The Otter as a guide between realms:
According to Romanian archaic beliefs, after death, the soul travels to „the world beyond”. The journey is difficult and the soul must not lose the way in order to reach destination and to be irreversibly integrated in the realm of death, together with all other souls.
There is a ritual funeral song performed by women during burial ceremonies, describing this mythical journey. At a moment, the traveler reaches the shore of a large and deep water, which has to be crossed. There appears the otter and, as the song goes, the soul is advised not to be afraid of it, but to accept the Otter’s help, because the Otter knows the „water’s path” and will take the traveler safely to the other side of the water.
(with its waves, movements and apparently indistinctive landmarks, water seems to be a labyrinth. But the Otter is a guide who initiates the soul in order to find the way).