Nelly Longarms (or Nellie Longarms) is a hag and water spirit in English folklore who dwells at the bottom of deep ponds, rivers and wells. Like the Grindylow, Peg Powler and Jenny Greenteeth she will reach out with her long sinewy arms and drag children beneath the water if they get too close. She is regarded as a bogeyman figure who is invoked by parents to frighten children into proper behaviour.Briggs, Katharine (1976). An Encyclopedia of Fairies. Pantheon Books. p. 305. .Wright, Elizabeth Mary (1913). Rustic Speech and Folk-Lore. Humphrey Milford, Oxford University Press. pp. 198-199.Bane, Theresa (2013). Encyclopedia of Fairies in World Folklore and Mythology. McFarland & Co. p. 245. .
