Mavka

Mavka

Stamp featuring Lukash and Mavka from The Forest Song
Grouping	Female legendary creatures
Folklore	Slavic paganism
Other name(s)	Ukrainian: Нявка
Country	Ukraine
Region	Ukrainian Carpathians

Mavka (

The spirits known by this term represented the souls of girls who had died unnatural, tragic or premature deaths, particularly unchristened babies.[4] Mavkas often appear in the form of beautiful young girls who entice and lure young men into the woods, where they "tickle" them to death.^[7] Mavkas have no reflection in water, nor do they cast shadows. In some accounts, they were also said to help farmers by looking after cattle and driving out wild animals.

A subtype of the Mavkas are the Nyavkas, which behave the same except for having "no back", meaning that their spine and some other insides can be seen;^[b] the most defining feature between determining Mavkas and Nyavkas is whether or not the insides are visible from the back.

Mavkas and Nyavkas were believed to live in groups in forests, mountain caves, or sheds, which they decorated with rugs. They made thread of stolen flax and wove thin transparent cloth for making clothes for themselves. They loved flowers, which they wore in their hair. In the spring, they planted flowers in the mountains, to which they enticed young men, whom they tickled to death. On Pentecost (known as Navka's Easter, Ukrainian: На́вський Вели́кдень),^[8] they held games, dances, and orgies. A demon accompanied them on a flute or pipes.

To save an unchristened baby's soul, one must throw up a kerchief during Pentecost holidays, say their name and add "I baptise you". The rescued soul would then go to heaven. If the soul lived up to seven years and did not go to heaven, the baby would turn into a mavka and haunt the earth.

Popular culture

• Mavkas are depicted in literature, most notably in
  Lesia Ukrainka's The Forest Song and nyavkas are depicted in Mykhailo Kotsiubynsky's Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors.^[9]
• In modern culture the Ukrainian music band, Mavka, is named after the mythological creature.^[10]
• In 2022, Ukrainian singer Eria released the song "Mavka".^[11]
• The 2023 film
  Ukrainian mythology.^[12][13]