One of the myths of the Great Lakes region is the Maymaygwashi, a water spirit that resembles a merfolk. According to the Ojibwe people, who live in the US states of Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota and the Canadian province of Ontario, the Maymaygwashi is a powerful and mysterious being that can bring good or bad fortune to those who encounter it.
The text below is the script for the video. Images are AI generated unless sourced or labeled.
Hello, hello! And welcome to my channel. In this video, I have a very interesting water creature for you from the Great Lakes.
Have you ever heard of mermaids from these lakes? They’re called Maymaygwashis. They’re hairy and have mischievous personalities.
They’re also known as Nebaunaubaewuk by some tribes. By some tribes. And I won’t attempt to pronounce that word.
In fact, I’ll just call them Maymays for the purpose of this video to make it easy for me.
Let’s get to the lore.
In the Ojibwe culture and other Great Lakes tribes, Maymays are water spirits that have been around since the creation of the world. They are considered manitous – which are spiritual forces that control everything in nature.
Maymays are mythical beings in the same manner as other folklore legends such as the wendigo and the thunderbird.
%20gobli_xl-1024-v0-9.png "Maymaygwashi or Nebaunaubaewuk merfolks of the Great Lakes")
In some versions of their lore, Maymay are child-sized humanoids with hairy faces and fish-like tails. They have different colors of fur and eyes, ranging from brown to black to red.
%20_%20(monkey_0.9)%20_%2025),%20(standing_1.3)%20on%20a%20rock%20(surrounded%20by%20water_1.2),%20lake%20in%20the%20background,%20in.png "Hairy ape-like Maymaygwashi or Nebaunaubaewuk legends of the Great Lakes")
In other versions, they’re still child-sized but more apelike. Meaning that they’re hairy and bipedal. And no fish-tails.
In some stories, they can shape-change into traditional merfolks with top half-human, lower half-fish.
%20wearing%20a%20toga,%20walking%20a_xl-1024-v0-9.png "Maymaygwashi or Nebaunaubaewuk Mermaids of the Great Lakes")
And in other stories, they can transform into a full human altogether.
They can swim very fast and breathe underwater.
Some people say they can control the weather and cause storms. They are very curious and playful, but also unpredictable and that could make them dangerous.
They like to play tricks on humans by stealing their belongings, hiding their boats, or making them lose their way. Sometimes they can also help humans by giving them gifts, warning them of danger, or guiding them to safety.
There are many more stories about Maymays that have been passed down from generation to generation. Some of them are bad, some of them are good, and some of them are mixed.
For example, there is a legend that says that if you see a Maymay, you will have good luck for the rest of your life.
There is another legend that says that if you harm a Maymay, you will be cursed with bad weather and misfortune. According to a post in Urban Legends & Cryptids Amino App (link), some tribes believe that Maymays were responsible for the sinking of the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald in 1975. It’s the largest ship to have sunk in the Great Lakes.
There is also a legend that says that if you fall in love with a Maymay, you will be taken to their underwater kingdom and never return.
