That&#x27;s not remotely true.  Many of these stories were specifically to protect children.  If you can&#x27;t watch your children all the time, you can&#x27;t just tell them, &quot;Don&#x27;t go too close to the water.&quot;  They&#x27;ll go anyway.  So you tell them, &quot;There are Wassermen (German) &#x2F; Vodnik (Czech) who will grab you by the feet and pull you in.&quot;