Nymphs and Rusalka

 In Greek and Roman mythology, they are beautiful, young, and graceful virgins who personified the power of the elements. The nymphs were divided into many different groups depending on where they were found and on the element they represented. Dryads with wreaths of oak leaves guarded the trees (especially oak). The hamadryads, on the other hand, were parts of trees. Anthousai is flower nymphs whose hair resembles hyacinth flowers. Already are nymphs of mountains and caves (eg Echo). Napanee, auloniads, hylaeorae, and alseids inhabited forests and valleys. Lejmoniads occurred in meadows. Aurae and sylphs were the embodiment of the forces of air. The Hesperides are the evening and the setting sun nymphs, and the keepers of apple trees with golden apples. The seas were inhabited by ravines, waterlines, Oceanids, and mermaids. The water nymphs included the Naiades, which presided over fountains, wells, springs, streams, and other freshwater bodies. Some nymphs, usually young virgins, were part of the retinue of the gods: Dionysus, Hermes, Apollo, Lord, and Artemis. They also acted as guardians of divine infants (eg Zeus or Dionysus). The most famous nymphs were: Daphne, Echo, and Calypso. They often appeared in myths with a love theme, and their spouses were, among others: Pan, satyrs, Priap, Zeus, Apollo, Hermes, and Dionysus.

In the pursuit of nymphs, the thunderous Zeus was especially known, who loved to pick them up and seduce them. The victims of the lecherous god's conquests were, among others Aegina and Antiope (daughters of the river god Asoposa). Among the victims of Zeus was the nymph Callisto, before whom Zeus stood as Artemis. Unfortunately, the nymph realized the plot of Zeus too late. Zeus turned the nymph into a bear to protect her from the wrath of Artemis, but she in anger killed her anyway. Callisto was placed in the sky as the constellation Ursa Major.

The water nymph in Slavic mythology arose when a girl (or a young woman) drowned. Depending on the region, the rusalka was presented differently. The Rusalkas from the Danube and the Dnieper was charming, graceful, and sang wonderfully like mermaids surrounded by a haze, attracting men to their extermination. Death by drowning in was more enjoyable than in their Siberian strain, which rather resembled Celtic banshees (bean-nighe). The northern rusalkas were greedy for blood, they were dirty and neglected, and unlike their southern cousins, they did not use tricks and did not sing generally, they were naked knowledge that grabbed the victim and tortured before drowning. Sometimes, if they were in a better mood (not murderous), they destroyed nets, sent floods and storms, or stole linen/threads from nearby houses.

Rusalkas had a water and forest nature, and it was believed that on a moonlit night they danced in the clearings, and in places (grass, grain) they stepped on, they became denser.