Undine, also known as Ondine or Undina, is the name of the “water” element mentioned by the medieval European alchemist Paracelsus in his alchemical theories. Undine is also one of the “four spirits” that govern the four elements in ancient European legends, alongside “fire,” “wind,” and “earth.” Later, Undine was depicted as a beautiful female elf residing by the water; in Europe, the name “Undine” is interchangeable with the names of other water spirits (such as the Vodyanoy in Eastern European legends and the Rusalka in Slavic mythology). In the legend, Undine herself does not possess a soul but can acquire one through union with a male and bearing children. The German author Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué’s novel “Undine” (translated as “Elegance” or “Vortex Child”) features Undine as the protagonist. In the story, Undine, born without a soul, like the legend, forms a marriage with a mortal, bears children, and thus attains her own soul. In Latin, “unda” means “wave.” The asteroid Undina is named after Undine.
Origin
Undine (sometimes also Undene, French Ondine, “water spirit,” “mermaid”) is a female, virgin water spirit. She belongs to the so-called semi-divine elemental spirits. The name is derived from both Old High German undia (Common Germanic unþī, modern High German die Unde) and Latin unda, both with the identical meaning “wave,” assumed to have a common Indo-European root. The character of Undine originates from the legend of the Upper Rhine noble family of Staufenberg. The narrative is contained in a poem around 1320 and has been widely adapted.
Undines are nymphs or naiads. Unlike mermaids, nymphs do not frequent the sea but rather run waters, rivers, and fountains, and do not have fishtails. During the summer, they like to sit by the water, combing their long hair with gold or ivory combs. They also like to swim in waterfalls, ponds, and rivers on bright summer days. It is said that those with golden-colored hair possess great treasures that they keep in their beautiful submerged palaces. The water supply of the fountains is attributed to the tears of the undines, and this dries up as soon as a fairy feels offended. Thus, it is customary to leave various offerings at the fountains, such as garlands of flowers, pins, or shards of bottles, which are for the fairies of the waters, real treasures glittering and shimmering in the water.
Undine’s Characteristics
According to Paracelsus’s theory, Undine is a female elf or goddess in the water, dominating all water elements. They often appear near lakes and waterfalls in forests, possessing sweet voices that sometimes surpass the sound of flowing water. In some European folktales, if Undine cannot form a union with a mortal man, they cannot obtain a tangible soul.
However, if the man linked with Undine has an affair, betraying Undine’s love, she will kill her husband and return to a life in the water; legends also suggest that if Undine’s husband scolds her by the water, she may jump back into the water out of sadness and fear, disappearing forever. Yet, upon returning to the water, Undine loses the soul bestowed by marriage. These legends have often inspired romantic literature authors as prototypes for novel creations. In 18th-century Scotland, Undine was also considered a “water sprite” or water nymph, referring to ghosts in the water, but they were not as frightening as typical water nymphs.
The Sleeping Curse of Undine
In German mythology, Undine is a remarkably beautiful female elf with eternal life. However, in her lifetime, if she falls in love with a mortal, bearing his children, she may risk losing all her powers, even her eternal life. According to legend, Undine fell in love with a young knight named Sir Lawrence, and they decided to get married. On their wedding day, as Lawrence and Undine declared their vows of love to each other, Lawrence said, “My every waking breath shall be my pledge of love and faithfulness to you.” A year later, Undine gave birth to Lawrence’s child. However, after this, Undine began to age, her appearance deteriorating. Lawrence, seeing his wife losing her beauty, gradually lost interest in her.
One afternoon, Undine heard familiar snoring coming from somewhere and traced it to the vicinity of the stable. Upon entering, she witnessed Lawrence having an affair with another woman. Filled with grief and anger, she pointed at Lawrence, who woke up as if struck. At this moment, Undine cursed Lawrence, saying, “You swore faithfulness to me with every waking breath, and I accepted your oath. So be it. As long as you are awake, you shall have your breath, but should you ever fall asleep, then that breath will be taken from you, and you will die!” This is the famous “Sleeping Curse of Undine.”
Alemannic and Germanic Legend
Undine is the heroine of an Alsatian legend. At her birth, all the neighboring fairies gather around her cradle and bestow numerous qualities upon her. Her fairy godmother, in particular, grants her exceptional constancy. One day, she is abducted by a young lord who manages to make her love him to the extent that she refuses to leave him to visit her sick mother. As punishment, her fairy godmother condemns her to always love the lord no matter what he does.
Tired of her, the lord pretends to believe her unfaithful. He claims that he will only believe her if she goes and fills a huge vase at the source of Nideck. After three days of walking carrying this enormous weight, Undine, exhausted, falls into the water while filling her vase. The fairy, her godmother, comes to her rescue, and to spare her from continuing to suffer because of the lord, transforms her into a nymph, protector of the waters of Nideck. Since then, on stormy days, she is seen appearing in the mists of the cascade waters.
“The Water Nixie” (Die Nixe im Teich) is a Grimm fairy tale (KHM 181).
Paracelsus and the Abbot of Villars
Paracelsus enumerates seven races of creatures without a soul: the humanoid beings without soul or spirit (inanimata) of the Elements, giants, and dwarfs, the dwarfs dwelling on Earth. He believes in the genies of the four Elements. The Earth, through spontaneous generation, produces dwarfs who guard treasures beneath the mountains; Water produces undines; Fire, salamanders; Air, elves. Next are the giants and dwarfs born from the air but living on Earth.
