Illustration of Melusine, a figure of European legends and folklore. Melusine is a feminine spirit of fresh waters in sacred springs and rivers. She is usually depicted as a woman who is a serpent or fish from the waist down (much like a mermaid). She is also sometimes illustrated with wings, two tails or both. The fairy, Melusine, was the daughter of the fairy Pressyne and King Elynas of Albany.