Bu-Darya is a half-human, half-fish being, or amphibious man, from the folklore of pearl divers and sailors in Kuwait and Qatar (and other countries of the western coast of the Persian Gulf), who imagined him as a humanoid water djinn dwelling in the open sea. Fishermen told that at night Bu-Darya would rise to the surface near boats and, pretending to be drowning, thrash about in the water while piercingly crying for help. But when someone approached him with good intentions, the creature would seize the rescuer and drag them underwater, holding them there until the person suffocated. According to other stories, he would climb aboard ships, seize sailors, pull them beneath the waves, and devour them. Fearing an attack by Bu-Darya, crew members would take turns keeping watch at night, and if he appeared, they tried to drive him away with shouting, noise, and the brandishing of knives, preventing him from claiming his desired prey. Also Bu-Darya feared the recitation of prayers from the Qur’an, as well as the phrase: “Bring a saw and an axe!” It was also believed that those who saw this sea creature in person would be cursed and afflicted with various maritime ailments, ranging from nausea to hallucinations.

The name Bu-Darya can literally be translated as “lord of the sea”: in Arabic “bū” (بو) or “abū” (أبو) means “father” or “master (of something)”, while “daryā” (دَرْيا) comes from a Persian word meaning “sea”. Despite the Persian origin of part of the name, no such character is mentioned in any Persian sources. An alternative name for this water djinn is Shayṭān Al-Bahār, which in Arabic translates as “devil of the sea”.

The Kuwaiti cultural heritage researcher Salem Abdullatif Al-Misbah also mentions that a demon similar to Bu-Darya, called Al-Atoom, is described in classical Arabic literature as a sea creature with a fish-like tail, with arms but without legs. This likely refers to superstitions connected with dugongs (aquatic mammals of the order Sirenia, or sea cows), whose Arabic name indeed sounds like al’atwm (الأطوم). In antiquity, sailors of the Red Sea, the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean often mistook dugongs for mythical beings. Because these animals nurse their young while holding them with their fore flippers, and because their tails resemble a fish’s tail fin, dugongs seen from a distance could appear to be marine chimeras with a human torso. They are believed to have served as the prototype for legends of mermaids and sea maidens in various cultures around the world. However, when observed up close, their unusual snout and large size could frighten ancient seafarers unfamiliar with such creatures, thereby giving rise to beliefs in “sea monsters” or “water demons”.