Ved-Ava

This is the water spirit of several Finno-Ugric peoples, traditionally dependent on fishing.

She is usually depicted as an aquatic creature resembling a mermaid with long hair, large breasts and the lower body of a fish with a tail, and is sometimes said to play or sing, seducing people with her music. Fishermen sacrificed their first catch to her and observed numerous taboos associated with her during fishing.

To see a Ved-Ava promises something bad, most often death from water. She was considered the spirit of the drowned man and/or the personification of the water itself.

Among the Mordvins, she was the Mother of Water, the lord of the waters and their generosity. She is known as Vete-Ema among Estonians and Vene-Emo among Finns.