MYTH-701 Lessons

There is an unnatural chill in the air blowing breezily around the Mythology classroom today. Students can be seen performing locational switches to grab heavy woolen scarves, cloaks, and even gloves. However, the snow falling inside doesn’t add to the cold, as some who tentatively investigate the precipitation soon learn. It creates an enchanting effect as the flakes drift down, settling on desks, chairs, bookcases, and students’ shoulders. As Professor Wessex approaches the desk, she charms a jet of hot air to blow the snow away, cleaning herself a spot to sit before beginning.

Introduction
Much as in the previous weeks, today we will be looking at an area that defies easy, conventional categorization. These various groups of people share similarities that often paint them with the same brush, but they are far from the same people, the same culture, or the same climate. We are speaking now of those in Balkan States, Slavic people, as well as those in Eastern European countries. To be clear, the diversity we discussed in relation to the Middle East is the same for the areas listed in this lesson. These populations are not all one unified people. This contrast of cultures is even more marked among the Slavic people, as many of these sub-groups (particularly Eastern Europe) have as many definitions as they have countries. In fact, while many of you may think of the frigid northern Russian tundra, that is not all there is to this area of the world, nor is their mythology uniform. Still, their mythologies share certain similarities, as do their cultures. 

To clarify, today we will be discussing areas as varied as the Balkans (which includes Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia, Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Macedonia, Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, Greece, and Turkey), slavic countries which include many of the same areas (with the addition of Belarus, Russia, the Ukraine, the Czech Republic, Poland, and Slovakia), and Eastern Europe, which has a troubling amount of definitions, though usually contains the same aforementioned countries as well as Georgia, Moldova, and Montenegro.

Gods and Greatness
But that’s enough of political positioning. We move on now to the myths. Obviously in a region of this size and variety there are many different gods and pantheons, but for the sake of time we will be touching on some of the more popular ones that weigh most heavily on the mythology of the area. There are a few gods and goddesses of note, and also of particular importance to magical scholars studying the area. 

Perun and Veles
Our first divine topic is actually a pair, as they are rarely discussed completely in isolation. These are two of the few gods that all Slavic tribes worshipped. Starting for the moment with Veles, this figure has had many incarnations, but is most often depicted as the king of forest, or various forest animals. In some traditions, he rules over wolves, in others, bears. He was also seen as the patron of all animals, wild and domesticated. This was, in part, due to his mythical ability to shapeshift into many different creatures (and in other senses, his portrayal in many different traditions and cultures). In general, he is seen as the god of magic, and he performed many magical acts such as the aforementioned shapeshifting. However, he was also seen as the evil counterpart to Perun, the head of most versions of the Slavic pantheon. Tales often recount the two locked in battle after Veles had done some horrible deed, such as stolen or harmed one of Perun’s loved ones. 

Shifting to speak more of Perun and less of the pair, Perun is often likened to either Thor or Zeus/Jupiter, as he has a penchant for playing with lightning, and is also the head of the pantheon. Regardless of who he is related to, though, he is most certainly viewed as a warrior god, as well as closely associated with storms and weather-related concepts, as well as the god of law and justice. 

The Dolya
We see more magical concepts expressed in the Dolya, as well as other related Slavic deities. Depending on the various countries or regions these goddesses pertain to, they can also be called rozhanitsy, narecnitsy, sudzhenitsy, or other root-related names. Whatever their names or locations, Dolya are usually found in groups of three, or multiples of three. These groups typically have a leading female Dolya who serves as queen or ruler over the rest. These Dolya are goddesses or minor deities of fate, and they often tend to women in childbirth, not only to help them through it, but then once a successful delivery has occurred, to determine the child’s fate for the rest of its life. 

Obviously, there are very strong parallels to be made here for these women to, in fact, be seers and healers. Whether they were a specific group or secret society of witches whose studies revolved solely around these practices, or whether these stories were simply based on the average witches that lived in towns who also offered services as midwives is difficult to know.

The Night is Dark and Full of...
Anyone who has studied the basics of Care of Magical Creatures or Defense Against the Dark Arts knows that there are more than a fair few magical beasts (and beings) native to this region of the world. Ukranian Ironbellies can be seen in the skies, Pogrebins, hags, and Nogtails prowl the earth, and, as we will cover, not even the waters are safe. Moreover, if Slavic and Eastern European myths are to be believed, there is a rather high population of vampires that live among the magical and mundane citizens in these areas. While we will mention some of these more popularly covered creatures later on -- particularly hags, we will be focusing mostly on those that are not as commonly covered outside of Slavic mythology (though they are certainly frequently mentioned inside of it). We will be starting with a creature, -- or, debatably a being, depending on which side of political debates you fall on -- of the water as alluded to earlier.

