Monsters, Cryptids and Yokai, Russian folklor, Alkonost, Gamayun and Shishiga

 

 ......................Today's post is mostly Russian based siren and harpy like cryptids.................

 

pic is by Viktor Vasnetsov's Sirin (left) and Alkonost (right) Birds of Joy and Sorrow (1896)

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Russian myths..

The Alkonost, Gamayun and Shishiga..

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In  Russian folklore the Alkonost is a woman-headed bird similar to the Greek Sirens
dangerous creatures, who lured nearby sailors with their enchanting music and singing voices
to shipwreck on the rocky coast of their island..

Like the sirens the Alkonost is said to have a beautiful voice and those who hear these sounds
forget everything they know and want nothing more ever again.

The Alkonost lays her eggs on a beach and then rolls them into the sea. When the  eggs hatch, a thunderstorm
sets in and the sea becomes so rough that it's impossible to traverse.
She is also related to other birds like beings in Slavic mythology, namely the Rarog and Stratim.

The name Alkonost is derived from a Greek demigoddess named Alcyone.

In Greek mythology, Alcyone was transformed by the gods into a kingfisher....
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The Gamayun...

the Gamayun is usually depicted as a large bird with a woman's head, again simiar to the sirens.

Like the Alkonost, the gamayun is believed to originate from the Greek folklore and siren mythology.

However unlike the dangerous and often malevolent sirens, the Gamayun is a being of prophecy in Russian folklore. She  is a symbol of wisdom and knowledge.

She is said to live on an island in the mythical east, close to paradise.

According to legends she spread divine messages and prophecies, and she knows everything of all creation,  gods, heroes, and man.

 

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 and our third cryptid is the Shishiga..

Shishiga are  sometimes called leshenka .

 

She is a female swamp (or forest) creature similar to the wood-goblin.

She  is often  described as, white, nude, and has tousled  hair.

She is known to harass people and bring misfortune to the drunkards.

She is also an  important figure in the mythology of the Komi people.

The Shishiga supposedly lives in the Kama River and often goes to the shore to comb her hair.

Seeing her is considered a very bad omen, as those who do sees her will soon drown or die by another cause.


The Shishiga also shares some similarity to the story of Artemis and Actaeon from  Greek mythology..


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