The Nhang
In Armenian rivers lived a serpent that could take the shape of a woman or a seal, and drag swimmers down to drink their blood.
What was reported
The nhang is a river monster of Armenian mythology, said to live in rivers such as the Aras. It could take the form of a beautiful woman to lure men, or of a seal, and would wrap around swimmers, pull them under the water and drown them.
The early medieval Armenian historian Movses Khorenatsi mentions the nhang, and the word came to be used for crocodile and sea monster in the Armenian translation of the Bible.
Explanations offered
The nhang belongs to a widespread group of dangerous water spirits that disguise themselves to lure people into rivers, like the kelpie or the Slavic rusalka. Such stories warned of the real dangers of fast, cold rivers.
- When
- Told since ancient times
- Where
- The Aras River, Armenia
- Witnesses
- Armenian folklore and medieval writers
- Status
- Legend
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
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