Illustration of Mavka | |
| Grouping | Female legendary creatures |
|---|---|
| Folklore | Slavic paganism |
| Other name(s) | Ukrainian: Мавка |
| Country |  Ukraine |
| Region | Ukrainian Carpathians |
Mavka (Ukrainian: Мавка) is a type of female spirit in Ukrainian folklore and mythology. She is a long-haired figure, sometimes naked, who may be dangerous to young men.[1][2][lower-alpha 1]
Terminology
There is variation in the names and spelling, including Ukrainian: Мавка, mavka,[3] навка, navka,[4] нявка, nyavka.[5] These terms all derive from Proto-Slavic *navь 'the dead', and are cognate with Bulgarian: нави, navi (plural).
Folklore
The spirits known by this term represented the souls of girls who had died unnatural tragic or premature deaths, particularly unchristened babies.[3] Mavkas often appeared in the form of beautiful young girls who enticed and lured young men into the woods, where they "tickled" them to death.[6] Mavkas had no reflection in water, did not cast shadows, and had "no back", meaning that their insides could be seen.[lower-alpha 2] 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 (known as Navka's Easter, Ukrainian: На́вський Вели́кдень)[7] they held games, dances, and orgies. A demon accompanied them on a flute or pipes.
To save a dead unchristened baby's soul, one had to throw up a kerchief during Pentecost holidays, say a name and add "I baptise you". A rescued soul would then go to heaven. If a soul lived up to seven years and did not go to heaven, a baby would turn into a mavka and would haunt people.
Popular culture
Mavkas are depicted in literature, most notably in Lesia Ukrainka's The Forest Song and Mykhailo Kotsiubynsky's Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors. In modern culture the mavka 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 mavkas and made Mavka famous especially among Ukrainian Eurovision fans.
See also
Notes
- ↑ Kushnir (2014), quote: "Mavka is different from other types of female spirits in that her evil is not intentional. At the sight of a young man, she falls into a trance and realizes her actions too late to change anything. Mavka is a very beautiful young maiden with very long hair ..."
- ↑ Those were more often called "Nyavka" and they were believed to live in Western Ukraine, which has more dangerous mountain rivers than Central Ukraine, while Mavkas, who were believed to live in Central Ukraine, had their backs.
References
Citations
- ↑ Bilodid (1973), p. 587, volume 4.
- ↑ Kushnir (2014).
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Hrinchenko (1958), volume 2, article 395.
- ↑ Hrinchenko (1958), volume 2, article 471.
- ↑ Hrinchenko (1958), volume 2, article 573.
- ↑ Halaychyk (2016), pp. 181–183.
- ↑ Hrinchenko (1958), volume 2, article 474.
Works cited
- Buynova, Tatyana Yuryevna (2008) (in ru). Akvilegia. ISBN 9785901942611. http://www.e-reading.mobi/bookreader.php/1020825/Buynova_-_Deti_Svaroga._Mify_vostochnyh_slavyan.html.
- Bilodid, Ivan Kostyovych, ed (1973) (in uk). http://sum.in.ua/s/mavka.
- Halaichuk, V. (2016) (in uk). Клуб Сімейного Дозвілля. https://archive.org/details/miff2016.
- Hrinchenko, B. (1958) (in uk). Академії наук Української РСР. http://hrinchenko.com/slovar/znachenie-slova/29878-navskyj.html.
- Kushnir, Dmitriy (2014). Creatures of Slavic myth. USA. ISBN 978-1-5056-2802-9. OCLC 1003859523.
External links
- "Mavka" — Internet Encyclopedia of Ukraine
- "Kostroma" — Encyclopedia of Mythology (in Russian)
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