After last week’s diversion into a writing update, this Slavic Saturday we’re talking about one of the most well-known demons in Slavic mythology. While Arthurian myths have sword-gifting maidens lurking in the water, the Slavic Rusałka is far darker. (Also spelled as Rusalka or Русалка)
(June 2021 Updated) Note: If you enjoy Slavic mythology, check out A Dagger in the Winds, the first book in my Slavic fantasy series called The Frostmarked Chronicles. You can also join my monthly newsletter for updates and free novellas (such as the prequel, The Rider in the Night) set in the world of the series.
A Tragic End
Demons in Slavic mythology are often reflections of human fears and failures – Rusałki are no different.
Though origin stories range by region, common belief was that a Rusałka was the unsettled soul of a woman (specifically a virgin) who drowned in a body of water. This could be through murder or suicide. Either way, the Rusałka haunts the waters where she died, luring in men who pass as she searches for revenge on the one who wronged her.
An odd element that appears through multiple demons is tickling to death. Rusałki and Wiły/Vily, who are demons or nymphs of the air and forest, are both believed to favor this form of torture, laughing as their victim suffers. Some believe these two demons were regional variations of each other, as could the Mavki/Miawka or Boginka/Dziwożona (basically a forest or swamp Rusałka), or simply similar demons of different domains. Either way, the theme of female demons luring men in to kill them via tickling or other methods appears often in Slavic myths.
The Rusałka, specifically, represents a combination of the “unnatural” death of a young woman with the fear of unknown waters. These fears, along with, their sirin-like luring of men, are common across many cultures.
Alternatively, there are stories as well of Rusałki being sometimes less malevolent spirits. These, often older stories (so perhaps closer to the pagan belief) show them in possible hurtful or helpful forms. In both this and the more negative case, though, avenging her death will grant her the peace she wants and allow you to pass her river or lake.
In some regions, there is Rusałka week in June, when it is believed that Rusałki can leave the water and walk on land. Often, they will hang from weeping willows near rivers.
Beauty and Despair
While the aforementioned Wiły lure in men with song (often as a group), Rusałki are typically more solitary and quiet. They are presented as attractive, usually naked, women in the shallows who use their appearance to entrance men. Some stories say their appearance changes depending on the man. Others say they are universally beautiful.
Once the man enters the waters, though, the Rusałka reveals her true appearance.
A key point here is that Rusałki are not mermaids. They still have a human form, but beneath the water, their true appearance is warped and twisted. More dramatized tales tell of their hair turning green and their skin decaying before their victim’s eyes. By the time he realizes what’s happened, though, it’s too late.
Rusałka also have long hair that they use to strangle and drown their victims (when tickling wasn’t their weapon of choice).
In Popular Culture
There are many occurrences of Rusałki in popular culture, but I’ll go over some of the ones I’m familiar with.
First is the famous opera by Antonín Dvořák called Rusałka. This tale takes a more romanticized than demonic approach to the Rusałka. It includes multiple other Slavic creatures including the Wodnik/Vodyanoy.
In books, there’s the impossible to forget Witcher series. In The Last Wish, Geralt encounters a creature who is in love with a Rusałka. The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden also shows the Rusałka as an ally of Vasya, the main character.
In The Frostmarked Chronicles
The Rusałka is too well-known of a demon not to include in my stories. I chose to include her in her more malevolent form for A Dagger in the Winds, the first book. When the boys find themselves in trouble with her, it’s up to Otylia to save the day with her sorcery.
That’s all for this week’s Slavic Saturday. Be sure to keep a lookout for more posts next week, and if you haven’t seen the full series of posts, be sure to check them out.
*As always just a quick disclaimer. Slavic mythology is broad and not written in many if any primary sources, so there’s a variety of interpretations. The interpretations I’m using here are from the sources I’ve found to be reliable.