![Witold Pruszkowski-Rusalki](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/85/Witold_Pruszkowski-Rusalki.jpg)
Other than the many
gods and goddesses of the Slavs, the
ancient Slavs
The early Slavs were a diverse group of tribal societies who lived during the Migration Period and the Early Middle Ages (approximately the 5th to the 10th centuries AD) in Central and Eastern Europe and established the foundations for the Slav ...
believed in and revered many supernatural beings that existed in nature. These supernatural beings in Slavic religion come in various forms, and the same name of any single being can be spelled or
transliterated
Transliteration is a type of conversion of a text from one script to another that involves swapping letters (thus '' trans-'' + '' liter-'') in predictable ways, such as Greek → , Cyrillic → , Greek → the digraph , Armenian → or ...
differently according to
language
Language is a structured system of communication. The structure of a language is its grammar and the free components are its vocabulary. Languages are the primary means by which humans communicate, and may be conveyed through a variety of met ...
and transliteration system.
Vila
![Artgate Fondazione Cariplo - Giuliano Bartolomeo, Le Villi](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5b/Artgate_Fondazione_Cariplo_-_Giuliano_Bartolomeo%2C_Le_Villi.jpg)
''Vila'' (
pl. ''vile'', Slovak/Czech ''víly'') is a fairy that is similar to a nymph, identified as a
nymph
A nymph ( grc, νύμφη, nýmphē, el, script=Latn, nímfi, label=Modern Greek; , ) in ancient Greek folklore is a minor female nature deity. Different from Greek goddesses, nymphs are generally regarded as personifications of nature, are ty ...
by the Greek historian
Procopius
Procopius of Caesarea ( grc-gre, Προκόπιος ὁ Καισαρεύς ''Prokópios ho Kaisareús''; la, Procopius Caesariensis; – after 565) was a prominent late antique Greek scholar from Caesarea Maritima. Accompanying the Roman gener ...
; their name comes from the same root as the name of Veles. They are described as beautiful, eternally young, dressed in white, with eyes flashing like thunders, and provided with wings, and blonde hair. They live in the clouds, in mountain woods or in the waters. They are well-disposed towards men, and can to turn themselves into horses, wolves, snakes, falcons and swans. The cult of the Vilas was still practised among South Slavs in the early twentieth century, with offerings of fruits and flowers in caves, cakes near wells, and ribbons hung from the branches of trees.
Rusalka
In
Slavic mythology
Slavic mythology or Slavic religion is the religious beliefs, myths, and ritual practices of the Slavs before Christianisation, which occurred at various stages between the 8th and the 13th century. The South Slavs, who likely settled in the B ...
,
Rusalka is a
water nymph
In Greek mythology, the naiads (; grc-gre, ναϊάδες, naïádes) are a type of female spirit, or nymph, presiding over fountains, wells, springs, streams, brooks and other bodies of fresh water.
They are distinct from river gods, who ...
,
a female spirit who lives in rivers. In most versions, rusalka is an unquiet being who is no longer alive, associated with the
unclean spirit
In English translations of the Bible, unclean spirit is a common rendering of Greek ''pneuma akatharton'' (πνεῦμα ἀκάθαρτον; plural ''pneumata akatharta'' (πνεύματα ἀκάθαρτα)), which in its single occurrence in ...
(''
Nav'') and dangerous. According to
Dmitry Zelenin, people who die violently and before their time, such as young women who commit suicide because they have been jilted by their lovers, or unmarried women who are pregnant out of wedlock, must live out their designated time on earth as a spirit. Another theory is that ''rusalki'' are the female spirits of the unclean dead; this includes suicides, unbaptised babies, and those who die without last rites. (Under this theory, male unclean dead were said to become
vodianoi.)
Vodianoi, Vodník
![Vodyanoy](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d3/Vodyanoy.jpg)
The
vodianoi is a male water spirit of
Slavic origin. The
Czech
Czech may refer to:
* Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe
** Czech language
** Czechs, the people of the area
** Czech culture
** Czech cuisine
* One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus'
Places
* Czech, ...
and
Slovak equivalent is called a ''vodník'',
Polish
Polish may refer to:
* Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe
* Polish language
* Poles
Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...
is a ''wodnik'', in
Russian
Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including:
*Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
it is ''vodianoy'' and ''vodyanyk'' in
Ukrainian
Ukrainian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Ukraine
* Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe
* Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine
* So ...
