''Mavka'' ( uk, Мавка) is a type of female spirit in Ukrainian folklore and

mythology Myth is a folklore genre consisting of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not objectively true, the identification of a narra ...

. 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, Мавка, , , , , . These terms all derive from , and are

cognate In historical linguistics, cognates or lexical cognates are sets of words in different languages that have been inherited in direct descent from an etymological ancestor in a common parent language. Because language change can have radical ef ...

with bg, нави, (plural).

Folklore

The spirits known by this term represented the souls of girls who had died unnatural tragic or premature deaths, particularly unchristened babies. s often appeared in the form of beautiful young girls who enticed and lured young men into the woods, where they "tickled" them to death. s had no reflection in water, did not cast shadows, and had "no back", meaning that their insides could be seen. In some accounts, they were also said to help farmers by looking after cattle and driving out wild animals. They were believed to live in groups in forests, mountain caves, or sheds, which they decorated with rugs. They made thread of stolen flax and wove thin transparent cloth for making clothes for themselves. They loved flowers, which they wore in their hair. In the spring they planted flowers in the mountains, to which they enticed young men, whom they tickled to death. On

Pentecost Pentecost (also called Whit Sunday, Whitsunday or Whitsun) is a Christian holiday which takes place on the 50th day (the seventh Sunday) after Easter Sunday. It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and other followers ...

(known as 's Easter, uk, На́вський Вели́кдень) they held games, dances, and orgies. A

demon A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in religion, occultism, literature, fiction, mythology, and folklore; as well as in Media (communication), media such as comics, video ...

accompanied them on a

flute The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedles ...

pipes Pipe(s), PIPE(S) or piping may refer to: Objects * Pipe (fluid conveyance), a hollow cylinder following certain dimension rules ** Piping, the use of pipes in industry * Smoking pipe ** Tobacco pipe * Half-pipe and quarter pipe, semi-circula ...

. To save a dead unchristened baby's soul, one had to throw up a kerchief during

holidays, say a name and add "I baptise you". A rescued soul would then go to

heaven Heaven or the heavens, is a common religious cosmological or transcendent supernatural place where beings such as deities, angels, souls, saints, or venerated ancestors are said to originate, be enthroned, or reside. According to the belie ...

. If a soul lived up to seven years and did not go to heaven, a baby would turn into a and would haunt people.

Popular culture

s are depicted in literature, most notably in

Lesia Ukrainka Lesya Ukrainka ( uk, Леся Українка ; born Larysa Petrivna Kosach, uk, Лариса Петрівна Косач; – ) was one of Ukrainian literature's foremost writers, best known for her poems and plays. She was also an active ...

's ''

The Forest Song The Forest Song is a poetic play in three acts by Lesya Ukrainka. The play was written in 1911 in the city of Kutaisi, and was first staged on November 22, 1918 at the Kyiv Drama Theater. The work is one of the first prototypes of fantasy in Uk ...

'' and

Mykhailo Kotsiubynsky Mykhailo Mykhailovych Kotsiubynsky ( uk, Михайло Михайлович Коцюбинський), (September 17, 1864 – April 25, 1913) was a Ukrainian author whose writings described typical Ukrainian life at the start of the 20th centur ...

's ''

Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors ''Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors'', alternatively translated into English as ''Shadows of Our Forgotten Ancestors'' or ''Shadows of Our Ancestors'' ( uk, Тіні забутих предків, Tini zabutykh predkiv), also known in English under ...

''. In modern culture the image is developed and narrated by a Ukrainian music band Mavka. In addition, on January 12, 2022, the Ukrainian singer Eria released the song "Mavka", which deals with s and made Mavka famous especially among Ukrainian Eurovision fans.

Notes

References

Citations

Works cited

* * * * *

External links

"Mavka"
— Internet Encyclopedia of Ukraine

— Encyclopedia of Mythology {{Slavic mythology Deities and spirits Female legendary creatures Ghosts Nav' Nudity in mythology Pentecost Slavic culture Slavic legendary creatures Slavic paganism Supernatural legends Ukrainian mythology Undead Demonology Ukrainian culture