Tales from the Hollow

a Collection by Vesper Lucien @dvrkblooms

[hollowtales]

[bestiarium]

The Samodivas [Slavic mythology]

In Slavic folklore, a Samodiva is a female supernatural entity that lives inside caverns, abandoned houses, or sometimes inside trees, though commonly in the vicinity of mountains. It is said that the Pirin is their favorite mountain to live on. Samodivas are not from our world, but from Zmajkovo, which is a supernatural village somewhere in a different world from ours. They reside here during winter before entering the human world during spring, leaving again at the end of autumn.

These creatures appear as exceptionally beautiful women, usually with long hair and sometimes with wings. Their skin appears to be glowing and they have fiery eyes. The Samodivas are commonly described as evil monsters, manipulating people with their beauty.

Men who saw them would instantaneously fall in love and have all of their life energy stolen as they chase the Samodiva until they died of exhaustion. Women, on the other hand, would be enthralled by such immortal beauty if they laid eyes on a Samodiva, and would spontaneously take their own lives.

But they are not invincible: their magic comes from their long hair. If you were to cut it, the Samodiva would lose her beauty and magic, and she would no longer be able to put her spell on people. In some versions, cutting her hair also destroys her ability to remain in this world, making the creature disappear.

(image source 1: mythological-creations.fandom.com) (image source 2: VoVatia)

[creaturesncryptids]

Vukodlak

[facinaoris]

marzanna, slavic goddess of death and winter [ x ]

[chandelyer-deactivated20241003]

Russian Fairytales: Vasilisa the Beautiful

[meiselr]

100 Palette Challenge | Jarilo & Morena in #58

poem by @kostromas (x)

[vaesna]

Slavic mythological figures [8/?] ↳ Lada

A goddess from Slavic folklore, LADA  was worshipped throughout Russia, Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic and other areas of Eastern Europe. She is usually depicted as a young woman with long blonde hairis considered to be the mother of all gods. In the place where she is, there is warmth and comfort, a feeling of you are “home”. The goddess is depicted as a woman in the prime of life and full bodied, symbol of mature motherhood.  She is said to return from the underworld every year at the Vernal Equinox, bringing the spring with Her.

Lada is represented as a girl with long golden hair sometimes with a wreath of ears of grain braided into her hair, which symbolises her function of fertility deity thus making her an aspect of Mother of Wet Land. A symbol of Sun, a mark of lifegiving power was sometimes on her breasts. As a fertility goddess, Lada has her annual cycles, which can be shown by the belief that she resides in the dwelling place of the dead until the vernal equinox comes. This world of the dead is called Irij, and here, besides Lada, dwells Veles, the horned god of cattle. At the moment when Lada is supposed to come out into the world and bring spring, Gerovit opens the door of Irij letting the fertility goddess bless the earth. At the end of summer, Lada returns to Irij . Although her reign begins on the 21st of March, Lada is primarily the goddess of summer. She follows Vesna, the Slavic spring goddess. However, both of these goddesses are associated with fertility so sometimes it can sometimes be difficult to separate their functions. As we can see, Lada’s reign begins in spring, the proof of which is ladenj, another name for April, given after this goddess. Apart from the Sun, Lada is also associated with rain and hot summer nights, the ideal time for paying respect to the love goddess.  Lada’s animals are a cock, a deer, an ant and an eagle, whereas her plants are a cherry, a dandelion, a linden and a peony.

A myth says that Lada is married to Svarog who is only with her help able to create the world. According to another one, she is a companion of Jarilo, thus associated with Aphrodyte, whose lover is Ares.

[vaesna]

Slavic mythological figures [9/?] ↳ Veles, Volos

A god from Slavic folklore, VELES   meaning  "shade of the deceased, or shadow of death”  is  said to be Master of the Forest and likened to Cernunous and Loki. God of the earth, waters and the underworld, associated with dragons, cattle, magic, musicians, wealth and trickery. He is said to punish oath-breakers with diseases. Legends and myths say that he is the opponent of the thunder god, Perun, from whom he steals Perun’s son, wife or, usually, cattle. Veles was seen as a huge serpent coiling around the roots of the world tree where he ruled the world of dead.

