Wihwin is the name given to a malevolent water spirit of Central America, particularly associated with the Miskito tribe. Similar mythological creatures around the world include the kelpie in Scotland, the Scandinavian bäckahäst and the Australian bunyip. Although normally a sea-dwelling demon, it prowls through mountain ridges during the summer months.
The horse-shaped monster has "jaws fenced round with horrid teeth", which it uses to consume humans and other prey it finds on its nocturnal hunts.
References
Citations
- Bassett (1885), p. 93
- Varner (2007), p. 24
- Middleton (2012), p. 44
- McPherson (1929), p. 61
- ^ Bell, Charles N. (1862), "Remarks on the Mosquito Territory", The Journal of the Royal Geographical Society, 32: 254
Bibliography
- Bassett, Fletcher S. (1885), Legends and Superstitions of the Sea and of Sailors, Belford, Clarke and Co.
- McPherson, Joseph McKenzie (1929), "Primitive Beliefs in the North-East of Scotland", Nature, 124 (3118), Longmans, Green: 175, Bibcode:1929Natur.124Q.175., doi:10.1038/124175a0, S2CID 4089570
- Middleton, Nick (2012), Rivers: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0-19-958867-1
- Varner, Gary R. (2007), Creatures in the Mist: Little People, Wild Men and Spirit Beings around the World: A Study in Comparative Mythology, Algora, ISBN 978-0-87586-545-4