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The Rusalka
(Plural: Rusalki)
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Nadezhda Antipova
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The Rusalka are water nymphs; the demonic spirits of those who have drowned, or in later times, those who have not been baptised. The Rusalka's representation is not consistent; Often she can be a beautiful young maiden, other times she appears as a rotting corpse. The Rusalka liked to kill humans who dared to go near water alone; they would drown women, tickle children to death, and their laughter is fatal to men. Anyone killed by a Rusalka is said to become one as well. The Rusalka like to dance. Every new moon the Rusalka would go out and dance in forest clearings, meadows and swing from the tree branches. It is said in the summer the Rusalka move from the water itself to the trees hanging over the water, and it is for that reason that leaves are green. It is possible that the Rusalka is the wife of the Vodianoi.The best way to appease the Rusalka (probably so not to be killed) was by gifts of eggs, linens and ribbons.
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Rusalka's Week (Kresen or Rusal'naia Week)
From June 19 to 24, we worship the Rusalka because they leave their watery home to come water the crops. This is a week of fortune telling, story telling and bonfires. Spells were done among girls that would insure that they would be friends for life, and girls also do memorial rites on their parents graves (assuming they're dead!) Often during this week young girls would go to the forest and decorate the trees there with wreaths, cloths and garlands. The Rusalki were also banished at the end of week, usually by making dolls of them and then ritually destroying them.
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Boris Zabirokhin
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