ПОД ЦВЕТЕТО НА САМОДИВИТЕ
UNDER THE WOOD-NYMPHS' FLOWER

Summary/Abstract: In the article an attempt is made to classify plants, connected with wood nymphs (samodivi), which fulfill different functions in the customs and in everyday-life. A great part of them have a strong odour and a rich content of etheric oils, and thus influence the nervous system. The favourite flower of wood-nymphs is the dittany (Dictannus album). Its properties show that it is a drug, provoking hallucinations. The article reveals the coincidence between the feasts of wood-nymphs and the worship of dead. The wood-nymphs may be considered dead persons, who died untimely in state of transition from one social status to another (i. e. unmarried girls, young brides, women in child-birth). The russalian week and the commemoration day are devoted to wood-nymphs and to all persons, who died of an untimely and violent death. The custom "going to dittany" is scrutinized most thoroughly. The ill and childless persons, accompanied by a person from the opposite sex, spend the night under a dittany flower, in full silence. They leave a gift for the wood-nymphs (honey, bread, wine), and they in return give a sign whether the ill person will be cured. Under the action of the strong enchanting odour of the plant, the ill come into a state of false death and afterwards acquire some knowledge (by means of devination) and a new status (of dying or of recovering persons). In ancient times the dittany was used for accelerating and alleviating child-birth and for curing of epilepsy; there was a belief that if a wounded deer ate this plant, the arrow would come out from its body. On mythological level this means that the arrow is a metaphor of the illness, caused by the arrows of wood-nymphs (resp. of Arthemis); and the dittany pulls out the arrow and thus it cures.

• Details
• Contents