Mermaids -- Rusalki

In a previous life, I was a mermaid. It was a wonderful life. I swam in the sea’s warm belly, sometimes popping up to the surface to feel the sun’s rays, and at other times diving deep into the depths of calm and coldness where the crabs paraded or an oyster opened to give me the gift of a perfect black pearl. My friends were the fish, whales, octopi, starfish, and I’d frolic with the dolphins. Sharks didn’t scare me and a sea horse gave me a ride occasionally.

Indeed, as a mermaid, I fascinated sailors and landlubbers alike. This fascination with mermaids is evident as every culture has its own spin on these sea creatures. The Russian version of the mermaid is called a rusalka.

Interestingly enough, the rusalka’s home is not necessarily the ocean or sea. In Russia and Slavic lands, she typically lives in lakes and ponds, rivers and streams, and the forests, dancing in meadows. The rusalka does not have a tail, but instead she’s endowed with human legs and a head of long, brown hair.

The rusalka is a temptress of man, and can be dangerous. She lures unsuspecting boys and men alike into dangerous situations, and perhaps even death by leading them deep into her watery home. I suppose she’s akin to the sirens of Greek mythology that sat upon the rocks and lured sailors to their demise. At any rate, the rusalka is mentioned in fairy tales and in Pushkin’s writings, specifically “Ruslan and Ludmilla.” She pops up in the beginning of the epic poem, sitting in the branch of a tree, watching the learned cat on a golden chain, who walks left and right, telling tales and singing songs.

My Babushka mentioned the rusalka when she’d tell me her tales of her days gone by in Russia. She’d attest that people had to beware when walking deep in the woods, picking mushrooms. Strange things could happen: a few people simply vanished.

“The rusalka can also be a ghost, a spirit,” Babushka said. My ears would automatically perk up at the mention of something supernatural.

“She probably committed suicide, a great sin against God, by drowning herself. Because she ended her own life, she could not be buried properly in church. The rusalka has no peace, no eternal rest, and spends her time haunting the water where she lives.”

Granted, the rusalka is a mythical creature, but she lives on in Russia in the present day. A word to the wise: beware when walking in the deep woods or by the rivers on dark nights.