Rusalka
Yes, we come first to rusalka. The existence of rusalka is not so strange a concept for those of us here at Hogwarts, as our own grounds are home to a very close relative of theirs: selkies. Indeed, those from Ireland will also be familiar with another close cousin: the merrow. All of these specific “breeds,” or different ethnicities of underwater creature fall under the category of “merperson.” The rest of Europe, such as France, Germany, and Italy are much more used to the fair countenances of sirens, whereas no Hogwarts student would ever think to write a poem about the beauty of those proud peoples that inhabit our own Black Lake. 

This type of merperson is far more like selkies than sirens largely due to the climate in which they have developed. These creatures live far under the surface of the water, developing white sightless eyes, pale mottled skin, and some say, worrisome appetites. The actual figure (or body) and face of the rusalka are closer to humans than what we are used to, but they do make up for it as previously mentioned. Their blood red gills contrast starkly with their nearly transparent skin, their pointed teeth seem unnatural in a human face, and their mossy green hair and webbed appendages only serve to further add to their oddness when compared to the human form. 

Putting aside their physical appearance, they are confirmed to be a completely carnivorous species, which has caused problems. It is unknown if the rusalka have been at war with humans for reasons that have long been forgotten even to myth and legend, or if they simply have an insatiable desire to feed, much like vampires. Whatever the case, they do frequently prey on children as they are the easiest targets. Additionally, they are known to use a sort of glamour or illusionary magic to alter their appearance, or at least their target’s ability to perceive them. This magic allows them to cloud the mind and judgement and even a witch or wizard can be fooled by the ruse if they do not think to dispel these enchantments with magic of their own. Interestingly, rusalka are acutely aware of human civilization to the point where they most often appear during festival days, when people are largely concentrated, often inebriated, and generally have their guard down. Of course, numerous folk tales that associate rusalka with these festival days serve as a sort of warning and advise Muggles to prudently avoid these sorts of situations. 

Over the last few centuries, the Russian Ministry (serving as a ambassador of sorts for the collective Slavic and Eastern European countries that have large rusalka populations) have made great strides with their underwater neighbors, and their emissaries are no longer killed on sight, though there is certainly a long way to go. Overall fatalities associated with rusalka have drastically reduced since medieval times, though the water dwellers still remain incredibly tight-lipped about just what exactly caused the tension in the first place. 

Mora Moths
Moving on, we come to a creature that is not quite so popularly featured in as many myths, but still an interesting one nonetheless. There is actually some confusion in mythology about just what exactly this creature is, does, and looks like, but recent study by magizoologists have cleared things up significantly. “Mora moths” are actually a large group of moths, all related because of their magical ability. They are mentioned in Slavic tales by many different names and appearances, sometimes as winged things, sometimes as spirits, and sometimes as human-like monsters. Unfortunately, these incomplete myths are one of our best sources about these creatures because of their scarcity. Their low breeding rates, penchant to appear only at night when things are more difficult to see, and the superstitions against them are all factors that have (and still do) contribute to their rarity and under study. Currently, magizoologists and specialized insect researchers have catalogued over twenty different species of varying sizes, shapes, colors, and abilities. 

No one is quite sure which species is related to which myth, but there are quite a few to choose from. Most notably, mora moths are attributed with dark intentions and abilities. Some examples of this include the ability to cause nightmares in humans nearby, ones that are bioluminescent lead people astray (or occasionally, depending on the story, towards safety), and even those that -- should you foolishly allow them to alight upon you -- steal bits of your soul. 

Bannik
Our last creature of the day is the bannik, certainly also a lesser-known creature outside of Slavic folklore, but one whose stories still circulate even today in its native region. Banniks are short, humanoid-looking creatures that are actually cold-blooded, despite their otherwise mammalian appearance. For those of you not familiar with the term, cold-blooded creatures are unable to regulate their own temperature, and must seek out sources of heat (or cold) in order to remain healthy and happy. Because of the ever-present cold in many Slavic and Eastern European countries, banniks must frequently seek out warm areas. They are too large to slip into homes unseen, and therefore typically congregate around hot springs and banyas, or Slavic bathhouses. Like the more familiar term “sauna,” banyas are kept very warm and steamy, which allows the bannick some camouflage as they are able to turn slightly transparent, which helps them camouflage quite well in a steamy, hazy room. 

Mythology indicates that these creatures are able to tell your future by looking at your back and will indicate to you the overall positive or negative trends they see by either striking you with their claws or gently stroking your back. However, this is all superstition, as bannicks have no divinatory ability. The only thing that claws down your back means is that you have startled the creature and it feels you mean it harm. 

Other superstitions and tales about bannicks range from helpful (that they guard those in childbirth, which also occurs in banyas), to dangerous (that they will often try to strangle or drown those they encounter), to even lecherous (in that they enjoy spying on young women in the bath), but none of these have much truth to them. Bannicks are very simple creatures, and are much likely to experience fight or flight urges rather than cruelly plot the demise of bathhouse occupants nor protectively guard human infants. As for their lecherous conduct, I would imagine human behavior in and of itself is to blame for that particular rumor.

Myths
Finally we come to the last segment of the lesson and our chance to look at entire myths, rather than major players in them. Both of these myths have various relations to the magical world, as you will soon see, though for the last one I will leave these magical references for you to interpret as part of an assignment after class. Now that you have been forewarned, I should expect all of your attention to be on the details of these myths. 

