In some Christian circles and denominations, people discuss marine spirits, even praying against them as part of their understanding of the unseen realm and spiritual warfare.
As with any topic, Christians shouldn't accept or reject an idea or tradition at first glance; we must do our research and measure it against Scripture and biblical principles. So, what does the Bible really say about marine spirits?
What are Marine Spirits?
Some Christians, especially among charismatic and Pentecostal traditions, view “marine spirits” as demonic entities operating from bodies of water. The Bible never specifically mentions these spirits. However, the belief in them emerges from interpretations of biblical texts that reference the seas and oceans connected with evil forces or death.
Christians who believe in marine spirits see these entities as part of the broader war in the spirit realm. They believe these spirits oppress, deceive, and manipulate people, leading them away from God. According to this belief, marine spirits manifest in different ways—through dreams of water, recurring issues linked to the ocean, and seduction or lust (linked to myths like mermaids). In more charismatic contexts, prayers and deliverance ministries pray to break the supposed agreements individuals may have with these spirits, which they believe to be formed through ancestral worship, occult practices, or personal sin. Deliverance and intercession against marine spirits usually involve renouncing any ties with water spirits and speaking the name of Jesus to release their hold.
The topic has gained attention in recent years among evangelicals for several reasons. First, the charismatic movement’s emphasis on spiritual warfare has increased awareness of demons and evil spiritual influence, leading to more teaching on angelic and demonic hierarchies. A few prominent pastors and deliverance ministers with large online platforms teach on this topic. Second, Christianity continues to grow and adapt around the world, specifically in African and Asian countries that already believed in spirits associated with nature. Just as Western Christianity often sees the influence of European and Hellenistic Culture (not always healthy), these regions often see Christianity intersect with indigenous spiritualities.
Where Did the Term “Marine Spirits” Originate?
The Bible consistently has symbolic references to the sea as a place of chaos and death.
The very first few verses of the Bible equate the waters with chaos, as the Spirit of God hovers over the deep before transforming the earth from emptiness and darkness to full of life (Genesis 1:2). When God delivers the Israelites from Egyptian slavery, the evil empire catches them at the Red Sea. The people see this and exclaim their impending death. God has Moses miraculously part the Red Sea (Exodus 41), literally saving his people from death by parting the water so they could walk on dry land. As Joshua leads the Israelites into the Promised Land, God stops the river Jordan with the Ark of the Covenant so they can walk forward on dry land (Joshua 3). In Psalm 69:1-2, the writer cries out for help as waters threaten to drown him. In all these examples the waters symbolize danger and unpredictability.
In the New Testament, water continues to be connected with death in some ways, at least symbolically. The Gospels begin with John the Baptist, who baptized people by immersing them in water, signifying their death and burial, and then their resurrection to new life. Jesus claims that with faith, his disciples can speak to a mountain and send it into the sea (Mark 11:23). Christ slept on a boat during a violent storm (like Jonah). Jesus stands up and calms the storm, terrifying his followers with his power (Mark 4). Additionally, Jesus even walked on water. He miraculously transcends and controls the deadly waves (Matthew 14). The Apostle Paul helps his ship survive a great storm (Acts 27). In Revelation 20:13, the sea gives up its dead (like the sea owns the dead), reinforcing this connection between the ocean and death.
The Bible also mentions several sea beasts associated with death. In Revelation 13:1, a beast rises out of the sea, an evil and apocalyptic figure who stands against God and his people. Job 41 and Isaiah 27 mention the Leviathan, portrayed as a massive sea creature associated with chaos and sometimes linked to demonic powers. The Old Testament prophet Jonah runs from God and his mission to confront Nineveh. God first sends a threatening storm, and when the other sailors throw Jonah overboard, they believe they are sending him to death. God then hides Jonah in a great fish (Jonah 1:17), another picture of death. When the fish spits the prophet out on the shore, it’s like a resurrection.
Over time, the idea of marine spirits also began to draw from folklore, where water spirits play a prominent role in many cultures. In African and Caribbean traditions, entities like Mami Wata (a water goddess or spirit) are believed to live in rivers and oceans, bringing curses and blessings. People think these supernatural spirits are seductive and mysterious. Locals incorporated folklore beliefs about water spirits into Christian demonology, forming the basis of modern belief in marine spirits.
European folklore holds similar beliefs in water spirits. Sirens, naiads, and mermaids in Greek and Roman mythology are mythological beings linked to water. Ancient literature often depicts these spirits as beautiful and alluring, sometimes seducing sailors to their deaths. Though not originally viewed as demonic, Christianity often recast them as malevolent spirits working against humanity, also feeding the idea of water spirits as demons.