“The term ‘inanimatum’ designates six families of men without a soul… These soulless men include, first of all, those from the four families inhabiting the four Elements: the nymphs, nymphae, daughters of water; the sons of the earth, lemures, who dwell beneath the mountains; the spirits of the air, gnomi; the genies of fire, vulcani. The other two families consist of men who are also born without a soul but, like us, breathe outside the Elements. These are, on the one hand, the giants and, on the other hand, the dwarfs living in the shadows of the forests, umbragines… There are beings that naturally remain within the same Element. Thus, the phoenix stays in the fire as the mole stays in the earth. Do not be incredulous; I will prove it! As for the giants and forest dwarfs, they have our world as their abode. All these soulless beings are produced from seeds that come from the sky and the Elements, but without the soil of the earth… They come into the world like insects formed in the mire [through spontaneous generation].”
Henri de Montfaucon de Villars, in a famous novel, “The Count of Gabalis or Conversations on the Secret Sciences” (1670), describes undines for his theory of “elemental spirits”:
“Know that the seas and rivers are inhabited just like the air; the ancient Wise Ones have named these people Undines or Nymphs. There are few males, and the females are numerous; their beauty is extreme, and the daughters of men have nothing comparable… ” (p. 45–48).
Similar Mythical Figures
Some aspects of Undines can also be found in Greek mythology. Comparable are especially the Greek nymphs of springs, rivers, and lakes (Naiads), as well as the Oceanids and Nereids, for example, Amphitrite. Greek water nymphs can bring misfortune; they, for instance, cause the death of Heracles’ favorite Hylas. The “foam-born” Aphrodite is also closely associated with water, but unlike nymphs and Undines, she is a full-fledged goddess. The motif of seductive singing can be found with the bird-shaped Sirens, who sit at the seaside and lure passing sailors to their deaths.
In other mythological cycles, water nymphs are also attributed an enchanting voice. The water song connects Undines with magical beings like the Loreley or the daughter of the king of the sunken city of Ys, who sings at sea at night with bells. Similar themes are found in the legend of the magical city Vineta, which also sank into the sea out of pride. Additionally, there is a multitude of local legends about female river spirits that share similarities with the Undine figure, such as the Danube Maiden from Vienna. Similar beings in Slavic mythology are referred to as Rusalka or Russalka.
Derivative Works
Many Western fantasy novelists incorporate the story of Undine into their works, perhaps as a representation of the “water” element in the world or as embodiments of water spirits.
Music and Literature
- A flute sonata by German composer Carl Reinecke is titled “Undine” (Sonata in E Minor ‘Undine,’ Op. 167 by Carl Reinecke).
- French playwright Jean Giraudoux adapted Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué’s novel “Undine” in 1939, creating a stage play of the same name.
- Renowned British ballet dancer Margot Fonteyn performed in the ballet masterpiece “Undine.”
- One part of the composition “Gaspard de la nuit” by French pianist Maurice Ravel is named “Ondine.”
- The second volume, the eighth piece of “Préludes” by French composer Claude Debussy is titled “Ondine.”
- German composer E.T.A. Hoffmann (1814), Lothar Windsperger (1845), and Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1869) each composed operas titled “Undine.”
- In the novel series “New Crobuzon trilogy” by British author China Miéville, Undine is a powerful water element.
- In the novel “Here is the Happy Safety Committee” by Japanese composer utataP, the system of Queen Serene (Hatsune Miku, Seren Queen) is Odin (Undine), and the story also mentions Odin as a water spirit.
- The short story “Undine geht” by Austrian female writer Ingeborg Bachmann is written from Undine’s first-person perspective.
Movies
- Fairy – A Modern Fairy Tale (1977), directed by Vojtěch Jasný. The television film (ZDF) brings the Undine motif into the present.
- Ondine (2009), written and directed by Neil Jordan. An Irish fisherman catches a girl pretending to be a mermaid in his fishing net.
- Undine (2020), written and directed by Christian Petzold. “The historian Undine works as a tour guide in Berlin. When her boyfriend leaves her, the curse of the old myth catches up with her. Undine must kill the man who betrays her and return to the water.
Video Games
- In the Tales of series, Undine appears several times as an elemental spirit (Tales of Symphonia, Tales of Eternia). She is the embodiment of water and is the direct antagonist of Ifrit, the elemental spirit of fire.
- In the PS4 game Sword Art Online Lost Song, you can use the undines Asuna and Sumeragi as playable characters.
- In the indie game Undertale, you’ll meet the leader of the Kingsguard, who goes by the name of Undyne.
- In Star Trek Online, the non-humanoid species named by the Borg, 8472, is referred to as the Undine.
- In the 1993 Super Nintendo game Secret of Mana, Undine appears as a water festival.
Anime and Manga
- In the anime series Sword Art Online (Japan: ソードアート・オンライン), the Undines (originally spelled ウンディーネ) are one of the nine playable races of the VRMMORPG Alfheim Online. Asuna is a well-known member of this breed.
Undine in Medicine
In the medical field, “Ondine’s curse” is a medical term specifically referring to a rare syndrome known as congenital central hypoventilation syndrome (CCHS) or congenital Ondine’s curse. In cases of this syndrome, patients lose control of their respiratory system during unconscious states, meaning that in unconscious states such as sleep or coma, the respiratory system fails to function, causing the patient to lose the ability to breathe. Consequently, they can only breathe successfully while awake. Currently, this condition is incurable, and individuals afflicted with it often face the risk of suffocation and death during sleep, reminiscent of the legend of Undine and Lawrence.
