Crater of the Day: Vu-Murt

Location: Northwest Callisto

Diameter: 21 miles

Etymology: Votyak (Finno-Ugric)

The name Vu-Murt, which comes from the mythology of the Votyak people of Siberia, translates as "Water Man". He is described as looking like a human, with long black hair and big eyes, and often naked. In some versions of the mythology he is usually invisible and seeing him is a bad omen.

Apparently he likes to attend festivals, where he disguises himself as a peasant but can still be identified by the fact that the left side of his coat is wet. That's a little odd. I'm curious whether there's a true story behind this weirdly specific detail of the legend.

As his name implies he normally hangs out in the water, where he is said to have a family. Certain kinds of rocks found on the shores of rivers are said to Vu-Murt's fingers. Although he doesn't like to be seen he sometimes takes the shape of a pike, and fishermen claim to recognize him in by his larger size and the fact that he sleeps facing the opposite direction as all the other pike. Somehow I can imagine the Votyak old-timers having fun with these bits of folk wisdom, tricking gullible youngsters or stoking their imaginations about the natural world.