The Rusalka: No Mere Mermaid
Explicit content warning
01/28/24 • 23 min
29.1.24
Paranormal Pajama Party
The Rusalka | 2
Get ready for a spooky episode as Steph delves into the Slavic legend of the rusalka. Although often associated with water, these spirits are far from the mermaids we might imagine. Instead, they're more like zombies... permanently trapped in puberty. It doesn't sound fun.
At tonight's pajama party, we'll explore the origins of the rusalki and their connection to both fertility and death. We'll also discuss the in-between state these spirits inhabit, caught between girlhood and womanhood, river and field, and life and death. There will be dancing, tree-climbing, hair-styling, and a deadly amount of tickling.
Key moments:
- 1:09 Ivan and the rusalka
- 6:29 Meet the rusalki
- 9:25 The unclean dead
- 12:48 Green Week
- 14:49 Rusalki puberty
Sources from today's episode:
- Rusalka (Wikipedia)
- Slavic folklore (Wikipedia)
- Slavs (Wikipedia)
- Supernatural beings in Slavic religions (Wikipedia)
- Ivanits, L. J. (1989). Russian Folk Belief.
- Dynda, J. “View of Rusalki: Anthropology of time, death, and sexuality in Slavic folklore”
- Macaulay, A. “What Do Aquawomen Want?”
- Green Week (Wikipedia)
A transcript of today's episode is available here.
If you’re enjoying the show, don’t forget to subscribe, rate and review Paranormal Pajama Party to help others discover it!
View all my sources for each episode and read the episode transcript here.
Follow @ParanormalPJParty on Instagram or subscribe to the podcast's newsletter, Lights Out!
29.1.24
Paranormal Pajama Party
The Rusalka | 2
Get ready for a spooky episode as Steph delves into the Slavic legend of the rusalka. Although often associated with water, these spirits are far from the mermaids we might imagine. Instead, they're more like zombies... permanently trapped in puberty. It doesn't sound fun.
At tonight's pajama party, we'll explore the origins of the rusalki and their connection to both fertility and death. We'll also discuss the in-between state these spirits inhabit, caught between girlhood and womanhood, river and field, and life and death. There will be dancing, tree-climbing, hair-styling, and a deadly amount of tickling.
Key moments:
- 1:09 Ivan and the rusalka
- 6:29 Meet the rusalki
- 9:25 The unclean dead
- 12:48 Green Week
- 14:49 Rusalki puberty
Sources from today's episode:
- Rusalka (Wikipedia)
- Slavic folklore (Wikipedia)
- Slavs (Wikipedia)
- Supernatural beings in Slavic religions (Wikipedia)
- Ivanits, L. J. (1989). Russian Folk Belief.
- Dynda, J. “View of Rusalki: Anthropology of time, death, and sexuality in Slavic folklore”
- Macaulay, A. “What Do Aquawomen Want?”
- Green Week (Wikipedia)
A transcript of today's episode is available here.
If you’re enjoying the show, don’t forget to subscribe, rate and review Paranormal Pajama Party to help others discover it!
View all my sources for each episode and read the episode transcript here.
Follow @ParanormalPJParty on Instagram or subscribe to the podcast's newsletter, Lights Out!
Previous Episode
The Vanishing Hitchhiker: Sibyls, the Oracle of Delphi and an Urban Legend
22.1.24
The Vanishing Hitchhiker | 1
Welcome to the Paranormal Pajama Party! I'm so glad you could join. Get cozy, because we’re kicking off our first-ever party with a campfire standard — the vanishing hitchhiker.
In this classic urban legend, a male driver picks up a seemingly innocent passenger, but the journey upends life — and death — as he knows it.
This episode examines the surprising connection between this modern legend and historical or mythological female figures of old. Where did the story of the vanishing hitchhiker come from? And what's her connection to the Oracle of Delphi, the New Testament, and even to Ancient Egypt's snake-headed goddess Wadjet?
