Jenny Greenteeth is an English fairy or bogey who dwells in ponds and lakes covered in duckweed. She waits lurking beneath the water for unexpected children to pass close by and pulls them down to her lair.
The Grindylow is a type of water spirit from British folklore. They dwell in marshes, bogs and rivers. Some believe the Grindylow is a descendant of Grendal of the Beowulf epic poem. They are most well known in the northern regions of Britain, which ladds weight to the idea it is a creature of scandi origin, and can go by many names, Jenny Greenteeth is just one type of Grindylow.
Children were warned away from the water by their parents, using the Grindylow as a sort of bogeyman. The Grindylow seems to have a penchant for pulling small children under the water to drown them. Now whether the Grindylow stories appeared just to scare the children away from the bogs, as of course, bogs are extremely dangerous, or if the Grindylow stories appeared first we just don't know.
Grindylows are often described as having green skin, sharp teeth and slimy skin. They have a small humanoid appearance, somewhat like a mermaid but without the tail.
Grindylows have made a comeback in popular culture as they appear in the Harry Potter series.
The Jenny Greenteeth hand printed linocut is available to buy here.
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