What is a Biblical View on Spiritual Warfare and Marine Spirits?
Despite the symbolic connections between the sea and death, the Bible doesn’t specifically mention maritime or marine spirits. In fact, when addressing spiritual warfare, the New Testament focuses on broader categories of demonic influence and spiritual oppression without singling out specific spirits, like those connected with nature.
The New Testament emphasizes the battle between good and evil as it plays out in the spiritual realm. 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 describes spiritual warfare as a fight between “imaginations” and “strongholds” that exalt themselves against the knowledge of God. Here, Scripture focuses on dismantling false ideas, thoughts, and systems of belief that keep people from following God. The language of “casting down imaginations” speaks to the mental aspect of spiritual warfare, reminding us how we can actively deal with lies from the Devil.
The Apostle Paul also discusses how to use the armor of God when engaging in spiritual warfare (Ephesians 6:10-18). Taking pieces from Roman centurion armor, he discusses the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shield of faith, and the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God. Paul teaches that war isn’t against “flesh and blood, but against the rulers, authorities, and powers of this dark world, and against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” We should note that Paul makes no distinctions about where the forces come from but rather frames spiritual warfare as a battle against all demonic influences and principalities that seek to oppose God and his will.
The New Testament also emphasizes the authority believers have in Christ over the Devil and demons. Believers will cast out demons in Jesus’ name (Mark 16:17), and Christ has given his disciples the power to “trample on serpents and scorpions” and overcome the power of the enemy (Luke 10:19). The focus remains on victory through Jesus’ power, not mentioning or distinguishing between different types of spirits or demons.
What Can Christians Today Learn from Discussing “Marine Spirits”?
While the Bible doesn’t specifically talk about maritime spirits or praying against them, we can learn much through discussing them.
First, many Christians may not understand the broad and consistent theme from the Bible when it connects chaos, darkness, and death with the sea and the oceans, specifically. There could be several reasons for this. People can’t drink the water of the sea or ocean which seems ironic since we need water but can’t drink such a large volume of the world’s resources. Sea storms likely took the lives of many sailors, leading to a feeling of randomness and chaos associated with those bodies of water. A whole mysterious and unseen world exists underneath the face of the water, which results in various mythologies. In addition, the Israelites could have been influenced by the religions of other nations around them, like Egypt. The Philistines worshiped Dagon, a pagan god associated with fish, so the Israelites probably associated idolatry with the sea as well.
Likely for all these reasons, the Old and New Testament writers used the imagery of the sea and oceans (and rivers) to express the dark forces of chaos and death running rampant upon the earth. Most importantly, however, the Bible clearly shows how God rules over all these forces and has the power to control them. Christians participate in this symbolism every time we baptize someone, revealing the transformation from death to life. We understand the Bible and God better when we see this consistent theme in the Scriptures.
Western Christianity has been influenced by academia from the Hellenistic and philosophical background, but Jewish thought also incorporates Eastern ways of thought and being. It is helpful for Christians to learn how to distinguish the difference between symbolism and reality, between core truth and cultural influences. The New Testament continues to use symbols but also shifts the focus to real spiritual battles against a defeated enemy—the devil and his demonic forces. This distinction helps us remain grounded in the truths of Scripture rather than drifting into folklore or superstition.
This focus on a real enemy clarifies how we must approach spiritual warfare. Instead of being concerned with specific categories of spirits, like maritime or land spirits, the Bible calls us to stand firm against the devil’s schemes. Some might point out how Jesus asked the name of a demon as proof we also should seek the name of a spirit, but in that account, the demons were already afraid of him (Mark 5). Names are important to God, and they express identity and more, but Jesus didn’t need the Legion name to have power over the evil and cast them into pigs to die.
Spiritual warfare relies upon prayer. Jesus himself emphasized the power of prayer regarding demonic forces. When his disciples struggled to cast out a demon, Jesus explained, “This kind can come out only by prayer.” (Mark 9:29) Prayer aligns us with God’s power, bringing divine power and engagement into situations we have no ability to change. Through prayer, we fight with God against the spiritual forces of evil.
Combined with prayer, fasting can also help us focus on God, humbling ourselves before him and trusting his power rather than our own strength. Fasting helps us draw nearer to God and seek his guidance and intervention in spiritual battles. In our modern Western culture where consumerism rules, fasting may not make much sense. However, combining prayer and fasting has long been recognized in the Bible and Christian tradition as a way to break spiritual strongholds and see God’s will accomplished, whether someone is working against so-called marine spirits or any other kind of spiritual force.
Peace.
For Further Reading
What is a Leviathan Spirit and How Can You Identify It?
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