Żeńskie duchy przyrodnicze w folklorze polskim i w mitologii klasycznej 1

In this paper we try to compare the female spirits of nature in Polish folklore with those of classical mythology, that is, the nymphs and their diff erent varieties, and also with a particular kind of ancient Greek female demons, the so called ???a? (áorai, ancient Greek word for untimely dead young women). Thus, we follow a research line started by the Polish scholar Witold Klinger, who focused mainly on the Eastern Slavic rusalki; in order to extend our comparative study to Polish beliefs, we shall examine Polish folklore materials that were unpublished when Klinger pursued his studies; likewise, comparison with the ancient Greek áorai has not been attempted yet, so far as we know. We shall come to the conclusion that neither nymphs nor áorai are at the basis of Polish female spirits, since the different traits of all those creatures combined in different ways in each cultural context.