| Show spirits of the water the russians Eusa ians believe that the Rus alkas alkass or water spirits are beautiful maidens who allure passersby passers by and if they catch them tickle them to death in in their crystal halls balls below the waves during durig one week in the year they come to men for clothes and rags and threads are accordingly hung on the trees for their benefit during that week for fear of offending the Rus RuE alkas and being punished by the loss of poultry or cattle no one must work or sew or wash vash linen when girls ire drowned they become Rus alkas and the wives of tho the watery Vod yany and when snow mow melts into floods or min mill dams are carried away by swollen to torrents men know that it is due to the matrimonial revelry that always attends the celebration of marriage between a mortal and a spirit of tho the waters this idea of possible relations between yater water spirits and human beings seems a ve very ry obvious corollary of the idea of humanlike beines resident in the water the idea of their marrying mortals is at least as reasonable as the idea of their drowning them or tickling 0 them to death and with the idea of such marriage it would be natural to connect the idea of some benefit to accrue to the water spirit as well as of curious conditions involved in the marriage contract thus would arise such stories as thode of undine or melusina Mc lusina |
