Talk:Samodiva (folklore)

This is the talk page of Samodiva. I'm interested in making more Bulgarian mythology available to English-speakers, so I'm trying to improve this page. This will begin with a simple translation of the information on the Samodiva page of the Bulgarian-language wikipedia, and if I have time, I might do more. I would greatly appreciate any help anyone can give. Dbensen (talk) 09:02, 29 December 2009 (UTC)

Merge proposal
This article should be merged with Slavic fairies. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 78.45.57.157 (talk) 05:51, 20 June 2010 (UTC)


 * Possible! But there must be generous space left to both. It is important to distinguish the different environments in which each creature has existed. This needs to be done with caution since the samodiva, specifically, has a lot of references in Buglarian folklore and a lot of specific qualities associated with it. Eevana9 (talk) 09:15, 7 April 2023 (UTC)

Improvement to transcriptions
One thing that would be a big help would be to add stress marks to the Bulgarian transcriptions. English speakers won't know where the word stress is without these.

Samodivas in popular culture
You might consider adding a section on samodivas in popular culture. For example, I think that they appear in the traditional song "Hadzhi Dimitar." http://www.slovo.bg/showwork.php3?AuID=1&WorkID=3158&Level=1

Source

 * "(Samodiva) Samovila: Slavic goddess of woodlands. Samovila rules the forest and protects the animals that live within woodlands. She causes great harm to anyone who abuses her creatures. A shapeshifter, she can transform herself into any animal, and she teaches the skill to the devoted and faithful. Her knowledge of plants and herb medicine makes Samovila a favorite among kitchen Witches. — The Goddess Guide: Exploring the Attributes and Correspondences of the Divine Feminine"


 * "(Samodiva) Vila. A female being peculiar to Serbian mythology is the Vila, who partakes of the characteristics of both the Fairy and the Elf. These Vilas, represented as Mountain Nymphs, live in the forests on the hills, and love singing and dancing. They are young and beautiful, with long flowing hair, and are usually clad in white. They often mount up into the air, from whence they discharge fatal arrows at men, but they injure none except those who intrude on their revels. — The Forest in Folklore and Mythology, p. 109"


 * "Vila. Variations: Veela, Vilia, Vilya, Vilishkis, Vily, Willi In Serbian folklore, the vilas were the beautiful and young mountain NYMPHS clad in white; their voice was said to resemble the call of the woodpecker and was a warning of some mountain catastrophe, such as an avalanche. Vilas were known to carry off children whose mothers had, in a fit of anger, condemned them to the Devil or Hell. The vilas were said to injure those who interrupt their revelries as they dance beneath ... — Encyclopedia of Giants and Humanoids in Myth, Legend and Folklore"

--Лобачев Владимир (talk) 03:34, 24 April 2018 (UTC)
 * "Variations: RUSALKA, Samovily, Vily There is a Slavic myth that when a person is cursed by God or a child dies unbaptized, he will return as a type of vampiric fay known as a vila. When it returns, it will look like a beautiful little girl with long HAIR. Living in clouds, meadows, ponds, and trees, the vila, a very capable combatant, will attack lone travelers. — Encyclopedia of Vampire Mythology, p. 145"

Changing to redirect
Redirect to water spirits is ridiculous and made a person who didnt read neither the very first line not source given. Staszek Lem (talk) 18:36, 24 April 2018 (UTC)