Many of the Indigenous tales from around the world depict water beings in many different ways. Whether the beings are male or female, obliging or obstructive, their appearance closer to human or other, and if they are perceived by the people as benign or malevolent. These cross cultural bodies appear in many different ways. Though in some tales I found similarities.

In “The Tuna (Eel) of Lake Vaihiria”, the young princess Hina is expected to marry the King of Vailhiria, whose physical appearance is that of an “immense eel”. With help from the spirit-like man Maui, the head of the eel provides a coconut tree for her. In Sedna, a mistreated and wronged woman becomes a water spirit with the “head and torso of a woman and the tail of a fish”.

In these two tales, the water beings provide for the people through resources such as food and even shelter, though the tales are from different parts of the world, Pacific Islands and Inuit people. The stories may reflect what the people needed most at the time, resources. In the Tuna story, the eel is the malevolent being promised to a beautiful young girl, however, his cut off head provides food for her and her new-found family. This is done through the form of a bountiful coconut tree. In the Sedna story, she is taken advantage by a bird-man, and later betrayed by her father. However, after becoming a powerful sea spirit, she provides food for the Inuit ” who rely on these animals want to maintain a good relationship with Sedna” by keeping her happy with “certain taboos” or traditions. These ancient origin myths might serve as an explanation for environments, resources and knowledge. Though different in many ways, they are also similar.