Join the party and uncover the fears that society projects onto women with help from this urban legend.
Key moments:
- Picking up the hitchhiker [00:26]
- A prophetic ghost [04:36]
- Subverting expectations [06:43]
- Sibyls [10:31]
- Back to the backseat [18:03]
Sources from today's episode:
- Snopes Fact Check: The Vanishing Hitchhiker
- Beardsley, R. K., & Hankey, R. (1943). A History of the Vanishing Hitchhiker. California Folklore Quarterly, 2(1), 13–25. https://doi.org/10.2307/1495651
- Beardsley, R. K., & Hankey, R. (1942). The Vanishing Hitchhiker. California Folklore Quarterly, 1(4), 303–335. https://doi.org/10.2307/1495600
- Sibyl (Wikipedia)
- Sibyls
- Delphic Sibyl (Wikipedia)
- Wadjet (Wikipedia)
- Oracle (Wikipedia)
A transcript of today's episode is available here.
If you’re enjoying the show, don’t forget to subscribe, rate and review Paranormal Pajama Party to help others discover it!
View all my sources for each episode and read the episode transcript here.
Follow @ParanormalPJParty on Instagram or subscribe to the podcast's newsletter, Lights Out!
Next Episode
Bloody Mary: A Slumber Party Classic
5.2.24
Paranormal Pajama Party
Bloody Mary | 3
If you've been a preteen at a slumber party, chances are you've heard the chilling tale of Bloody Mary. Today, we'll dissect the origins of Bloody Mary and the various interpretations surrounding her name.
Bloody Mary, the spectral figure said to appear in mirrors when her name is called 3-13 times (it's unclear and not a risk I'm willing to take), has been a staple of sleepovers and late-night dares. While some might dismiss it as a simple game, we're taking a closer look into the mirror tonight, and into the possible inspirations behind this eerie tale.
One theory ties the legend to Mary Tudor, Queen of England, whose tumultuous life and reign left a legacy of fear and brutality. Other contenders include an accused Salem witch and infamous Hungarian serial killer Countess Elizabeth Báthory.
Beyond Mary's identity, it's interesting to learn why this game is so appealing to the 10-13-year-old PJ-party crowd.
Is it a ritual for girls anxious about the transition into womanhood? Or might she represent a way for young girls to reclaim a sense of power in a world where they often feel powerless?
Key moments
Sources
- Bloody Mary story (Snopes)
- Bloody Mary (folklore) (Wikipedia)
- Bloody Mary: The Mystery of Ritual and Myth
- Janet Langlois, Confessions of a Legend Hunter in the U.S.A
- Janet Langlois (interview transcript)
- Dundes, A. (1998). Bloody Mary in the Mirror: A Ritual Reflection of Pre-Pubescent Anxiety. Western Folklore, 57(2/3), 119–135.
- The Forgotten Halloween Games That Predict Who You'll Marry—And When You'll Die
- ‘Bloody Mary’: Is an English Queen Behind the Haunting Urban Legend?
- The True Story Of Bloody Mary, The Woman Behind The Mirror
- The Salem Witch Trials Victims: Who Were They?
If you’re enjoying the show, don’t forget to subscribe, rate and review Paranormal Pajama Party to help others discover it!
View all my sources for each episode and read the episode transcript here.
Follow @ParanormalPJParty on Instagram or subscribe to the podcast's newsletter, Lights Out!
Paranormal Pajama Party - The Rusalka: No Mere Mermaid
Transcript
Steph: Before we begin, a quick content warning: Paranormal Pajama Party is a podcast about scary stories and legends, but there’s nothing scarier than the patriarchy.
When discussing tales in which women are often the villains, we’ll have to unpack some stories in which women are the victims.
This episode contains the usual amount of cursing, plus mentions of drowning, suicide and miscarriage. Please be advised.
Tonight’s pajama party guest of honour i
If you like this episode you’ll love
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