. A
South Slavic equivalent is ''vodenjak''. He is viewed to be particularly malevolent, existing almost exclusively to drown swimmers who have angered him by their boldness. Reports of his appearance vary; some tales define him as a naked old man, bloated and hairy, covered in slime, covered in scales, or simply as an old peasant with a red shirt and beard. He is also reported to have the ability to transform into a fish.
The vodianoi lives in deep pools, often by a mill, and is said to be the spirit of unclean male dead (this definition includes those who have committed
suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...
,
unbaptized children, and those who die without
last rites
The last rites, also known as the Commendation of the Dying, are the last prayers and ministrations given to an individual of Christian faith, when possible, shortly before death. They may be administered to those awaiting execution, mortall ...
). As previously stated, the vodianoi would drown those who angered him with boasts or insults. However, there was no certain protection, as the spirit was particularly capricious. Peasants feared the vodianoi and would often attempt to get rid of the spirit or, failing that, appease him.
The only people who were generally safe from the vodianoi's anger were
miller
A miller is a person who operates a Gristmill, mill, a machine to grind a grain (for example corn or wheat) to make flour. Mill (grinding), Milling is among the oldest of human occupations. "Miller", "Milne" and other variants are common surname ...
s and fishermen. Millers in particular were viewed to be so close to the vodianoi that they often became seen as sorcerous figures. This may be influenced by the belief that millers yearly drown a drunk passerby as an offering to the vodianoi. Fishermen were somewhat less suspect, offering only the first of their catch with an incantation. If a vodianoi favored a fisherman, he would herd fish into the nets.
Bereginya
Bereginyas (
Russian
Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including:
*Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
), Berehynias (
Ukrainian
Ukrainian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Ukraine
* Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe
* Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine
* So ...
) or Brzeginias (
Polish
Polish may refer to:
* Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe
* Polish language
* Poles
Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...
) are obscure
fairies
A fairy (also fay, fae, fey, fair folk, or faerie) is a type of mythical being or legendary creature found in the folklore of multiple European cultures (including Celtic, Slavic, Germanic, English, and French folklore), a form of spirit, o ...
mentioned in "The Lay of St.
Gregory the Theologian
Gregory of Nazianzus ( el, Γρηγόριος ὁ Ναζιανζηνός, ''Grēgorios ho Nazianzēnos''; ''Liturgy of the Hours'' Volume I, Proper of Saints, 2 January. – 25 January 390,), also known as Gregory the Theologian or Gregory N ...
of the Idols", which has been preserved in a 15th-century
Novgorod
Veliky Novgorod ( rus, links=no, Великий Новгород, t=Great Newtown, p=vʲɪˈlʲikʲɪj ˈnovɡərət), also known as just Novgorod (), is the largest city and administrative centre of Novgorod Oblast, Russia. It is one of the ol ...
manuscript. "The Lay" is a compilation of translations from Greek sources studded with comments by a 12th-century
Kiev
Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...
an monk. The text, which seems to have been considerably revised by later scribes, does mention "
vampire
A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mi ...
s and bereginyas" as the earliest creatures worshipped by the Slavs, even before the cult of
Perun
In Slavic mythology, Perun (Cyrillic: Перýн) is the highest god of the pantheon and the god of sky, thunder, lightning, storms, rain, law, war, fertility and oak trees. His other attributes were fire, mountains, wind, iris, eagle, firmam ...
was introduced in their lands. No detail about "bereginyas" are given, affording a large field for speculations of every kind.
Boris Rybakov
Boris Alexandrovich Rybakov (Russian: Бори́с Алекса́ндрович Рыбако́в, 3 June 1908, Moscow – 27 December 2001) was a Soviet and Russian historian who personified the anti- Normanist vision of Russian history. He is ...
connects the term with the Slavic word for "riverbank" and reasons that the term referred to Slavic mermaids, although, unlike rusalkas, they were benevolent in nature.
Boris Rybakov. Ancient Slavic Paganism. Moscow, 1981.
