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Rusalka

A divinity of the water, she was the spirit of a maiden that drowned. In some areas they kept the image of the beautiful girl that drowned, while in other areas they were wicked, misformed creatures. To a few they appeared as dead, decaying bodies with evil green eyes. In the south their bodies were covered by mist, whilst in the north they were always naked. The Rusalka from the south put people passing by in a spell with her beautiful body and voice. Those in the north had the habit of torturing and drowning their victims.

The legends believed that the Rusalka lived in the water until summer, when they move into a tree hanging over the water. The reason for the tree to have a green color during the summer was because of the presence of the spirit of the Rusalka. At night they would swing on branches and danced. The Slavs believed that the thicker parts of the grass were where the Rusalka danced. The dancing of the Rusalka sometimes caused damage. They were known to stop mill wheels, damage fishing nets and even causing storms and heavy rain over fields.