"Rusalka" by Jill Johansen

Not only in russion "rusalka" means mermaid.In bulgarian also.Don't know where you got that info. but its wrong.In our fearytales there are just a few ferries led along nymphs.The creatures who lure men are called "Samodiva/s/"
They dont lure men.They dont even bother.They live high in the mountains or where the nature is untouched in large female groups.All night,every single night they dance.The only male near them is the musician who i think lives with them.If a man sees a Samodiva,he will be killed at the moment by the others.On the other hand,they are very beautiful so if a man caches one he will be the happiest man in the whole world.(I think the way to cach one was to steal something from her i cant remember what it was...i think one of those hats made from flowers or some kind of a cloth/tunic,never mind.As i said the man who were able to cach Samodivas were very happy.The legends say the man will be happy just for little if he has a good heart,because the Samodiva will cry every single night and will be sad every single day.She will be so desprate to rejoin her sisters that she can even leave her own child and escape...But she will not be able becouse her man has her item.Only when he gives it back she can go...

Jill Johansen replies: "As with ANY mythology, there are variations. While in one area they may not lure men, in some areas, they most certainly do. It's all folklore which is subject to evolution and change as it gets told and re-told, so it can vary greatly from one area to another, it happens with all folklore, all over the world. It doesn't make it 'wrong' if I choose one version over another. Check out the Wikepedia article on Rusalki, to see what I mean. "

Alia why the hell do you watch your mother coming out of the bath???

Whoa awesome reflection and holy crap how did you do this?????????????????
IN polish mythology, they have nothing to do with water; they’re tree spirits who dance at midnight. Also, in russian, once again rusalka=mermaid. Have you ever seen the opera "Rusalka" (yes only a nerd like me would know that there even is such an opera in existance)

PS What folktales include rusalkas that TICKLE?????

Yeppers. I’m russian and rusalka definitely means mermaid and they’re just mermaids.

But otherwise, amazing picture and luv the reflection!

=x Very menacing, it’s great

This is sends shivers up my spine. Well done!

It’s a great picture, I love the light and shadow in it...
And as for the "rusalka" discussion... I’m Polish and we have rusalkas in our mitology too (as most Slavic, I think) - they are closer to water nymphs than anything else (I suppose it could be different in the beginning, before Greek/Romes influence).

I’d love to use this art for a short story about the Rusalka. Of course all credit for the art will be credited to you. The short story would be featured on the web for free, so I would not profit financially from its use.

I’m from Czech. In our mythology is Rusalka a fairy and she lures men into the swamps. Sometimes it is Bludička, small twinkling lights to attract people into the lake at night. I recommend the opera Rusalka by Antonín Dvořák .