The samodiva (; plural: samodivi, ), samovila (; plural: samovili, ) or vila (; plural: vili, ), are woodland

fairies A fairy (also called fay, fae, fae folk, fey, fair folk, or faerie) is a type of mythical being or legendary creature, generally described as anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic, found in the folklore of multiple European cultures (including Cel ...

nymph A nymph (; ; sometimes spelled nymphe) is a minor female nature deity in ancient Greek folklore. Distinct from other Greek goddesses, nymphs are generally regarded as personifications of nature; they are typically tied to a specific place, land ...

s found in

South South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both west and east. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþa ...

and

West West is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some Romance langu ...

Slavic folklore Slavic folklore encompasses the folklore of the Slavic peoples The Slavs or Slavic people are groups of people who speak Slavic languages. Slavs are geographically distributed throughout the northern parts of Eurasia; they predominantly inh ...

Etymology

One of the hypotheses of the etymology of the word is that it comes from the

Indo-European The Indo-European languages are a language family native to the northern Indian subcontinent, most of Europe, and the Iranian plateau with additional native branches found in regions such as Sri Lanka, the Maldives, parts of Central Asia (e. ...

root *', meaning 'follow', 'chase', or 'blow', for . The component has a function to highlight. The origin of is uncertain. The main hypothesis is that there are traces of *', 'god'.

Appearance

Samodivas are commonly depicted as ethereal maidens with long, loose hair, and in some cases, wings. They are typically dressed in free-flowing, feathered white gowns, which give them the power of flight. Samodivas are often described as having blonde or red hair, tall, slender women with pale, glowing skin and fiery eyes. Sometimes, they are described as having a veil which could hold all their power. If they get deprived of their veil, they lose all their power.

Habitat

According to Bulgarian folklore, Samodivas can live inside trees or abandoned shacks or dark caves, or near rivers, ponds and wells. Mountains linked to the Samodivas include

Vitosha Vitosha ( ), the ancient ''Scomius'' or ''Scombrus'', is a mountain massif, on the outskirts of Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. Vitosha is one of the symbols of Sofia and the closest site for hiking, alpinism and skiing. Convenient bus lines and ...

Belasitsa Belasica ( Macedonian and Bulgarian: , also translit. ''Belasitsa'' or ''Belasitza'', Ottoman Turkish: بلش Turkish: ''Beleş''), Belles (, ''Bélles'') or Kerkini (, ''Kerkíni'';), is a mountain range in the region of Macedonia in Southe ...

Pirin The Pirin Mountains ( ) are a mountain range in southwestern Bulgaria, with the highest peak, Vihren, at an altitude of . The range extends about from the north-west to the south-east and is about wide, spanning a territory of . To the north ...

Rila Rila (, ) is the highest mountain range of Bulgaria, the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, and Southeast Europe. It is situated in southwestern Bulgaria and forms part of the Rila–Rhodope Mountains, Rhodope Massif. The highest summit is Musala at an e ...

, the

Rhodopes The Rhodopes (; , ; , ''Rodopi''; ) are a mountain range in Southeastern Europe, and the largest by area in Bulgaria, with over 83% of its area in the southern part of the country and the remainder in Greece. Golyam Perelik is its highest peak ...

, the

Balkan Mountains The Balkan mountain range is located in the eastern part of the Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It is conventionally taken to begin at the peak of Vrashka Chuka on the border between Bulgaria and Serbia. It then runs f ...

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

and Rudina mountains. However, mountain Pirin is their traditional favorite. Samodivas enter the human world during the spring, staying until autumn. During the winter, they live in the mythical village of Zmejkovo. In Bulgarian folklore, they are associated with places related to water - wells, rivers, lakes. Thus, there are landmarks in Bulgaria that have the word "samodiva" or "samovila" in them. An example of that are the

Samodivski Lakes The Samodivski Lakes () is a small group of lakes in Pirin, southwestern Bulgaria, part of the larger group of Popovski lakes. They are situated very close to each other in a small cirque to the south west of the Popovo Lake between the peak Dzheng ...

in the Pirin Mountain. Specifically, they live under large old trees, in abandoned sheds or in dark caves that are near water sources. In

Macedonian Macedonian most often refers to someone or something from or related to Macedonia. Macedonian(s) may refer to: People Modern * Macedonians (ethnic group), a nation and a South Slavic ethnic group primarily associated with North Macedonia * Mac ...

folklore they are also said to inhabit trees like oak, willows and that they live in a far off village called Patelevo.

