The Vodianoi is a particularly evil and dangerous water spirit of Kislev who entices people to the edge of rivers or pools and drowns them for its own vulgar enjoyment. It often appears as a naked old man with a long beard and green hair who sits at a river's edge and begs for help (a plight most Kislevites could not ignore), but in the north of Kislev, there are more outlandish tales of it appearing as a creature that is half-fish, half-Human and drips with slime -- though how such a repulsive creature is able to entice people to approach it is never explained.[1a]
This spirit may also be linked to the Rusalka, which is said to be the spirit of a drowned maiden that is angry at her untimely death and seeks to drown passers-by to present to the underworld in exchange for her own life.[1a]