Folklore Workshop – The Rusalka

Each Tuesday afternoon workshop will centre around the myth or folklore topic of that week. The aim will be to discuss ideas surrounding that belief or narrative and to come up with a finished piece using any of the methods and materials that are available. You will have access to paper/card, printing materials (linocut, block, mono or collagraph), paints, drawing materials, 3D resources (clay, paper mache, wire, wool), paints and other bits and pieces. You will have an experienced artist to help you develop your ideas and produce your artwork.

In Slavic folklore, a Rusalka is a female water spirit or nymph that haunts lakes, rivers, and marshes. Often considered the Slavic equivalent of a mermaid or siren, they are typically the tragic spirits of young women who died unbaptized, by drowning, or from a broken heart. Depending on the region, beliefs about the Rusalka vary. In early Slavic paganism, they were sometimes seen as benevolent nature spirits tied to fertility and agriculture. However, later folklore typically depicts them as dangerous, undead entities that lure unsuspecting men into the water to drown them or tickle them to death. They are frequently described as beautiful women with very long, flowing, often green or blond hair. In some northern Russian traditions, however, they are depicted as ugly, unkempt, and malicious creatures. “Rusalka Week”: Also known as Green Week or Trinity Week (early June), this was believed to be the time of year these spirits left the water to swing on birch and weeping willow branches. Swimming during this week was strictly forbidden to avoid being dragged into the deep