The Kludde

 

    The kludde was an evil spirit or boogeyman from the low countries, spanning Belgium and the Netherlands. The kludde was always associated with water and inhabited places like swamps, reed beds, ponds and under bridges. While the kludde was capable of travelling over land, it couldn't enter hallowed ground, such as church yards.

    The kludde gets its name from the sounds it makes. Although it's known regionally as kleure, klerre, or waterkledde.

    The kludde was a dangerous monster, luring anyone who travelled by night into its swamp. There it would kill its victim, either by strangling or drowning. The kludde was capable of causing confusion and fear in its victims just by proximity, even without being seen. The kludde was especially dangerous to children, which it would hunt down even when closer victims were available. Because of this the kludde was used a as boogeyman to scare children into not going outside at night.

    In some versions of the myth the kludde is merely a trickster, similar to the nixie or nocker. It would revel in pranking travellers by pulling them into the water and laughing as they escaped to land. The kludde would jump on its victim's back and become heavier until the person collapsed from the weight, possibly falling off the path and into the water. But other than fear and humiliation, this version of the kludde wouldn't cause any other harm.

    The kludde was a shape shifter, having no definite form. It was best known appearing as a black dog with bat wings and chains around its neck, possibly standing on two legs like a werewolf, or all fours.

    The kludde could also appear in the form of a black horse. In this form it would beckon people to ride it, where it would then jump into the water and drown its rider, much like the kelpi of Scottish folklore.

    In addition to these forms the kludde could change into any animal associated with water, darkness or evil, such as wolves, snakes, bats, black cats, frog, large fish and the like. They can even appear as dead trees and clouds of swamp mist.

    In every form the kludde can be recognized by its glowing eyes. In some versions of them myth their eyes are crimson red, in others they're a cold blue, like a will-o-wisp. In spite of the two different versions, it's said the kludde's eye color is consistent and unchanging. Red eyes are associated with the more dangerous boogeyman variate of the kludde, while blue with the prankster version.

    To escape the kludde one would throw a handkerchief on the ground behind themselves, which the kludde would obsessively pull apart on strand at a time, giving the traveller time to escape.

    The kludde has multiple origin stories. Sometimes it was a spirit that rose from the cremated bodies of criminals and witches. Other times it was a sort of water spirit associated with desecrated land, and other versions it's a demon sent by the devil to torment the locals. Whatever its origins the kludde was nearly impossible to get ride of. If a kludde was killed then seven more would rise up in its place.