Meduza (Russian folklore)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Meduza. Russian lubok. 17th–18th century.

Meduza (Russian: Медуза), Meluza (Russian: Мелуза, literally «small», «little») or Meluzina (Russian: Мелузина) is a mythical creature in Russian folklore. She was depicted in a Russian lubok of the 17th or 18th century. She is described as half-woman, half-snake, or as the half-woman, half-fish creature.[1][2] She is also said to be the deity of deception.[3]

Appearance[]

She is represented as a sea monster with the head of a beautiful dark-haired maiden, having the body and belly of a striped beast, a dragon tail with a snake's mouth at the end, and legs resembling those of an elephant with the same snake mouths at the end. She also wears a crown.

According to belief, her snake mouths contained a deadly dragon poison. She was said to live in the Sea near the Ethiopian abyss, or in the West Ocean.[1][4]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b Belova 1999, p. 175.
  2. ^ Belova, Petruhin 2008, p. 180—181.
  3. ^ Bychkov Andrey Alexandrovich. Encyclopedia of Pagan gods. Myths of Early Slavs. Online books
  4. ^ Damskiy 1801, p. 143—144.

Sources[]

  • Belova, Olga Vladislavovna (1999). Славянский бестиарий: словарь названий и символики [Slavic Bestiary: a dictionary of names and symbols] (in Russian). Indrik. ISBN 5-85759-100-7.
  • Belova, Olga Vladislavovna, Petruhin (2008). Фольклор и книжность: Миф и исторические реалии [Folklore and bookishness: Myth and historical realities] (in Russian). Science. p. 263. ISBN 978-5-02-036228-4.
Retrieved from ""