undine

Undine is a type of female water spirit or elemental being in European folklore and myth. The name derives from Latin unda, meaning a wave or water. In medieval and early modern sources, undines (also called ondines in some languages) are described as living in rivers, lakes, and springs, often endowed with beauty and magical affinity for water.

In many traditions, undines are depicted as feminine water beings whose existence is tied to human companionship. A common motif is that an undine can gain human qualities or a soul through a true, faithful marriage to a mortal; in other versions, the undine’s humanity may depend on the power of love and trust, while breaches of that trust can lead to the loss of her humanity or a return to the water. Across different tellings, undines frequently interact with humans at the boundaries between land and water, sometimes assisting or tormenting those who cross their paths.

The most influential modern treatment is Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué’s Undine, published in 1811. The novella popularized the archetype of a water-spirit who enters a human marriage and grapples with the demands of fidelity, belonging, and mortality. Since then, the figure has appeared in Romantic and fantasy literature, as well as in various adaptations in film and other media, where she is often used to explore themes of love, loyalty, and the tension between the earthly and the otherworldly.

In contemporary usage, undine remains a recognizable motif in folklore-inspired fiction and in fantasy works, and the term is sometimes employed more broadly to denote water nymphs or similar aquatic spirits. It is closely associated with the broader tradition of elemental beings described in early modern natural philosophy and occult writings.