Likhoradka (
Russian
Russian(s) may refer to:
*Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*A citizen of Russia
*Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages
*''The Russians'', a b ...
: ''Лихорадка'',
Serbian
Serbian may refer to:
* Pertaining to Serbia in Southeast Europe; in particular
**Serbs, a South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans
** Serbian language
** Serbian culture
**Demographics of Serbia, includes other ethnic groups within the co ...
: ''Милоснице'' or ''Milosnice'') or tryasavitsa is a female spirit in
Slavic mythology
Slavic paganism, Slavic mythology, or Slavic religion refer to the Religion, religious beliefs, myths, and ritual practices of the Slavs before Christianisation of the Slavs, Christianisation, which occurred at various stages between the 8th and ...
. Likhoradka was purported to be able to possess a person's body and cause sickness. In some tales, she is considered a creation of the dark deity
Chernobog
Chernobog ( "Black God") and Belobog ( "White God") are an alleged pair of Polabian deities. Chernobog appears in Helmold's ''Chronicle'' as a god of misfortune worshipped by the Wagri and Obodrites, while Belobog is not mentioned – he was c ...
. Later Russian legends describe 12 Likhoradkas, with individual names associated with special illnesses. In modern Russian, the word likhoradka has obtained the meaning "
fever
Fever or pyrexia in humans is a symptom of an anti-infection defense mechanism that appears with Human body temperature, body temperature exceeding the normal range caused by an increase in the body's temperature Human body temperature#Fever, s ...
". As a mythological figure, Likhoradka was related to the figure of
Chuma, which in modern Russian is the term for
plague. Likhoradka was sometimes portrayed as a tall woman with disheveled hair, a pale face and a white dress, who brought sickness to people she tried to touch or to kiss.
The word likhoradka comes from ancient Russian ''likho'' (harm or bad luck) and ''radet'' which means to endeavor.
Sources
*
See also
*
Mokosh
Mokosh ( ) is a List of Slavic deities, Slavic goddess. No narratives about this deity have survived and scholars must rely on academic disciplines like philology to discern details about her.
According to etymological reconstruction, Mokosh wa ...
*
Slavic mythology
Slavic paganism, Slavic mythology, or Slavic religion refer to the Religion, religious beliefs, myths, and ritual practices of the Slavs before Christianisation of the Slavs, Christianisation, which occurred at various stages between the 8th and ...
External links
{{Slavic mythology
Female legendary creatures
Slavic legendary creatures