Transcript
This story weaves a fictional narrative for the origin of the Slavic nature spirit, inspired by folklore, a bit of history, and a lot of creative freedom.
Page 1
The old legends say that at the dawn of the world, when humankind lived in peace, goodwill, and contentment, the Samovily were there.
Page 2
These women of incredible stature, strength and wisdom befriended the kind people and granted them the knowledge of many things that would improve their lives.
They taught them how to build houses, how to hunt and domesticate animals, how and when to plough, sow and harvest crops, how to heal their sick, and bury their dead.
Page 3
The Samovily were huntresses and warriors, coming out of their mountains and forests on the backs of stags and horses, shooting arrows from their finely-crafted bows.
They were dressed in clothes of power, and able to withstand more injury than any mortal could.
When they fought, the forests would resonate with din and clamour, and they felt the ground shake.
Powerful and wise, they may as well have been divine.
People left food, drink and flowers at the mouth of the caves where they were thought to live, and near the wells and springs they frequented.
Page 4
But gradually people departed from their virtues. Selfishness and greed filled their minds, and they turned their backs on their goddesses.
The Samovily were disappointed at what the people had become, so they left the human world, for they had their own, hidden place to live, a city no-one’s been to, in a kingdom no-one’s heard of, on an island no-one’s seen.
A place at the end of the world, where all the divine beings and magical creatures would eventually be driven off by the malice of man.
To be continued...
Up next - The Change
About the story
Folkloric basis
In Slavic folklore the Samovily are nature spirits, and it was believed that they used to live in close contact and friendship with people. They were seen as teachers and protectors, and may have been revered as goddesses, or were descended from earlier goddess-worship traditions. As in many stories, people turned away from their old ways and turned their backs on the Samovily, who in turn rejected and left the mortal world.
Historical inspiration
In my research I found many parallels between the Slavic Samovily and the Scythian warrior women. Their appearance, skills and knowledge, the way they were depicted as archers, hunting on the back of horses or stags (I've come across some alleged Scythian headdress for a horse that looks like it has antlers on, it, but I haven't found a proper source for it yet). The Scythian warrior women are also theorised to be the source of the myth of the Amazons, so my connection is not unique.
Fusion
I wanted to connect both of these into a story of a meeting between a group of Slavs and a group of Scythians, to serve as basis for the retelling of the folkloric account of the relationship between Samovily and people.
Part 2 - The Change
In Part 2 I will explore how the inspiration for the Samovily seeped into the tales and traditions of the Slavs, and how they changed throughout the ages.
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