Baba Yaga
Naturally, we could not cover this area of the world without discussing Baba Yaga (also called Babayaga or even Babushka). Much like other creatures we’ve covered today, her treatment in mythology ranges from horrifying monster to benevolent caretaker of children. We, of course, know that Baba Yaga is indeed based on a particularly efficient hag that was exceptionally good at finding children to eat that lived during medieval times. After this point, these myths were kept alive and added to, largely fueled by continued encounters with other hags in the area. While there are many different tales about Baba Yaga, we will choose one today to examine, specifically the tale typically titled “Baba Yaga and Vasilisa.”

The story starts out with a young girl named Vasilisa whose mother gave her a special doll that needed to be fed every night, and every night, Vasilisa would give it a little milk and a bit of bread. The girl’s mother died a few years after Vasilia was born, and her father remarried to another woman with two daughters. These women were cruel, and while they pretended to be kind, they truly hated her, and would whisper horrible threats to her when no one was looking. Finally, Vasilia’s father had to go away on business, and the mother was able to enact her horrible plan. Under the guise of giving all of the girls a chore to do, the step-mother sent Vasilisa into the forest to get a light from Baba Yaga so that they could light their house. 

Now, Baba Yaga was an old witch who lived in the woods in a hut that stood on chicken legs and was surrounded by lights that shone through hundreds of skulls. It was known that she was a wicked witch, and Vasilisa was scared, but she asked her little doll for help, and the little doll told her to be brave and do as she was bid. On her way to the hut, she was passed by three riders on horseback, and while Vasilisa was confused, she paid them no mind. Upon arriving at the hut, Baba Yaga floated down from her house and interrogated the girl. Vasilisa said she was there to borrow a light at her step-mother’s behest. Baba Yaga considered this for a moment and told the girl that if she could complete some chores for her, she would allow her to take a light and leave. If not, she would eat her.

The old hunch-backed witch led her inside the hut, speaking to the locks to make them open, and then locking them again when they were both inside. She was tasked with a fair amount of easy tasks, such as cooking and cleaning, but also impossible ones, like counting the number of stars in the sky. Baba Yaga flew away out of the chimney and left the girl to work alone, but it wasn’t long before she was aided by the cloaked riders who had passed her on the road earlier. 

When Baba Yaga came back and all the tasks had been completed to her satisfaction, the girl was allowed to leave with a light, which Baba Yaga cryptically said would “light her step-mother and sisters well.” When she arrived home with the light as promised, as soon as the light from the skull touched them, they disintegrated into dust, and once her father returned home, Vasilisa and her father lived happily in their house together. 

Now, as I’m sure you’ve noticed there are a number of oddities in this story. First of all, Baba Yaga is, by name, called a witch, though this is obviously not uncommon. Because of their human-like appearance and their rudimentary magic, hags were often confused with very old (very ugly) witches. It’s unclear whether this version (or any version) of tales of Baba Yaga are miscontrusing her magical ability, but we do see many enchantments throughout the story, such as flight, curses, as well as simple spells like Alohomora. It may be that Baba Yaga was indeed a particularly magically-adept hag, or it may simply be that the abilities of actual witches were accidentally mixed in with tales of the infamous hag.

There are even stranger things at foot here as well. A clearly non-magical child would have very little chance of facing off against a hag, nor would a hag bargain with a child for favors. The child would much more likely be immediately roasted on a spit. What is more likely is that this is a retelling of a witch or wizard who defended themselves from Baba Yaga, but over many generations (and adaptations to make it a better story), the tale has evolved into something quite unrealistic. There is also the mention of the little doll, which is certainly strange, as it is said to eat, speak, and even move. It also clearly possesses knowledge that an inanimate thing could not. Many have proposed this may be a reference to House-elves, or even homonuclei. Whatever the case, it’s clear that the truth of the story is wrapped in many layers of Muggle misconceptions and distortions from retellings, as does frequently occur with myths. 

The Death of Koschei the Deathless
The second tale I have for you today, will be completely left up to you to dissect and determine any magical influences (and whether they be accurate or not). Koschei the Deathless was a powerful and evil wizard, and he was as ugly and skeletal as he was cruel. He was known to terrorize everyone, particularly women whom he desired and all trembled before his power. Koschei had just one weakness: his fear of death. So it was that he made himself immortal to conquer this one fear of his. He cast a powerful spell in order to hide his soul away where it could never be damaged. As you can perhaps imagine from the title, this story does not have a happy ending for Koschei, but I will leave you to discover that on your own.

With that done, we will take a short recess before your midterms commence. Apart from that, you have only to complete a myth dissection assignment for the story you just read. In order to keep it fresh in your mind, you may of course take a copy of the story with you to reference. That is all for now, and I will see you shortly for your exams. 

Original lesson written by Professor Venita Wessex
Image credits here, here, here, here, here, here, and here