the water-demon

Also known as: the demon · Role: water-demon · First appears: Canto X · The Heroes and the Water-demon

In Canto X · The Heroes and the Water-demon, the water-demon offered Alevide silver to stop him damming the river. Alevide asked for his hat to be filled, but hid a pit beneath it; before daybreak, the demon poured in his silver until his money was exhausted, without filling the hat.

At Põrgu, the demon’s sons tossed the boy from one to another before letting him rest. The boy later agreed to wrestle the water-demon, who expected to overcome him by strength or craft. Instead, the Kalevide lifted him from his feet and flung him into the air; the demon rolled seven versts and lay stunned for seven days.

Relationship record

Life events

The water-demon offered Alevide a reward to stop damming the river, and Alevide demanded his hat be filled with silver.(Canto X · The Heroes and the Water-demon · 📍 Mustapall)
- With: Alevide
- “The demon, who had lived under the water for many years, and did not like to be turned out of his comfortable home, offered him a reward to desist. So the Alevide asked him to fill his old felt hat for him with bright silver coins; which he promised to do on the morrow”
Alevide dug a concealed pit beneath his cut hat to catch the demon’s silver.(Canto X · The Heroes and the Water-demon)
- With: Alevide
- “Then the demon dived back into the water, while the son of Alev, who was a cousin of the Kalevide, got a friend to help him to dig a hole in the ground during the night, a fathom in depth and broad at the bottom, but with an opening at the top just wide enough for the top of the hat to fit into; but the hat was cut at the sides, so that the heavy money should fall through into the pit.”
The water-demon poured silver into Alevide’s hat, but could not fill it and exhausted his money.(Canto X · The Heroes and the Water-demon)
- With: Alevide
- “Before daybreak the stupid demon brought a lapful of roubles, which he poured into the hat. He brought a second and a third, and afterwards brought money by the hogshead, but the hat still remained empty. Presently his coffers, purses, and pockets were all exhausted.”
The water-demon’s sons tossed the boy about until they let him rest.(Canto X · The Heroes and the Water-demon · 📍 Põrgu)
- With: the boy
- “The boy began to reproach his avaricious friend in his thoughts for having thus sent him to Põrgu without thinking of what might happen to him; but presently the younger demons seized upon him, and began to toss him from one to another like a ball, sometimes from one side of the room to the other, and sometimes up to the ceiling.”
The boy returned to find Alevide and the money gone, and agreed to wrestle the water-demon.(Canto X · The Heroes and the Water-demon)
- With: the boy Alevide
- “When the boy reached the place where he had left the Alevide, he found that both his friend and the money had disappeared. Presently the water-demon came up, and asked him jestingly whether he had burnt himself, or whether he had been stung by a gadfly, that he ran away like that, instead of helping him to carry the heavy money-bags. He then proposed that they should look for a good place where they might wrestle. He thought he could easily overcome the boy by strength, if not by craft, and the boy consented.”
Kalevide defeated the water-demon in a wrestling match, leaving him stunned for seven days.(Canto X · The Heroes and the Water-demon)
- With: Kalevide
- “Then they engaged in a wrestling match, and the Kalevide soon lifted the demon from his feet and flung him into the air. When he came to the ground, he rolled seven versts, and then fell down a little hill among the bushes, where he lay stunned for seven days, hardly able to open his eyes or lift his head, or even to move a limb.”

Canto X · The Heroes and the Water-demon

enemies with Kalevide “Then they engaged in a wrestling match, and the Kalevide soon lifted the demon from his feet and flung him into the air.”
enemies with the boy “Then the water-demons began to titter, and to whisper to each other in their own language, which sounded just like Lettish, and which their guest could not understand. The boy began to reproach his avaricious friend in his thoughts for having thus sent him to Põrgu without thinking of what might happen to him; but presently the younger demons seized upon him, and began to toss him from one to another like a ball, sometimes from one side of the room to the other, and sometimes up to the ceiling.”

Also listed in Other Figures — Minor Figures

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Extracted from the original text of The Kalevipoeg. Made with Rho MD.