/ref> The scholar identifies the worship of vampires and bereginyas as a form of "dualistic animism" practiced by the Slavs in the most ancient period of their history. According to him, the term was replaced by "rusalka" in most areas, surviving into the 20th century only in the Russian North
Russian North (russian: Русский Север) is an ethnocultural region situated in the northwestern part of Russia. It spans the regions of Arkhangelsk Oblast, the Republic of Karelia, Komi Republic, Vologda Oblast and Nenets Autonomous ...
. After the publication of Rybakov's research, the "bereginya" has become a popular concept with Slavic neo-pagans who conceive of it as a powerful pagan goddess rather than a mere water sprite.
Modern fiction
* The ''Winternight'' trilogy, by Katherine Arden
Katherine Arden Burdine (born 1987), best known by her pen name Katherine Arden, is an American novelist. Known primarily for her ''Winternight'' trilogy of fantasy novels, which are set in medieval Russia and have garnered nominations for Hug ...
, is inspired by Slavic mythology and includes many characters, such as the Domovoi, the Rusalka and other beings.
* In Edward Fallon
Edward is an English given name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortune; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”.
History
The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-Sax ...
's second book in his ''Linger'' series of novels, ''Trail of the Beast'', a rusalka taunts a trio hunting a serial killer.
* C. J. Cherryh
Carolyn Janice Cherry (born September 1, 1942), better known by the pen name C. J. Cherryh, is an American writer of speculative fiction. She has written more than 80 books since the mid-1970s, including the Hugo Award-winning novels '' Downbelo ...
has written three novels, '' Rusalka'', ''Chernevog
''Chernevog'' is a fantasy novel by American science fiction and fantasy author C. J. Cherryh. It was first published in September 1990 in the United States in a hardcover edition by Ballantine Books under its Del Rey Books imprint. ''Chernevo ...
'' and ''Yvgenie
''Yvgenie'' is a fantasy novel by American science fiction and fantasy author C. J. Cherryh. It was first published in October 1991 in the United States in a hardcover edition by Ballantine Books under its Del Rey Books imprint. ''Yvgenie'' is ...
'', set in a world inspired by Russian folktales that feature, amongst others, rusalka, vodianoi, and leshyi.
* In ''Changes'', a novel in the ''Dresden Files
''The Dresden Files'' is a series of contemporary fantasy/mystery novels written by American author Jim Butcher. The first novel, '' Storm Front''—which was also Butcher's writing debut—was published in 2000 by Roc Books.
The books are wri ...
'' series by Jim Butcher
Jim Butcher (born October 26, 1971) is an American author., He has written the contemporary fantasy ''The Dresden Files'', ''Codex Alera'', and ''Cinder Spires'' book series.
Personal life
Butcher was born in Independence, Missouri, in 1971. He ...
, the fairy Toot-Toot, a Polevoi, is enraged when he is mistakenly called a Domovoi
In the Slavic religious tradition, Domovoy ( Russian: Домово́й, literally "he oneof the household"; also spelled ''Domovoi'', ''Domovoj'', and known as pl, Domowik or Serbian and ua, Домовик, translit=domovyk) is the household ...
by Sanya, the Russian Knight of the Cross.
* The videogame '' Quest For Glory IV: Shadows of Darkness'', set in the Slavic countryside of a fictional east-European valley, features several Slavic fairies, including the Rusalka, Domovoi, and Leshy.
* Catherynne Valente's novel '' Deathless'' is set in a fantasy version of Stalinist Russia
Stalinism is the means of governing and Marxist-Leninist policies implemented in the Soviet Union from 1927 to 1953 by Joseph Stalin. It included the creation of a one-party totalitarian police state, rapid industrialization, the theory ...
and features vila, rusalka, leshy, and other Slavic fairies.
* Dorothy Dreyer's ''Reaper's Rite'' series depicts Vila as magical beings of half-faery, half-witch origin.
* In J. K. Rowling
Joanne Rowling ( "rolling"; born 31 July 1965), also known by her pen name J. K. Rowling, is a British author and Philanthropy, philanthropist. She wrote ''Harry Potter'', a seven-volume children's fantasy series published from 1997 to ...
