Samodivas (Bulgarian: Самодиви) or samovilas (Bulgarian: Самовили) are woodland fairies found in South-Slavic folklore and mythology.
Etymology
The words samodiva and samovila go back to some very old Indo-European roots with a meaning of "divinity", "demon", "rave", "wild", "virgin" (as in "pure" and "raw") and "rage".
Appearance
Samodivas are commonly depicted as ethereal maidens with long loose hair, sometimes also with wings. They are dressed in a shirt and a gown, and have a green belt and a sleeveless jacket on, their garments decorated with feathers by means of which they can fly like birds.
Abilities and habits
Samodivas are believed to be the beautiful mistresses of the waters and have the powers to bring about drought, but are not inevitably hostile and dangerous to people. Another important aspect of the myths surrounding the samodivas is their dance. Never ending and beginning at midnight to finish at dawn their dance symbolized the raw and often harmful to the unprepared energy of both nature and the supernatural world. Accompanied and following only the rhythm of the wind and their own singing their dance was said to have been often witnessed by lost or late travelers, some of them choosing to join it, seduced by the beauty of their song and visage, only to die of exhaustion at dawn, when the samodivas finally disappeared.
Balkan mythology holds that samodivas were actually the daughters of lamia. This, combined with their mostly nocturnal nature, leads to them being considered more or less negative, or at best neutral in their nature.
History
Earliest written evidence of samodivas dates back to the 13th century and it is presumed they developed from Balkan traditions and myths. Researchers have also found influences from other Slavic folklore. It is widely considered that the image of the samodiva and their behavior is actually based ancient Thracian legends, especially those connected to the Cult of Orpheus, which included songs and dances performed by priestesses.
Vila Samodiva
In Bulgarian and Serbian folklore, "Vila samodiva" (or "Vila samovila") is used to describe the samodiva maiden who leads the others in their dances. She is usually the active participant of the contact between the protagonist of folk tales and the mystical world, serving as a guide or giving the hero a task to test his valor and resolve.
In one folk tale, Vila found Prince Marko as an infant and brought him up as a foster mother. Because Marko was raised on samodiva milk he acquired supernatural powers.
In Poetry
In the 19th century, prominent Bulgarian poet and revolutionary Hristo Botev mentions samodivas in a poem praising the late Voivoda Hadzhi Dimitar. The samodivas provide comfort to the dying man in the last moments of his life, symbolizing bravery as something of legendary and mythological. They also appear to symbolize the union between him and the land he sacrificed himself to protect. Still the samodivas and the reaction of Hadzhi Dimitar to their presence is connected to the mischievous and seductive role they often play in mythology.