There are many local beliefs about those plants and their qualities that are associated with the samodivas. Some plants that are commonly associated with samodivas are Euonymus alatus, Gentiana Alba, and other herbs. They are knowledgeable about herbs and plants, so they are associated with many plants with medicinal qualities. They are protectors of nature and are often juxtaposed with the ways humans live their lives. In Bulgarian Folklore, Samodivas occur as the personified form of nature. Their vindictive nature also complements this notion. This, with the power of their seductive voices, makes them somewhat similar to Harpies and Sirens in Greek mythology. It is said that, when angered, a Samodiva can change her appearance and turn into a monstrous bird, capable of throwing fire at her enemies. Samodivas have the power to bring about drought, burn a farmer's crops, or make cattle die of high fever. ( June 2018) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message) Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. In Macedonian folklore they are also said to inhabit trees like oak, willows and that they live in a far off village called Patelevo. Specifically, they live under large old trees, in abandoned sheds or in dark caves that are near water sources. An example of that are the Samodivski Lakes in the Pirin Mountain. Thus, there are landmarks in Bulgaria that have the word "samodiva" or "samovila" in them. In Bulgarian folklore, they are associated with places related to water - wells, rivers, lakes. During the winter, they live in the mythical village of Zmejkovo. Samodivas enter the human world during the spring, staying until autumn. However, mountain Pirin is their traditional favorite. Mountains linked to the Samodivas include Vitosha, Belasitsa, Pirin, Rila, the Rhodopes, the Balkan Mountains in Bulgaria and Rudina mountains. Habitat Īccording to Bulgarian folklore, Samodivas can live inside trees or abandoned shacks or dark caves, or near rivers, ponds and wells. If they get deprived of their veil, they lose all their power. Sometimes, they are described as having a veil which could hold all their power. Samodivas are often described as having blonde or red hair, tall, slender women with pale, glowing skin and fiery eyes. They are typically dressed in free-flowing, feathered white gowns, which give them the power of flight. Samodivas are commonly depicted as ethereal maidens with long, loose hair, and in some cases, wings. The main hypothesis is that there are traces of deiṷos ‘God’. One of the hypotheses of the etymology of the word samovila is that it comes from the Indo-European root *ṷēi-, meaning "follow," "chase," or "blow," for "vila." The component "samo" has a function to highlight. The samodiva ( Bulgarian: самодива plural: samodivi, Bulgarian: самодиви), samovila (Bulgarian: самовила plural: samovili, Bulgarian: самовили) or vila (Bulgarian: вила plural: vili, Bulgarian: вили), are woodland fairies or nymphs found in South and West Slavic folklore.
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