's novel '' Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire'', Veela are the mascots of the Bulgarian Quidditch
Quidditch is a fictional sport invented by author J.K. Rowling for her fantasy book series ''Harry Potter''. It first appeared in the novel ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'' (1997). It is a dangerous but popular sport played by witc ...
Team at the World Cup. Fleur Delacour
The Order of the Phoenix is a secret organisation in the ''Harry Potter'' series of fiction books written by J. K. Rowling. Founded by Albus Dumbledore to fight Lord Voldemort and his followers, the Death Eaters, the Order lends its name to the ...
's grandmother was a Veela and Fleur's wand contains a strand of a veela hair.
* Piers Anthony
Piers Anthony Dillingham Jacob (born 6 August 1934) is an American author in the science fiction and Fantasy (genre), fantasy genres, publishing under the name Piers Anthony. He is best known for his :Xanth books, long-running novel series set in ...
's Xanth
Xanth ( ) is a series of novels by author Piers Anthony, also known as ''The Magic of Xanth''.
Anthony originally intended for Xanth to be a trilogy, but a devoted fan base persuaded the author to continue writing the series, which is now open-en ...
novels include a few Vily, as nature spirits bound to a tree (similar to a dryad
A dryad (; el, Δρυάδες, ''sing''.: ) is a tree nymph or tree spirit in Greek mythology. ''Drys'' (δρῦς) signifies " oak" in Greek, and dryads were originally considered the nymphs of oak trees specifically, but the term has evolved t ...
) with powers of shapeshifting and cleansing or poisoning water, and extremely quick to anger.
* Andrzej Sapkowski
Andrzej Sapkowski (; born 21 June 1948) is a Polish fantasy writer, essayist, translator and a trained economist. He is best known for his six-volume series of books '' The Witcher'', which revolves around the eponymous "witcher," a monster-hun ...
's ''Wiedźmin'' series as well as the '' Witcher'' video games based on it are set in a medieval Slavic fantasy world. Many of the monsters are taken directly from or inspired by Slavic mythology, such as the rusalka, the striga, and the vodyanoi.
Mythical characters, spirits, and creatures
As is common in folklore
Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging ...
, there is no standard set of characteristics, or names, and spirits or magical creatures are referred to by many names, often identifying their function or the place or environment of their activity.
Such descriptive terms include:
;Tutelary deity
A tutelary () (also tutelar) is a deity or a spirit who is a guardian, patron, or protector of a particular place, geographic feature, person, lineage, nation, culture, or occupation. The etymology of "tutelary" expresses the concept of safety and ...
* Bannik
The Bannik () is a bathhouse ('' banya'') spirit in Slavic mythology.Alexinsky, G. ''Slavonic Mythology'' in ''New Larousse Encyclopedia of Mythology''. Prometheus Press, 1973, p. 287-88 He is usually described as a small, naked old man with a l ...
(banya, sauna)
* Bolotnik
In Slavic mythology, bolotnik (russian: боло́тник, ; from ''boloto'', "swamp"), balotnik (), bolotyanik () or błotnik (Polish language, Polish; Help:IPA for Polish, bwɔtnik "mud" or "puddle") is a male swamp spirit. There are many ...
(swamp)
* Dvorovoi
The Dvorovoi (russian: Дворово́й) is a Slavic spirit of the courtyard. It was associated with a farmstead's grounds, cattle shed, and stable. The dvorovoi is similar to the house spirit domovoi, though it is less benevolent. A dvorovoi i ...
(yard, land)
* Leshy (forest)
* Sea Tsar
The sea, connected as the world ocean or simply the ocean, is the body of water, body of saline water, salty water that covers approximately 71% of the Earth's surface. The word sea is also used to denote List of seas, second-order sections of ...
(sea)
* Mermaid
In folklore, a mermaid is an aquatic creature with the head and upper body of a female human and the tail of a fish. Mermaids appear in the folklore of many cultures worldwide, including Europe, Asia, and Africa.
Mermaids are sometimes asso ...
(sea)
* Moryana Moryana (russian: Моря́на, ) is a female sea spirit in Slavic folklore, possibly a goddess. Moryana was a sea vodyanitsa and daughter of the Morskoy Tsar, and also, according to some beliefs, she ruled the winds. Sometimes the ''moryany/mor ...
