The Water Woman & Her Lover - Literature Notes
SUMMARY
This short story is an old Essequibo tale of a mermaid called the Water Mama, or Water Woman. The story is told of a fair skinned woman with long black hair, who looked like a female on the top half of her body, but had the anatomy of a fish below her waist. Some people believed that she was a creature of the devil, while all agreed that people should take care not to seek her out, or the result could be obsession. The story enfolds when Big John, a local villager, actively sought her out and became entranced. He vowed to stay away from the water woman, but the full moon fueled his obsession and he sought her out night after night. After a few months of waiting and watching the water woman, he had a strange dream in which the water woman gave him a comb. Later that same day he saw a comb near his bed. He had very vivid dreams on the following nights in which he was gifted with strands of the water woman's hair, a conch shell, and finally, money. He was told that he must keep the money a secret, and as a result, he would stay on Earth and enjoy it, but if he could not keep the secret, he would go with the water woman and be her lover forever. Big John did not keep the secret, and no one was sure of his fate. There were many rumours surrounding his disappearance, but many villagers believed that if one goes to the koker on any night of the full moon, the water woman can be seen combing her hair and a big man, with broad shoulders, standing close beside her.
SETTING
An old koker, near Parika
CHARACTERS
Water woman (Water Mama)
THEME
Obsession
Obsession is a very blatant theme in this short story. The minute Big John catches a glimpse of the water woman he is completely smitten. He seeks her out nightly, and attempts at stopping this unhealthy behaviour are futile.
Contributer: Leisa Samuels-Thomas
Prince, Ralph. 'The water woman and her lover'. Over Our Way. Kingston, Jamaica: Carlong Publishers, 1995.
BACK
This short story is an old Essequibo tale of a mermaid called the Water Mama, or Water Woman. The story is told of a fair skinned woman with long black hair, who looked like a female on the top half of her body, but had the anatomy of a fish below her waist. Some people believed that she was a creature of the devil, while all agreed that people should take care not to seek her out, or the result could be obsession. The story enfolds when Big John, a local villager, actively sought her out and became entranced. He vowed to stay away from the water woman, but the full moon fueled his obsession and he sought her out night after night. After a few months of waiting and watching the water woman, he had a strange dream in which the water woman gave him a comb. Later that same day he saw a comb near his bed. He had very vivid dreams on the following nights in which he was gifted with strands of the water woman's hair, a conch shell, and finally, money. He was told that he must keep the money a secret, and as a result, he would stay on Earth and enjoy it, but if he could not keep the secret, he would go with the water woman and be her lover forever. Big John did not keep the secret, and no one was sure of his fate. There were many rumours surrounding his disappearance, but many villagers believed that if one goes to the koker on any night of the full moon, the water woman can be seen combing her hair and a big man, with broad shoulders, standing close beside her.
SETTING
An old koker, near Parika
CHARACTERS
Water woman (Water Mama)
- A fair skinned woman with long black hair.
- The top half of her body is female, the bottom half (mermaid).
- Gifts Big John with various items that keeps him interested in her.
- She is said to be associated with the devil.
- The man who fell in love with the water woman
- He became progressively obsessed with the water woman, with the full moon being a catalyst.
- He ends up, according to legend, staying by her side because he could not keep a promise.
THEME
Obsession
Obsession is a very blatant theme in this short story. The minute Big John catches a glimpse of the water woman he is completely smitten. He seeks her out nightly, and attempts at stopping this unhealthy behaviour are futile.
Contributer: Leisa Samuels-Thomas
Prince, Ralph. 'The water woman and her lover'. Over Our Way. Kingston, Jamaica: Carlong Publishers, 1995.
BACK