Waterwolf
Detail from a map of the Haarlemmermeer (1641). Above you can see the Dutch Lion fighting the Waterwolf. The lake was drained ( polded ) between 1849 and 1852 . This ended the danger of the Waterwolf.
The Waterwolf (Dutch for: water wolf ) is an allegory in the Netherlands for the sea and the great lakes that are eating up the land. Waterwolf also meant certain lakes such as the Haarlemmermeer or the Lauwers River .
In earlier times the Waterwolf was used to scare children so that children would not play in the water. There are a number of children's books on the subject of water and flooding. An example is André Nuyens' book De Waterwolf about the All Saints Vloed of 1675.
Furthermore, some swimming clubs and other organizations that deal with water have named themselves after the Waterwolf. There are also ships of this name. It is also sometimes used to describe the pike , a predatory fish.