To the Question of the ‘Literary’ Sourсes of Rusalka

The literary sources of the image of the rusalka are examined. Until the 18th century, the word «rusalka» (Rusian русалка) was not used in Russia to denote mythological creatures. It referred to participants in the pagan festival «Rusalia», the concept of which originated under Bulgarian and Byzantine influences. The word «rusalka» in relation to a mythological figure was first used in 1722 in the translation of the work by Mavro Orbini Il Regno de gli slavi. In this translation (created by S.L. Raguzinski-Vladislavich) rusalkas (русалки) were identified with nymphs. The ideas about the cult of nymphs by ancient Slavs goes back to Procopius of Caesarea. The correlation between rusalkas and nymphs was established in the works of Tatishchev, Lomonosov and Popov and entered folklore at the latest by the middle of the 18th century, influencing the formation of the image of the mermaid in Russian literature and folklore. Since nymphs were absent from actual Slavic mythology, the term «rusalka» lost its original literal meaning after entering popular culture and was used in reference to various mythological figures. As a result, the image of the rusalka became the most variable in East Slavic lower mythology.