Secrets of the Deep: The Llamhigyn Y Dwr

In the tranquil waters of Welsh folklore, a creature lurks, its presence shrouded in mystery and myth. Imagine a toad without legs, adorned with bat-like wings and a sinuous tail, capable of leaping across the water's surface with the speed of lightning. This underwater cryptid has fascinated and terrified generations with its mischievous antics and sinister deeds.

Llamhigyn Y Dwr, more commonly known as ‘water leapers’, are named for the large leaps it takes as it hops over the water surface. When moving like this, these beings are extremely fast, being compared with lightning bolts. 

When fishing lines suddenly snapped, this was supposedly the work of water leapers. Being prankster spirits, they enjoyed stealing bait from fishing hooks and preventing fishermen from catching things.

In one story, a man was fishing in the Llyn Glâs when he hooked one of these spirits. It was not physically strong, since the man could reel it in without any trouble at all. When the water leaper was almost on shore, however, its head emerged above the water and it let out a loud, horrible shriek that dazed the fisherman. He almost fell in the water, but his friend (who was standing beside him) managed to grab him.

But these creatures did far worse things than pestering fishermen, as they occasionally stole and ate livestock. It was said that if sheep got into the water of the Llyn Glâs lake, the Llamhigyn Y Dwr would grab onto them and drag them to the bottom of the lake. Presumably, to devour the animals. This belief was so common, in fact, that shepherds would teach their dogs to never follow a sheep into the lake, lest the monster would drown and eat the dog as well.

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