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TALES FROM THE DARK WATERS: EXPLORING THE LEGEND OF JENNY GREEN TEETH

If you walk near a lake, swamp, or river, don’t get too close to the shore because Jenny Green Teeth is under the water waiting to feed on the unwary.

Jenny Green Teeth is a demonic being from English folklore. She can be found all over the British Isles, where she is also known as Jinny Green Teeth, The Wicked Witch of the Water, or Jenny Long Arms. She lives under the cloudy and dark waters of swamps, rivers, or lakes and whose surface is covered with duckweed, algae, and moss, giving the appearance of dry land where children try to walk. There, she waits for them to enchant them with its mermaid-like song. Suddenly, her long, bony arms come out of the water, and with its long green nails, she grabs them tightly and drags them to the bottom, where she gives them a deadly hug to devour them later.

The story of Jenny Green Teeth varies depending on the region, but in most versions, she is described as a water witch who has a skeletal appearance with greenish skin and the face of a hideous old woman. She has long moss-like hair, and her eyes are yellow like a toad, but what stands out the most about her appearance are her large green and pointed teeth.

Since the 19th century, Jenny has become a social form of control. Parents mentioned her name to scare their children away from dangerous rivers, lakes, or canals by telling them she would snatch them. They also said that if they didn’t brush their teeth, she would take them to her swamp to eat them.

On one occasion, a boy went fishing in a river. While there, he saw two very bright yellow points reflecting in the water. The boy decided to walk along the shore as he thought it was the moonlight reflecting off two rocks covered in yellowish moss. He kept walking until he found a quiet place to fish. He stayed there for about an hour and noticed the yellow dots moving through the water. Then he saw a woman coming out of the water, stretching her arms towards him. The boy screamed and fell to the ground while a hand touched his ankle. The boy got up quickly and went home while the woman slowly submerged herself in the cold water. The boy came home terrified and told his mother what had happened; She wasn’t surprised to hear him, and that’s when he told him the story of Jenny Green Teeth.

Another story took place in a small village in England. The villagers were warned to stay away from the river, as several people had recently gone missing. However, a young boy named Tom was curious and decided to investigate. Tom went to the river and saw Jenny Green Teeth sitting on a rock, combing her long hair. She beckoned to him, and he foolishly approached her. Jenny Green Teeth then grabbed Tom and pulled him into the water, where she drowned him. The villagers later found Tom’s body washed up on the riverbank and realized that they had been right to fear the witch. From then on, they warned their children to stay away from the water’s edge and never to approach Jenny Green Teeth.

Over time, Jenny Green Teeth became a cautionary tale to warn children of the dangers of water and strangers. Even today, some people claim to have seen her in bodies of water throughout England and other parts of the world, and her legend continues to live on in various forms of popular culture.

So remember, if you find yourself near a lake after dark, every rustle of the leaves or the wind blowing through the tree branches will announce that Jenny Green Teeth is waiting for you at the bottom of the water. And if you get too close, she will reach out her long arms and take you to the depths, and there, among the rocks and bones, you will swim with her.

AUTHOR: ENGLISH FOLKLORE

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