Rusalka (plural: rusalki) was a ghost, nymph of water, succubus, or demon who lived in a canal.
Origin[]
The rusalka is sometimes said to be a dead being, associated with the "dark force." According to Zelenin, people who have died violently and prematurely, as well as those women who have committed suicide because their boyfriend broke up with them, or those who became pregnant out of wedlock, must spend the allotted time of life as spirits. on earth.
There is another version that maintains that a rusalka is the soul of a young woman who has died near a river or lake, and haunts that place. She is not necessarily evil, and she will be allowed to die in peace if her death is avenged.
It is also said that they are children who have not been baptized, usually those who were born out of wedlock and who are abandoned by your mothers. These beings roam the forest and ask to be baptized in order to have peace. They are not necessarily innocent beings, and could even attack a human being.
Description[]
Because the place she belongs to is the river in which she died, the rusalka can come out of it and climb a tree, where she sits and sings, she can go to a pier and brush her hair, or join others and dance in the field.
Sometimes it is said that the eyes of a rusalka glow like green fire, in others it is said that they are extremely pale, with no visible pupils, as in the famous drawing by Iván Bilibin. Her hair is described as green in color, and always wet. According to some legends, if her hair were to dry, the rusalka would die.
Rusalki like to seduce men. They seduce them with their song and then drown them. Men who are seduced can die in her arms, and it is said that hearing their laughter can also cause their death.
Graceful sorceresses of rivers, streams and ponds, Russian rusalky had a reputation as murderers of men, attracting their victims to a liquid death. However, some Rusalky loved mortals and one even left her lake to marry a prince. The only condition for the union was that the rusalky would remain among the humans as long as he was faithful to her. Faced with an infidelity, the rusalky returned to her home and a simple hug would mean death.
Curiosities[]
- The "rusalki" were believed to be most dangerous during Rusalka Week in early June. During this time they left the depths of the water to swing on the branches of birch trees and willows at night. Swimming this week was strictly prohibited for fear that the mermaids would drag the swimmer to the bottom of the river.