(Caspian Sea
The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water, often described as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. An endorheic basin, it lies between Europe and Asia; east of the Caucasus, west of the broad steppe of Central Asia ...
)
* Ovinnik
The Ovinnik (russian: Овинник), Joŭnik or Jownik ( be, Ёўнік) is a malevolent spirit of the threshing house in Slavic folklore whose name derived from ''ovin'' 'barn'.Dixon-Kennedy, Mike (1998). ''Encyclopedia of Russian and Slavic ...
(barn)
* Polevik
Polevik in Slavic mythology are field spirits that appear as a deformed creatures with different coloured eyes and grass instead of hair. They appear either at noon or sunset and wear either all black or all white suits. They are also described in ...
(field in agriculture)
* The Mistress of the Copper Mountain
The Mistress of the Copper Mountain ( rus, Хозяйка медной горы, Hozjajka mednoj gory), also known as The Malachite Maid, is a legendary creature from Slavic mythology and a Russian fairy tale_character,_the_mountain_spirit_from_ ...
(ore, Ural)
* Shubin (coal, Donbass)
* Vodyanoy
In Slavic mythology, vodyanoy or vodyanoi ( rus, водяно́й, p=vədʲɪˈnoj; lit. ' efrom the water' or 'watery') is a water spirit. In Czech and Slovak fairy tales, it is called ''vodník'' (or in Germanized form: ), and it is conside ...
(lake, river)
;Spirits of Atmosphere
* (frost)
* Vedogon (spirit-guardian of a sleeping person)
* Vikhor (wind, whirlwind)
* Zduhać
A zduhać ( Cyrillic: здухаћ, ) and vetrovnjak (ветровњак, []) in Serbian tradition, and a dragon man in Bulgarians, Bulgarian, Macedonians (ethnic group), Macedonian and southern Serbian traditions, were men believed to have an in ...
(protector from bad weather)
;Spirits of the time of day
* Babay (night)
* Poludnitsa Poludnitsa (from: ''Polden'' or ''Poluden'', 'half-day' or 'midday') is a mythical character common to the various Slavic countries of Eastern Europe. She is referred to as Południca in Polish, Полудниця in Ukrainian, Полудница ( ...
(noon)
* Nocnitsa
In Slavic mythology, notsnitsa (, , , , , , , ), often referred in plural, is a nightmare spirit or demon that torments people and especially children at night. Other names for notsnitsa in East Slavic languages include kriksy, plaksy, plachky, ...
(night)
* Zorya
Zorya ( lit. "Dawn"; also many variants: Zarya, Zara, Zaranitsa, Zoryushka, etc.) is a figure in Slavic folklore, a feminine personification of dawn, possibly goddess. Depending on tradition, she may appear as a singular entity, often called "Th ...
(morning)
;Spirits of the sky
* Dennitsa (morning star)
* Veczernitsa (evening star)
;Spirit of Fate
* Dola (destiny fortune)
* Likho
Likho, liho ( uk, Лихо, be, лі́ха, pl, licho russian: Лихо) is an embodiment of evil fate and misfortune in Slavic mythology, a creature with one eye, often depicted as an old, skinny woman in black (Лихо одноглазое, ...
(misfortune)
* Narecnitsi
Rozhanitsy, narecnitsy, and sudzhenitsy are invisible spirits or deities of fate in the pre-Christian religion of the Slavs. Related to pregnancy, motherhood, marriage and female ancestors. Often quoted together with Rod. They are usually mention ...
, or Rodjenice, Sudjenice (parcae)
; Nav
* Drekavac
Drekavac, (literally "the screamer" or "the screecher"Levi, Pavle (2007). ''Disintegration in frames: aesthetics and ideology in the Yugoslav and post-Yugoslav cinema''. Stanford, Calif.: Stanford University Presspage 181 .), also called drekalo, ...
(nav of the southern Slavs)
* Kikimora (harmful domestic female spirit)
* Mavka
''Mavka'' ( uk, Мавка) is a type of female spirit in Ukrainian folklore and mythology. She is a long-haired figure, sometimes naked, who may be dangerous to young men.
Terminology
There is variation in the names and spelling, including uk ...