Veles ruled the underworld and all along with a so many cultures ancient Slavs viewed their world as a huge tree, with the treetop and branches representing the heavenly abode of gods and the world of mortals, whilst the roots represented the underworld. Veles was seen as a huge serpent coiling around the roots, was ruling the world of dead.The underworld was supposedly a lovely place, described in folk tales as a green and wet world of grassy plains and eternal spring, where various fantastic creatures dwell and the spirits of deceased watch over Veles’ herds of cattle.In more geographical terms, the world of Veles was located, the Slavs believed, “across the sea”, and it was there the migrating birds would fly to every winter. In folk tales this land is called Virey or Iriy. Each year, the god of fertility and vegetation, Jarilo, who also dwelt there during winter, would return from across the sea and bring spring into the world of the living.Veles also regularly sent spirits of the dead into the living world as his heralds. Festivals in honour of him were held near the end of the year, in winter, when time was coming to the very end of world order, chaos was growing stronger, the borders between worlds of living and dead were fading, and ancestral spirits would return amongst the living. This was the ancient pagan celebration of Veľká noc (Great Night), the relic of which still persists amongst many Slavic countries in folk customs of Koleda, a kind of combination of carnival and Halloween, which can happen anywhere from Christmas up to end of February.

[vaesna]

Slavic mythological figures [5/?]

↳ Morena, Vesna

—  M o r e n a  (Slovak, Russian) or M a r z a n n a (in Polish), M o r ė (in Lithuanian), M o r a n a (in Czech and Slovene), or also M a r a , M a r ž e n a, M o r é n a,  M o r a or M a r m o r a was the goddess that represented death, winter and disease. They believed she was one of the most beautiful goddesses in Slavic mythology. 

The ritual of burning and drowning the figure of Morena: The figure was made from straw and dressed in local women’s clothing. Then, it was carried in procession around the whole village, from door to door, so that it would take away the evil spirits. Next, Morena was carried to the river bank, burned, and, while still in flames, thrown into a local river or pond. Finally, everyone would run home as fast as possible. It was believed that anyone who fell while running home would die that same year.

— V e s n a is Morena’s opposite. It was believed that she carried the smell of spring with her wherever she goes and that all spring’s scents are signs of her passing through there. She is portrayed as always smiling, beautiful, naked and barefoot. Sometimes using only a few leaves of fern and some flowers for clothes. Her hair is long, almost to her knees and various different flowers are in her hair as decoration. Her breasts are large as expected from the goddess of fertility. Sometimes there’s an apple in her right hand and some grapes in her left hand and sometimes there’s a swallow, the symbol of spring, on her right index finger and a bouquet of flowers in her left hand to symbolize marriage. 

[melbellelove]

Baba Yaga 

Baba Yaga hails from the place where fear and wisdom meet, she straddles the gap between life and death and holds the secret to both.

Also known as Jezda or Jazi Baba, Baba Yaga is an old witch who lives in the forests of Eastern Europe. It is said that her teeth, nose, and breasts made of iron and that her hair is made snakes. She moves through the forest using a mortar and pestle. Her house sits upon chicken legs which allows it to spin around and move. Her fence is made out of the bones of people who have displeased her. Baba Yaga is a very complex women who is thought to be the personification of death as well as having dominion over fertility, fate and nature. She has the gift of prophecy and can impart great wisdom.  If you wish to benefit from the gifts of Baba Yaga you must undertake an arduous journey to her house and then you must survive the tasks Baba Yaga puts forth to test you. 

[kostromas]

[lady-arryn]

SLAVIC MYTHOLOGY MEME: gods and goddesses | perun

HE GRABBED THREE GOLDEN APPLES AND THREW THEM HIGH INTO THE SKY THREE LIGHTNING BOLTS BURST FROM THE SKY

[sithaari]

THOSE WHO HAUNT THE EARTH: STRZYGA

A strzyga is a female demon in Slavic folklore. They are born to human parents, possessing two souls in a single body and are identifiable by their double hearts and sets of teeth. When a strzyga was recognized, it was chased away from the community, usually resulting in early death. One soul passes on, but the second remains with the body. After the strzyga’s corpse returns to life, it begins to prey on other living creatures. They hunt at night in the form of an owl, attacking travelers and those who wander into the woods, consuming their prey’s blood and internal organs. A strzyga could also be satisfied with animal blood, but only for a short period of time. When a person recognized as a strzyga dies, decapitating the corpse and burying its head separate from the body was believed to prevent the strzyga from returning to life; burying the body face down with a sickle around its head was said to work as well.

[olennatyrells]

Myths & Legends: Rusalka

In Slavic folklore, there exists a dangerous female fairy-like being that lives in lakes and rivers. Though often confused with mermaids and sometimes are portrayed to look similar to mermaids, they are traditionally not mermaid-like in appearance. They are beautiful and seductive woman with eerie, green-glowing eyes. According to legend, the rusalki are the spirits of drowned or violently murdered young girls. They take delight in drowning men and children by tricking or luring them into the water. Her deadly power rests in her embrace. She also possesses fairy glamour, enchantment and can hypnotize with her song to help in luring her prey into the water. In some legends, the laughter of a rusalka, if heard, can also be fatal. Supposedly, the only way to defeat a rusalka is to let her hair to dry though in some myths, iron objects and salt can also repel them. Another way to stop a rusalka would be to avenge the ghosts’s murderer provided that she didn’t die from suicide.

