Rusalka

So, I finished my piece for the Twitter Xmas exchange. I absolutely love it. Don't worry, it's not this one. No, this is a Rusalka.

I found this text somewhere a long time ago. I don't remember where - sorry - but I copied it and pasted into a notepad file so I could remember to do this one day:

"Rusalka, Slavic
A rusalka is a female ghost, water nymph, succubus or mermaid-like demon that dwells in a lake. The ghostly version is the soul of a young woman who had died in or near a lake (many of these rusalki had been murdered by lovers) and came to haunt that lake. This undead rusalka is not invariably malevolent, and will be allowed to die in peace if her death is avenged.

Rusalki can also come from unbaptized children, often those who were born out of wedlock and drowned by their mothers for that reason. Baby rusalki supposedly wander the forest begging to be baptized so that they can have peace.

While her primary dwelling place was the body of water in which she died, the rusalka can come out of the water at night, climb a tree, and sit there singing songs, sit on a dock and comb her hair, or join other rusalki in circle dances in the field."

Hauntingly beautiful, huh? And in fact, the opera itself (Dvorak) is a sort of Rusalka/Little Mermaid tale... don't give me that look. You've heard it n.n