Slavic fairies
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Fairies in Slavic mythology come in several forms and their names are spelled differently based on the specific language.
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Wila
In Polish mythology, the Wila are reputed in Poland and Lithuania to be the shape-shifting souls of the dead that were believed to visit the homes of their families. Peasants would lay flowers in the entrances to caves where they believed the Wila resided. Offerings for the Wila consist of ribbons, round cakes, vegetables, fresh fruit or other flowers left at sacred trees, fairy caves and wells. They are the female spirits that lived in the mountains, woods, and clouds that could shape-shift into horses, falcons, or swans also.
Vila
The Vila, or Willi or Veela, are the Slavic versions of nymphs, who have power over storms, which they delight in sending down on lonely travelers. They are known to live in meadows, ponds, oceans, trees, and clouds (see Leimoniads, Limnades, Oceanids, Dryads and Nephelads). They can appear as swans, horses, wolves, or, of course, beautiful women. Slovak myth tells us that they are the souls of deceased girls who were not baptized during Vladimir's baptisms, and, in fact, the Slavic word for soul is vile.
Veela appear as beautiful women who transform into hideous bird-like creatures when angered in the fictional Harry Potter series, notably in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire at the Quidditch World Cup. The character Fleur Delacour is part-Veela.
Wili
Among the Slavic creatures of folklore, for the English-speaking world the wilis are indelibly connected with the Romantic ballet Giselle, first danced in Paris in 1840, with its spectral wilis, young girls who have died on their wedding days, who almost snatch away the hero's life-breath, but must disappear at the break of dawn.
These wilis have been adapted from a poem of Heinrich Heine, who claimed to be using a Slavic legend. Meyer's Konverationslexikon defines Wiles or Wilis as female vampires, the spirits of betrothed girls who die before their wedding night. According to Heine, wilis are unable to rest in their graves because they could not satisfy their passion for dancing when they were alive. They therefore gather on the highway at midnight to lure young men and dance them to their death. In Serbia they were maidens cursed by God; in Bulgaria they were known as samovily, girls who died before they were baptized; and in Poland they are beautiful young girls floating in the air atoning for frivolous past lives.
The first opera completed by Giacomo Puccini, Le Villi, makes free use of the same thematic material. It had its debut in May 1884 at the Teatro dal Verme, Milan, and was revised for a more successful reception at the Royal Theater, Turin, that December.
Poludnica
Południca was a Slavic noon demon. She was usually pictured as a young woman dressed in white that roamed field bounds. She assailed folk working at noon causing heatstrokes and aches in the neck. Sometimes she even caused madness.
Rusalka
Rusalka.jpg
In Slavic mythology Rusałka was a female ghost, water nymph or succubus-like demon who lived in a lake. Her eyes shone like a green fire. Men who were seduced by her died in her arms, and in some versions her laugh can also cause death (compare with the Irish banshee). She corresponds to the Scandinavian and German Nix.
The ghostly version of the succubus is the soul of a young woman who died in or near a lake (many of these rusalki were murdered by lovers), and came to haunt that lake; this undead rusalka is not particularly malevolent, and will be allowed to die in peace if her death is avenged.
The word is generally translated as "mermaid". It is also known as the undine.
The rusalka was the main character in Antonin Dvorak's opera "Rusalka".
Rusalje
In Polish mythology, Rusalki are the spirits that live in the waters from Fall to Spring; in some traditions they reside in the waters from Summer to Fall. In other tales, they become the Sky Women when they return from the waters. They are called Queen of Fairies and it is said only witches dared to swim with the Rusalki. The belief that the thunder and lightening of spring time was brought by the Sky Women mating with the thunder gods; so Spring festivals included celebrating the return of the Rusalki from the waters by placing wreaths on the waters, circle dances, and fire festivals. They brought moisture to field and forest.
Sky Women
In Polish mythology, Sky Women were the warm weather incarnations of the Rusalka. Slavic women would go out in the first snow fall and make snow women to honor them, as it is believed to be brought by the Sky Women.