(evil spirits, rusalkas)
* Rusalka (the harmful spirit that appears in the summer in the grass field, in the forest, near the water)
* Samovila (a female spirit inhabiting the mountains and owning wells and lakes)
* Upyr (vampire)
;Devilry (evil power)
* Bies
Bies or bes (russian: бес ) is an evil spirit or demon in Slavic mythology. Under the influence of Christianity the word often became synonymous with chort.
After the acceptance of Christianity the ''bies'' (same as chort) became identified wi ...
* Chort
A chort (Russian: чёрт, Belarusian and Ukrainian: чорт, Serbo-Croatian ''čort'' or ''črt'', Polish: ''czort'' and ''czart'', Czech and Slovak: ''čert'', Slovene: ''črt'') is an anthropomorphic malign spirit or demon in Slavic fol ...
* Chuhaister
* Korov'ya smert' (Cow's death)
* Kallikantzaros
The ''kallikantzaros'' ( el, καλικάντζαρος; bg, караконджул; sr-Cyrl-Latn, караконџула, separator=" / ", karakondžula; tr, karakoncolos), or ''kallikantzaroi'' in plural is a malevolent goblin in Southea ...
* Likhoradka
Likhoradka ( Russian: ''Лихорадка'', Serbian: ''Милоснице'' or ''Milosnice'') or tryasavitsa is a female spirit in Slavic mythology. Likhoradka was purported to be able to possess a person's body and cause sickness. In some tales ...
* Shishiga
:''Shishiga is also an informal name for 2-tonne army truck GAZ-66''
Shishiga (from russian: шиши́га, also called leshenka, ле́шенка) is a female swamp (or forest) creature similar to the wood-goblin in Russian folklore and mytholog ...
* Zlydzens
Zlydzens are hazardous creatures in Belarusian mythology. These mythological characters often live under the masonry stove.
Description
In the fairy-tales and myths of Belarusian nation Zlydzens are usually described as small, humpbacked and ...
;Ritual characters
* Berehynia
The pagan Slavs were polytheistic, which means that they worshipped many gods and goddesses. The gods of the Slavs are known primarily from a small number of chronicles and letopises, or not very accurate Christian sermons against paganism. Addi ...
(East Slavic mythology female character)
* Baba Marta (mythical female character in Bulgarian folklore, associated with the month of March. Martenitsa
A Martenitsa ( bg, мартеница, ; mk, мартинка, martinka; el, μάρτης, mártis; ro, mărțișor; al, verore) is a small piece of adornment, made of white and red yarn and usually in the form of two dolls, a white male and ...
)
* Božić ( Christmas holiday near the southern Slavs)
* Dodola
Dodola (also spelled ''Dodole'', ''Dudola'', ''Dudula'' etc.) and Perperuna (also spelled ''Peperuda'', ''Preperuda'', ''Preperuša'', ''Prporuša'', ''Papaluga'' etc.), are Balkan rainmaking pagan customs practiced until the 20th century. The tr ...
(in the Balkan tradition, the spring-summer rite of causing rain, as well as the central character of this rite)
* German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
(ritual doll and the name of the rite of calling out rain of the southern Slavs)
* Jarilo
Jarylo (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, Jarilo, Јарило; be, Ярыла), alternatively Yaryla, Iarilo, Juraj, Jurij, or Gerovit, is a East and South Slavic god of vegetation, fertility and springtime.
Etymology
The Proto-Slavic root ''*jarъ'' (jar), fr ...
(personification of one of the summer holidays in the Russian folk calendar)
* Koliada
Koliada or koleda (Cyrillic: коляда, коледа, колада, коледе) is the traditional Slavic name for the period from Christmas to Epiphany or, more generally, to Slavic Christmas-related rituals, some dating to pre-Christian ...
(the personification of the New Year's cycle)
* Kostroma
Kostroma ( rus, Кострома́, p=kəstrɐˈma) is a historic city and the administrative center of Kostroma Oblast, Russia. A part of the Golden Ring of Russian cities, it is located at the confluence of the rivers Volga and Kostroma. Popu ...
