Stay Away From Water, Kids

Our today’s guest is Jenny Greenteeth, another figure from English folklore. Wiki defines Jenny as a river hag, similar to Peg Powler or a grindylow, who would stretch out her long arms, catch children or the weak, drag them to her, pull them into the water and drown them. 

The general term hag, which applies to the three creatures mentioned, appeared in Middle English, and was a shortening of hægtesse, an Old English term for witch. Hag is an old woman, a kind of fairy or goddess, rather malevolent, often found in folklore and children's tales. Many stories about hags seem to have been used to frighten children into being good. (By the way, Baba Yaga also belongs to this company.)

Let us start with Jenny Geenteeth. She was usually described as green-skinned, with long hair, and sharp teeth (try and guess of what colour). At night she would also lurk in the treetops, looking for a victim. She is called Jinny Greenteeth in Lancashire (where she was probably originating from), but in Cheshire and Shropshire she is called Ginny Greenteeth, Jeannie Greenteeth, Wicked Jenny, or Peg o' Nell. 

Jenny is also associated with pondweed or duckweed, which can cover the surface of water, making it misleading and potentially dangerous, especially to kids. Some people just called pondweed so.

Another interesting passage showing the variety of folklore-inspired tales is that I found in A Dictionary of English Folklore by Jacqueline Simpson: ‘A Lancashire contributor to N&Q recalled: ‘Further, I have often been told by my mother and nurse that if I did not keep my teeth clean I should some day be dragged into one of these ponds by Jenny Greenteeth, and I have met many elderly people who have had the same threat applied to them.’

A very similar creature is Grindylow (the name may be connected to Grendel). Like Jenny Greenteeth, Grindylows were beleived to grab little children with their long sinewy arms, again, if they were careless enough to walk near the water’s edge, and drown them. 

These creatures, Grindylows, appear in the Harry Potter books and films. If you don’t happen to be a HP fan, just look at the picture right here.

The third creature of the river-hags list is the Peg Powler, who is very similar to Jenny, and has only three special things about her: she was believed to live in the river Tees, tended to hunt on Sundays, and had a soft spot for those who walked barefoot, kicking their heels on the bank, pulling and drowning them so that the pondweed closed over them, leaving not the shadow of a shadow on the surface…

Now that I’ve read so much about them, I’ll think twice before putting my foot (especially bare) into any river water. On Sunday.