadovoljna, tedaj se spominjaj tudi moža, ki ti je naklonil srečo. Zdrava!"
Obrnil se je k odhodu – v očeh se mu je nekaj spreletavalo… Deklica je dolgo zrla na mesto, kjer je izginil mož v vodi; pri srcu ji je bilo zelo težko. Niti biseri, ki jih je začela ogledovati, je niso prav veselili. Prižene domov in pokaže staršem, kaj je dobila. Novica o bogastvu uboge pastirice se je raznesla daleč okoli; od vseh strani so prihajali snubači, ki jih je prej tako malo videla. Kakor so se ji prilizovali in ponujali, njeno srce je ostalo hladno. In ne samo to: deklica je vidno hirala; neko neznano gorje ji je jemalo sile. Nekega večera se je vrnila mati z dela domov: kliče Metko, a nje ni odnikoder. V hudih slutnjah gre v dekličjo sobo. Na mizi je bila odprta skrinjica z biseri, na vrhu pa bel listek:
"Ljuba mati, biseri in vse je Vaše; mene ne boste več videli; grem za Povodnim možem."
Jakob Kelemina, Bajke in pripovedke slovenskega ljudstva,(first printed in 1930, publ. Humar, 1997)
Translated into English by Aleksandra Ceferin