Place in folklore

Samodivas have the power to bring about drought, burn a farmer's crops, or make cattle die of high fever.

Bulgarian folklore

In Bulgarian folklore, Samodivas occur as the personified form of nature. They are protectors of nature and are often juxtaposed with the ways humans live their lives. They are knowledgeable about herbs and plants, so they are associated with many plants with medicinal qualities. Some plants that are commonly associated with samodivas are ''

Euonymus alatus ''Euonymus alatus'', known variously as burning bush, winged euonymus, winged spindle, and winged spindle-tree, is a species of flowering plant in the family Celastraceae, native to central and northern China, Japan, and Korea. It is a popular ...

'', ''Gentiana Alba'', and other herbs. There are many local beliefs about those plants and their qualities that are associated with the samodivas. For example, there is a belief that Еuonymus Alatus should be picked only on the eve of

Ascension Day The Feast of the Ascension of Jesus Christ (also called the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord, Ascension Day, Ascension Thursday, or sometimes Holy Thursday) commemorates the Christian belief of the bodily Ascension of Jesus into Heaven. It ...

because the samodivas are more friendly and their healing powers are stronger. Another important aspect of the figure of the Samodivas is their love for singing and dancing. They often engage in competitions with each other and with humans, and whoever wins gets to keep the loser for themselves. An example of this is the plot of Dimo th
Caval player and Gyurgya Samodiva
where the samodiva loses the musical battle and Dimo takes her to his village. In certain parts of Bulgaria, samodivas are said to be related to various inexplicable natural events like chronic illnesses and whirlwinds. An exаmple of this is the folk son

This is a remnant from pre-Christian belief systems on the Balkans, similarly to the Ancient Greek mythology's explanation of

Nereids In Greek mythology, the Nereids or Nereides ( ; ; , also Νημερτές) are sea nymphs (female spirits of sea waters), the 50 daughters of the 'Old Man of the Sea' Nereus and the Oceanids, Oceanid Doris (Oceanid), Doris, sisters to their bro ...

dancing in the winds.

Macedonian folklore

In Macedonian folklore, Samovilas are often seen that they have the ability to hurt people or to heal them. There is a way to kill a Samovila, and that is by making her prick herself on thorn bushes and evaporates. It is also known that they could enter the hearts of men and stay there for 5 years. Their goal was to join with the man's soul and after go to heaven together. They usually gave the man magical powers and knowledge of healing plants. In North Macedonia, there are tales speaking of Samovilski Weddings, and if a random person was found walking by, they would offer him wine and in return he would give a golden coin to the bride. The wedding would then last all night until dawn. It is also known that they can be seen by dogs with four eyes and mixed Samovilski children. Their voices were hypnotic and could drive a man to go crazy. The Macedonian people feared of calling them by their name Vili, so sometimes they would speak of them as Mayki, Yudi, They. Balkan mythology holds that Samodivas were the daughters of

Lamia Lamia (; ), in ancient Greek mythology, was a child-eating monster and, in later tradition, was regarded as a type of night-haunting spirit or "daimon". In the earliest myths, Lamia was a beautiful queen of ancient Libya who had an affair with ...

. This, combined with their mostly nocturnal nature, leads to them being considered negative, or at best neutral in their nature. Much like the Vila in

, a Samodiva's power is believed to come mostly from her long (usually blond) hair. A Samodiva would sometimes give a small portion of it to her lover to strengthen her control over him via its magical effects. However, if her hair is damaged in some way, she will either disappear entirely or be stripped of her powers and beauty.

History

In Bulgaria, the current understanding of Samodivas currently stems from collections of folk tales and folk songs. Many of those were compiled in the 19th century, as part of the Revival efforts of Bulgarian intellectuals. The secondary literature on the topic of Samodiva is very limited. The folklore that has been collected and stored reflects only a fraction of the complex understanding that the character of the Samodiva entails, since the folktales have gone through numerous sieves, both during the writing stages of the folklore collections, and later on, as a result of the regime and ideology shifts of the Balkan Peninsula (See

People's Republic of Bulgaria The People's Republic of Bulgaria (PRB; , NRB; ) was the official name of Bulgaria when it was a socialist republic from 1946 to 1990, ruled by the Bulgarian Communist Party (BCP; ) together with its coalition partner, the Bulgarian Agraria ...

Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...