(spring-summer ritual character in traditional Russian culture)
* Kupala
Slavic pseudo-deities (pseudo-gods, pseudo-goddesses) are Slavic deities that exist in popular or even scientific literature, but their historicity is not recognized by the vast majority of scholars, i.e., that the deity in question was not actua ...
(folklore character of the Eastern Slavs, the personification of the holiday of Kupala Night
Kupala Night ( be, Купалле, pl, Noc Kupały, russian: Иван-Купала, uk, Івана Купала, Купайла), also called Ivanа Kupala, is a traditional Slavic holiday that was originally celebrated on the shortest night of ...
)
* Marzanna
Marzanna (in Polish), Morė (in Lithuanian), Marena (in Russian), Mara (in Ukrainian), Morana (in Czech, Slovene and Serbo-Croatian), Morena (in Slovak and Macedonian) or Mora (in Bulgarian) is a pagan Slavic goddess associated with seasonal r ...
(the female mythological character associated with the seasonal rituals of dying and the resurrection of nature)
* Maslenitsa (folklore character of the Eastern Slavs, the personification of the holiday of Maslenitsa
Maslenitsa ( be, Масленіца, russian: Мaсленица, rue, Фашенґи, uk, Масниця; also known as Butter Lady, Butter Week, Crepe week, or Cheesefare Week) is an Eastern Slavic religious and folk holiday, which has retai ...
)
See also
* Mermaid
In folklore, a mermaid is an aquatic creature with the head and upper body of a female human and the tail of a fish. Mermaids appear in the folklore of many cultures worldwide, including Europe, Asia, and Africa.
Mermaids are sometimes asso ...
* Naiad
In Greek mythology, the naiads (; grc-gre, ναϊάδες, naïádes) are a type of female spirit, or nymph, presiding over fountains, wells, springs, streams, brooks and other bodies of fresh water.
They are distinct from river gods, who ...
* Nix
Nix or NIX may refer to:
Places
* Nix, Alabama, an unincorporated community, United States
* Nix, Texas, a ghost town in southwestern Lampasas County, Texas, United States
* Nix (moon), a moon of Pluto
People
* Nix (surname), listing people with ...
(or ''Nyx'')
* Nymph
A nymph ( grc, νύμφη, nýmphē, el, script=Latn, nímfi, label=Modern Greek; , ) in ancient Greek folklore is a minor female nature deity. Different from Greek goddesses, nymphs are generally regarded as personifications of nature, are ty ...
* Samodiva
* Water sprite
A sprite is a supernatural entity in European mythology. They are often depicted as fairy-like creatures or as an ethereal entity.
The word ''sprite'' is derived from the Latin ''spiritus'' ("spirit"), via the French '' esprit''. Variations on ...
* Czech folklore
Czech folklore is the folk tradition which has developed among the Czech people over a number of centuries. Czech folklore was influenced by a mix of Christian and pagan customs. Nowadays it is preserved and kept alive by various folklore ens ...
* Rusalka
References
Further reading
* Linda Ivanits, Russian Folk Belief. Armonk, N.Y. and London: M.E. Sharpe, 1989.
* Власова, М. Новая абевега русских суеверий. Иллюстрированный словарь. Санкт Петербург: Северо-Запад. 1995
* Wilkinson, Philip ''Illustrated Dictionary of Mythology'' (1998)
* Зеленин, Дмитрий Константинович. Очерки русской мифологии: Умершие неестественною смертью и русалки. Москва: Индрик. 1995.
* Conrad, Joseph L. 2000. “Female Spirits Among the South Slavs”. In: ''FOLKLORICA - Journal of the Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Folklore Association'' 5 (2): 27-34. https://doi.org/10.17161/folklorica.v5i2.3652.
* Conrad, Joseph L. 2001. “Male Mythological Beings Among the South Slavs”. In: ''FOLKLORICA - Journal of the Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Folklore Association'' 6 (1): 3-9. https://doi.org/10.17161/folklorica.v6i1.3699.
* Radenković, Ljubinko. "South Slavic Folk Demonology Between East and West". In:
Српска народна култура између Истока и Запада
' erbian Folk Culture between East and West Belgrade: Балканолошки институт Српске академије наука и уметности, 2014. pp. 9-42. . (in Serbian)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Slavic Fairies
Fairies
Slavic neopaganism
*
Slavic mythology