Poludnitsa – The Midday Witch from Slavic Mythology
21st November 2022
Categorized Under: Myths and Legends from Around the World
Comments (0)
Poludnitsa, also known as “Lady Midday”, or the Midday Witch, is a demon from Slavic mythology. At noon and during the hot summer days she appears in the forests and agricultural fields to cause heat strokes, burns, and even kill those who are plowing the fields, planting, and harvesting.
This creature usually appears in different forms, but always carries a scythe or scissors. Sometimes she appears dressed in white, but she can also take the form of a girl or a horrible old woman with iron teeth. When she sees that the farmers and workers do not comply with the command to rest at noon, she approaches them in a cloud of dust, stops in front of them, and begins clapping her hands and laughing out loud. At this time, to avoid being punished, they must interrupt their work, remain still, or go home quickly. However, if they don’t, she raises her terrible scythe and tortures them until she severely cuts their bodies, and even dies. On one occasion, a farmer who was resting in the field under a tree witnessed an atrocious event. He saw how this demon suddenly appeared in front of a man who did not stop working and asked him very difficult questions. The man paralyzed by fear did not know what to answer and instead tried to deceive her by changing the subject. This enraged her, and she cut off his head with a single blow with her scythe.
Despite everything, there are ways to stay safe and to achieve this people need to follow certain rules at noon. During this period, it is forbidden to work or sleep in the field, or near it. People should close the windows and no one should leave the house, especially children, as Poludnitsa will lure them into her and tickle them to death. It is also not allowed to swim and wash clothes from July 6 to 19 to prevent her from attacking them, and if she does appear, then they must lie on the ground so that she does not cause damage, and wait quietly for her to disappear.
Legend has it that Poludnitsa was a 12-year-old girl whom every day walked through the agricultural fields where she watched the men and women planting crops and feeding the animals from dawn to dusk. When the workers were exhausted, they lay down under a tree or went home to rest, especially at noon when the sun’s rays were intense and burning. During this time, and taking advantage of the fact that no one was working, the vandals and thieves would come out of hiding and she would see them steal or destroy the grain, leaving the poor working people without food and hope. Unfortunately, one day one of the thieves caught her, and to prevent her from turning them to the police, he stabbed her in the back with a pair of sharp scissors. Poludnitsa did not find peace in the afterlife, and since then she has appeared at noon wrapped in a whirlwind of dust to persecute and punish with her scissors all those who dare to damage the crops.
No field is outside the domain of the Lady of the Noon, but as long as you don’t damage the crops and rest at noon during the hot summer days, she will stay away from you. Instead, if you don’t, she will come, and kill you with her scythe.
SLAVIC MYTHOLOGY