). Earliest written evidence of Samodivas dates back to the 13th century, where they presumably developed from

Balkan The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...

traditions and myths. Researchers have also found influences from other

Slavic Slavic, Slav or Slavonic may refer to: Peoples * Slavic peoples, an ethno-linguistic group living in Europe and Asia ** East Slavic peoples, eastern group of Slavic peoples ** South Slavic peoples, southern group of Slavic peoples ** West Slav ...

folklore. It is widely believed that the image of the Samodiva and their behavior is actually based on ancient

Thracian The Thracians (; ; ) were an Indo-European speaking people who inhabited large parts of Southeast Europe in ancient history.. "The Thracians were an Indo-European people who occupied the area that today is shared between north-eastern Greece, ...

legends, especially those connected to the Cult of Orpheus, which included songs and dances performed by fire-priestesses.

Prominent Samodivas in folklore

* Vila - Some folk tales describe Vila Samodiva as the Samodiva maiden who leads the others in their dances. She is described as the active participant of the contact between the protagonist of folktales and the mystical world, serving as a guide or giving the hero a task to test his valour and resolve. In one folk tale, Vila found Krali Marko as an infant and brought him up as a foster mother. As Marko grew on Samodiva milk, he acquired supernatural powers. The character of the Vila is attested in South Slavic fairy tales collected by

Friedrich Salomon Krauss Friedrich Salomon Krauss (7 October 1859 – 29 May 1938) was a Croatian-Austrian Jewish sexologist, ethnographer, folklorist, and Slavist. Early life Krauss was born in Požega, Croatia, at the time Kingdom of Hungary. In 1877–78, he att ...

. * Vida - Some stories say that she is the sister of Krali Marko, some stories describe her as a destructive force of nature. In
Krali Marko and Vida Samovila
', he encounters her and kills her in conflict. In anothe

she is responsible for the water shortage in the region because she locked up the twelve springs. * Gyurgya - One of Gyurgya'

in Bulgarian Folklore is when she is enticed by a shepherd and ends up becoming his wife .

Appearances in other literature

* In the 19th century, Bulgarian poet and revolutionary

Hristo Botev Hristo Botev (, ), born Hristo Botyov Petkov (Христо Ботьов Петков; – ), was a Bulgarian revolutionary and poet. Botev is considered by Bulgarians to be a symbolic historical figure and national hero. His poetry is a prim ...

mentioned Samodivas in a poem praising the late

Voivoda Voivode ( ), also spelled voivod, voievod or voevod and also known as vaivode ( ), voivoda, vojvoda, vaivada or wojewoda, is a title denoting a military leader or warlord in Central, Southeastern and Eastern Europe in use since the Early Mid ...

Hadzhi Dimitar. The Samodivas provide comfort to the dying man in the last moments of his life, symbolizing bravery. They also appear to symbolize the union between him and the land he sacrificed himself to protect. Still, the Samodivas and the reaction of Hadzhi Dimitar to their presence is connected to the mischievous and seductive role they often play in mythology. *

Elin Pelin Elin Pelin ( ) (8 July 1877 – 3 December 1949), born Dimitar Ivanov Stoyanov () was a Bulgarian writer. Stoyan Christowe called him "Bulgaria's leading writer". Biography He was born in the village of Bailovo, in Sofia District. He complet ...

-
Samodiva
'

Samodiva as supernatural wife

''The Samodiva married against her will''

A Bulgarian folk song'', The Samodiva married against her will'', features a Samodiva: three girls, not related to each other, doff their magical garments to bathe, but are seen by a shepherd that takes their clothing. Each girl separately try to plead and convince the youth to return the clothing. He does so - but only to the first two; the third maiden he chose to wed after she revealed she was an only child. After the wedding, the village insists she dances for the amusement of everyone else, but the samodiva says she cannot dance without her garment. Once her husband delivers her the clothing, she flies away.

''The Youth and the Vila''

In the fairy tale ''The Youth and the Vila'', the youngest son, who is considered a fool by his two elder brothers, manages to pluck the golden hairs of a vila who has been eating the silver pears of his father's garden. He later takes her back to his father's house.

''The Vila in the Golden Castle''

In the fairy tale ''The Vila in the Golden Castle'', a father asks his three sons to guard his flower garden at night, because swans have been eating the flowers (in reality, the vilas were). The vila returns home to the golden castle, which prompts the youth to seek her. There, an old vila, the girl's mother, sets tasks for him to perform.Houghton, Louise Seymour. ''The Russian grandmother's wonder tales''. New York: C. Scribner's sons. 1906. pp. 196-202.