Ronesa Aveela
Autore di A Study of Household Spirits of Eastern Europe
Serie
Opere di Ronesa Aveela
Etichette
Informazioni generali
Non ci sono ancora dati nella Conoscenza comune per questo autore. Puoi aiutarci.
Utenti
Recensioni
Premi e riconoscimenti
Potrebbero anche piacerti
Autori correlati
Statistiche
- Opere
- 20
- Utenti
- 80
- Popolarità
- #224,854
- Voto
- 4.9
- Recensioni
- 23
- ISBN
- 26
Of course, these advocated realities heavily restricted women's lives, which mainly revolved around marriage and childbirth. That makes the Rusalki all the more fascinating by contrast, as they were depicted as the freest of women, whether in their physical image and sexuality or in their choices to bless or harm human beings (often men) at will. Though they were often used as a cautionary tale to rebellious/strong women, as these spirits were created through untimely deaths or taboo behavior, their lore also feels like a response to those antiquated gender restrictions, a subversion of them, and this is a duality worth considering as well.
Finally, I loved seeing how these stories sometimes inspired the modern versions of mermaids and sirens that we know so well. Even Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid has some significant similarities, in that neither the titular mermaid nor the Rusalka is known to have a soul: therein lies their main difference from humankind, which can alternately be seen as a blessing or a curse. I also enjoyed reading about the Rusalki references that appear in Eastern European literature, including many of the Russian greats' works. Once again, I'm glad Aveela took the time to compile all these sources, to give us as complete and complex a picture as possible. Despite their status as restless spirits, the Rusalki still retain much humanity in their portrayals - a strong and necessary reminder of the light and darkness that permeate our existence.… (altro)