#gamayun

Мавка (Dryad), Гамаюн (Gamayun), and Сгоревшая дриада (Burnt Dryad), digital illustrations by Timbi

Viktor Vasnetsov: Gamayun the Prophetic Bird, 1897

artfight 2025: vasilly for @/chrispyserval ~!

A Gamayun (half-female & half-bird) is a prophetic siren of Slavic folklore. As a symbol of wisdom & knowledge, she lives on an island in the mythical east close to paradise, & represents the souls of poets.

Gamayun is a prophetic bird of Russian folklore. It is a symbol of wisdom and knowledge and lives on an island in the mythical east, close to paradise.

Gamayun by  Sherbakov Stanislav

I’ve talked a lot about Elain’s connection to the myth of Blodeuwedd, a spring maiden transformed into an owl. A long time ago, I also stumbled across the Gamayun in Slavic mythology, which is associated with other bird-maidens (like Sirin, which comes from the Greek Siren). The Gamayun is a half-bird, half-woman of prophecy. She symbolizes knowledge and wisdom and acts as a divine messenger. This bird-maiden originates from the Huma in Iranian mythology. According to legend, the Huma flies invisibly above the earth and its shadow foretells the next king when there is no heir. It is depicted as a combination of creatures like a mighty griffin. It would be fitting if Elain, who is canonically wise and prophetic, traveled like the Huma: a fusion of animal forms and invisible to all. The Cauldron travels that way, and it would be appropriate (and badass) for a divine messenger to mimic the power it gave her. All those with the gift of Sight we’ve met in the Maasverse—Baba Yellowlegs, the oracle, and shapeshifter mystic—also seem to navigate more than one form, even if it only involves iron teeth and claws. Could Elain also possess her own bird-maiden form as a seer? Or will her flight through time and space remain mental? Only time will tell.

Gamayun the Prophetic Bird by Viktor Vasnetsov (1895, 1898)