From the Oracle of Once Upon a Time
The wild one or the fairy is a beautiful female creature inhabiting the woods. They have human form but superhuman abilities. They live in high mountain places, near clear springs or lakes. Samodivas come out in summer time. Under their arms they have light wings, with the help of which they fly. The songs bear women's names. Samodivas live alone, without husbands and families. When it gets dark, the samodivas go to water - lakes, ponds, springs - they strip naked, bathe, wash their clothes and spread them out to dry in the moonlight, keeping a watchful eye so that no one steals them. Then they gather in the same meadow in the most distant dense forests, called a clearing, and play a barefoot magical dance all night long. They love music, especially kavala tunes, so they often kidnap shepherds and make them play for them. Self-diving animals are afraid of sunlight, so at daybreak they quickly leave the den and hide.
Folklore collection "Once upon a time - manners and worldview of the Bulgarians"
Sometimes they appear as working women, especially in the harvest, and assist the work of brides with children. In most cases, however, they are hostile to humans - they lock up the water sources, hunt down and kill the shepherds, because they devastate their pastures, kidnap beautiful maidens and brides, or cause them trouble out of envy and malice. Samodivas ride large (suri) deer. They fraternize with heroes and with men who have done them good - they become their patrons and even give birth to children from them, from whom grow up glorious heroes like Sekula the child. Krali Marko was nursed by a samodiva and Vida Bazdardjiika is his step-sister.
If a man manages to steal her veil (the so-called shadow), she turns into an ordinary woman and obeys him. Such a diva goes through a marriage ceremony, gives birth, but does not become a good mother and housewife, but uses every opportunity to get back what she stole and, accordingly, her freedom, abandoning her children. Sometimes samodivevas molest at their own will, but they obsess over their beloved without a trace and torture him with their whims to death.
The wild one is a symbol of free will and freedom, of protest, anger and untamed sexuality of a woman. Creativity and ingenuity. Boldness that can be dangerous. But she can also be the harbinger of discord in a happy family, the mistress-destroyer of family harmony. A person who will try to manipulate you or you appear to be one yourself. Fear of the independent and strong woman if she falls for a man.
© 2023 Iliana Dechkova