![]() ![]() It was believed, for example, that they could take the form of squirrels, rats, frogs, birds, or appear in the form of a cow, horse, calf, dog, hare and other animals. Rusalki were said to have the ability of shapeshifting. It was believed that where the rusalka runs, there will be a bountiful harvest. A cheerful personality was attributed to them: at night they tumble, play, dance and laugh. Sometimes rusalki rescued drowning people. ![]() It was believed that they love children, protect them in every possible way, save them from wild animals, and take them out of the forest. Rusalki were said to have positive traits as well. A common feature of the celebration of Rusalka week was the ritual banishment or burial of the rusalki at the end of the week, which remained as entertainment in Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine until the 1930s. Swimming during this week was strictly forbidden, lest rusalki would drag a swimmer down to the river bed. At this time, they were supposed to have left their watery depths in order to swing on branches of birch and willow trees by night, combing their hair with a hairbrush made of fish bones. The rusalki were believed to be at their most dangerous during the Rusalka week (also known as Green week and Trinity week) in early June. In the northern regions of Russia (and particularly in Ukraine), the description of rusalki significantly differs from more common beliefs: they are described as ugly, shaggy, hunchbacked and large-breasted women. Rusalki from Kupyansk were described as pale, almost transparent and light-brown or green-haired. In the Starobelsk uyezd, rusalki of both sexes were described: the boys had short red hair, and the girls had white, ground-length hair. In Kherson, they are sometimes compared to dolls. The hair of rusalki is always loose, which is a sign of evil spirits: it was not customary for the Slavs to walk with such a hairstyle.Īccording to some Russian and Ukrainian beliefs, rusalki have the appearance of small children. Rusalki were usually naked, and dressed ones were most often depicted in torn sundresses or kosovorotkas (Russian peasant shirts). Rusalki are often described as beautiful maidens with pale skin, disproportionately long arms and greenish hair. The goddess drowned herself in a forest lake (or in the river ). ![]() Apparently, they retain their gender and become rusalki.Īccording to myth, the first rusalka was Kostroma, when she discovered that her newlywed husband Kupalo is her brother. According to some beliefs, a man could also become a rusalka: for example, in the Sosnytsia Raion of the Chernihiv Oblast is believed that people of any sex can be converted into these spirits if they died on Trinity week. It was believed that girls who drown themselves because of unhappy love become rusalki. ![]()
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