Bulgariab myths or urban legend

Bulgaria myths or urban legends

Learn about the Bulgarian wood nymph, the ‘samodiva’ and the Tree of Life. Here you will also find a story called ‘The Magic Forest’ written by 13-year old Donka Dragova as well as some myths sent by the pupils at Vasil Aprilov school.
The myth is history and philosophy and at the same time religion and science, moral lesson and literature.
Even primitive man was looking at the surrounding world with great interest and curiosity, which he satisfied with the help of his imagination, creativity and wit. Sometimes he may have passed by a rock or a tree without paying attention to it, but if it caught his eye with something extraordinary in its appearance, shape or position, he would immediately assign some magic power to it.
Trees have power and soul and they come into a special connection with man sometimes, and it is believed that someone who is related with them will die if they are cut. It is the same with animals too. That is why man feels like “primus inter pares” among them and not superior to them, because as the animals may transform into humans, the humans can turn into animals too in the myths.
Bulgarian myths often originate from the beliefs of the people and their superstitions. There are different types of myths:
Some are based on the Bible;
Some are emphasising ethics;
Some depict strange and magic creatures and people’s beliefs in them;
Some myths try to explain phenomena, customs, origin of things.
The main character in the Bulgarian forests myths is the so-called samodiva – a wood nymph, which is the Bulgarian equivalent of the elf and the fairy. (Diva can be translated either as wild or as wonderful and fascinating.)
The Bulgarian samodivi live in the forest or in the mountain rivers and springs. They fly in their long light white shirts and ride grey deer, which they whip with snakes, dance wild chain dances in a circle (the Bulgarian dance horo) and their laughter is heard everywhere. The samodivi have beautiful palaces in the forest where they grow the samodivi flower, which is called rosen or dittany (Dictamnus fraxinella). The samodivi are very beautiful and charming ladies, who seek friendship with humans and they tempt and enchant men and if they are betrayed by them their revenge is really cruel. They can bring you suffering, illness or death if you treat them badly and they can cure you as well if you win their mercy. They lose their magic power if someone steals the veil or wreath they wear on their heads.
The Spring of the SamodiviWe believe in the healing power of the samodivi and their spring. Usually people with illness, that cannot be identified or cured in any other way, go to a glade in the forest by the samodivi spring only once a year – on the eve of the Ascension Day. They find a place on the glade, near a samodivi flower and make up their bed for the night there. Every ill person leaves a bowl with honey, covered with a round loaf of bread by the stem of the flower and goes to the samodivi spring where he washes his face or bathes in it if possible. Then he leaves some sign by the spring – usually a thread from his clothes or a coin and gets back to the glade in total silence where he lies on his bedding and covers himself with a white cloth. Everyone there waits for the storm, which is repeated three times and then the samodivi come, led by their queen. They throw their sign on the white cloths of the sick people, which can be a sign of healing or a sign of death. If you see or hear the samodivi you must not talk because you will get crippled, deaf or blind. When the storm is over, before daybreak all the ill people get up in the dark and run silently away from the glade. Sunrays should not touch them. When the people get back home they open the cloth and by the samodivi sign they find, they read their destiny. If they find fresh rosen flower or green grass they will be cured. If they find earth or dry grass it means they will fade away and die.
The Tree of LifeThe tree of life is one of the most widespread mythical symbols of the universe in Bulgarian mythology. It embodies the idea of the three layers of the world in a vertical plan.
The head of the tree symbolises the upper, heavenly world with its real and supernatural inhabitants – birds (eagle, pigeon), God, the saints and angels.
The trunk of the tree of life is the middle world or our world on earth.
The roots of the tree represent the lower, underground world, haunted mainly by evil demons of darkness and water, living in the bodies of the snake, the dragon, the fish, the mole.
The tree of life expresses the archaic notion of the possibility to cross the boundaries between the lower, middle and upper world. It is interpreted as the “way” to the worlds of the heavenly gods or the underground demons.
Usually in the myths and customs the tree of life is the oak, the walnut-tree or the pine tree and rarely the elm-tree or the vine. The tradition prohibits breaking of the branches or cutting such age-old trees. Religious ceremonies and sacrifices were held under old trees like in a temple in the name of the saint - guardian of that place, in the name of the demons of the illness and in the name of the gods of thunder and rain. The blood of the sacrificed animals was let to flow and soak into the roots of the tree.
The symbol of the tree of life is widely covered in the Bulgarian traditional culture, art and crafts. We can find it in the traditional embroidery and woodcarving, in the decoration of metal vessels and pottery, in the gold and silver jewelry. The tree of life is typical not only for the myths, but for the folk songs too.
Very often the tree of life is considered the mythical equivalent of the individual and his home as a model of the micro cosmos, which develops according to the rules and laws of the Universe (the macro cosmos).
Are The people from bulgaria change their behaviors for the myths or urban legend?

in this essay i try to develop the topic about “ myths or urban legend influence, modified on dont modified people´s behaviors in bulgaria
in my opinnion the myths or urban legend don´t influence or modified the behaviors with the people from bulgaria because that people don´t believe in superstition or Stories Magic because that people are very catolics for that reason those peoples Just believe in god and the Bible, the people from bulgaria only believe in the bible myths, this myths are based on the Bible for that reason the bulgarian people don´t believe in histories or stories based in Witches, goblins, ogres and wizards, for example the principal myths in bulgaria are childs myths for example The Tree of Life, this myths is about the trees are the power to avoid crossing the line between the ground and the underground world,evil demons of darkness ,the dragon, Witches, goblins, ogres and wizards, because of the bulgarian people don´t believe in myths because the myths on bulgaria are very unrealistic and without any foundation in reality.
In conclusion the people from bulgaria don´t believe in myths and don´t modified or influence behaviors for that stories because that people only believe in got and the bible.