| Grouping | Mythological creature Water dragon |
|---|---|
| First attested | In folklore |
| Country | England |
| Region | Sussex |
| Details | Deep pools of water called knuckerholes |
Knucker is a dialect word for a sort of water dragon, living in knuckerholes in Sussex, England. "The word comes from the Old English nicor which means "water monster" and is used in the poem Beowulf. It may also be related to the word "nixie", which is a form of water spirit, to "Old Nick", a euphemism for the devil, or to the words "Nykur" (Icelandic water horse), "Nickel" (German goblin), "Knocker" (Cornish goblin), "Näcken" and "Neck" (Scandinavian water men and water spirits), "Näkineiu" and "Näkk" (Estonian mermaid and singing water animal), and "Näkki" (Finnish water spirit)."[1]