[dvrkblooms]

My Jolly Sailor Bold

Read on Ao3 and Squidge!

Fandom: MCU

Pairing: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers

Rating: T

Tags: Achillean Romance, Alternate Universe, Creature Feature, A Swashbuckling Tale

Summary

In which Steve is a sailor caught up with the wrong crowd and Bucky is a merman.

Bingos and Events:

AU Challenge - Creatures & Monsters

@au-pril-blog: 2026 - Day 9: Fantasy

@bingocardsforfandom: Hallmark Bingo - Fantastical Elements

@bingorin - Fantasy AU

@bloodyheartsbingo: Mini Bingo II - Saving someone at a pivotal moment

@buckybarnesbingo: Flash Bingo - U: Meet Ugly

@darkspicyevanstan - Rusalka

@deaddovedec: 2023 - Captivity

@fairytalebingo: Mad Monster Bingo - Free Space

@thefairytalebingo - Mermaid

@fairytaleweek: 2026 - Day 7: The Fair Folk - Nereid

@fandombingo:

Dark Deception Bingo - I didn't want this Kisses, Chaos, & Catastrophe - Free Space

@halcyonianlove:

Halcyonian Love Fest - Mermaid Halcyonian Love: a Stucky Winter Advent - Fusion AU

@halloweenhorrorbingo: 2024 - Wanting to see a mermaid

@heartxhorror: 2026 - Lovesick @krotagious

@herohardshipsbingo - Unlikely Relationships

@julybreakbingo: 2025 - Liberating

@marvelbang: Marvel Fanworks Week - Day 7

@multifandom-flash: Here There Be Monsters Bingo - Siren

@secretcrypticevents: Into the Wilds Bingo - Water Nymph

@steverogersbingo - E3: Rescue

@stuckybingo - Free Space

@winterbreakadvent: 2024 - Getting Together

@wintershieldbingo - Fantasy AU

[kostromas]

Jarilo and Morana are the gods of spring and winter in Slavic Mythology, respectively. Every year, by the end of February, Jarilo was kidnapped by his father’s enemy, Veles, and taken to the Underworld. With the advent of spring, Jarilo returned from the underworld, that is, bringing spring and fertility to the land. The first of the gods to notice Jarilo’s return to the living world was Morana. The two of them would fall in love and court each other through a series of traditional, established rituals, imitated in various Slavic courting or wedding customs. This sacred union of Jarilo and Morana, deities of vegetation and of nature, assured abundance, fertility and blessing to the earth, and also brought temporary peace between two major Slavic gods, Perun and Veles, signifying heaven and underworld. Thus, all mythical prerequisites were met for a bountiful and blessed harvest that would come in late summer. However, since Jarilo’s life was ultimately tied to the vegetative cycle of the cereals, after the harvest (which was ritually seen as a murder of crops), Jarilo also met his death. The myth explained this by the fact that he was unfaithful to his wife, and so she kills him in retribution. Without her husband, however, Morana turns into a frustrated old hag, a terrible and dangerous goddess of death, frost and upcoming winter, and eventually dies by the end of the year. At the beginning of the next year, both she and Jarilo are born again, and the entire myth starts anew.

[0310mp3]

MYTHOLOGY MEME: {¾} CREATURES

Rusalka (русалка); The Rusalka is a water nymph who is no longer alive, associated with the unclean spirit and is dangerous. It is accounted by most stories that the soul of a young woman who had died in or near a river or a lake came back to haunt that waterway as a Rusalka. It is said that if a Rusalka’s hair dries out, she would die and in order to prevent this, Rusalki often yield hair combs to prevent their hair from drying out, as well as allowing them to walk on land while conjuring water from air if needed. A Rusalka’s main purpose is, however, to lure young men, seduced by either her looks or her voice, into the depths of said waterways, where she would entangle their feet with her long hair and submerge them, her body would instantly become very slippery, therefore preventing the victim to cling on to it for reaching the surface. She would then wait until the victim drowns, or, on some occasions, tickle them to death as she laughs.

[kostromas]

EASTERN EUROPEAN/BALTIC MYTHOLOGY MEME > slavic gods and goddesses [2/9]: dazhbog

[kostromas]

Dazhbog was one of the major gods of Slavic mythology, god of the sun and rain. He is one of several authentic Slavic gods, mentioned by a number of medieval manuscripts, and one of the few Slavic gods for which evidence of worship can be found in all Slavic nations. This is likely because the Sun was very important to the Slavs - it is the source of life and was always considered to be a positive force.