Description Demons took on various shapes, and the "fiery serpent" of the East and West Slavs, as well as the "flying serpent" of the Southern Slavs appeared as serpents in air, and as humans on ground. It releases sparks during its flight and enters the (women's) house through the
chimney. The serpent may bring gifts, but those gifts turn to horse
manure at sunrise (Russian, west-Ukrainian). The
evil spirit reputedly visits the woman at night-time (this may be a literary convention. Fet's poem, ). Women who were widowed, or separated from her husband was particularly vulnerable to having affairs with this certain type of devil, because the devil will assume the shape of the dead or absentee husband. In their
grief, and their desperation to be rejoined with their lost love, women do not recognize the serpent and become convinced that their
lover has returned. It is told that those who are visited by the serpent experience
weight loss, exhibit signs of
insanity and eventually commit
suicide, or wither and die. In addition, victims of the serpent often experience
hallucinations, including visions of
supernatural torment, such as
suckling on breasts which excrete blood rather than milk. There are several ways to distinguish and identify the fiery serpent. Like any demon, it has no
spinal cord (Russian). and a woman can test if it is the real husband by feeling for his spine. It cannot correctly
pronounce sacred Christian names, and instead of "Jesus Christ" () the serpent may say "Sus Christ" (), or instead of (,
Mother of God) it can only say (). Other sources say the fiery serpent lacks the ability to
hear and
speak properly. And though the body may be human, it is multi-headed (
Voronezh, Ukraine). Superstition prescribes certain ways to ward against the devil, for example, the magical herb (possibly
valerian), or a
decoction of
burdock or its root stuck on the wall may serve as amulet (Russia). Reading the
Psalter in a house where the serpent has already visited may help; or making the sign of the cross at entry points, such as window, door or stovepipe. Mythology also tells that the fiery serpent had a son by a human woman, and she bore a werewolf (), the "Fiery Serpent Wolf" (; ). This son combatted and defeated his father. In Serbian epic literature, around the 15th century a mythical hero was transferred on to historical figures, namely, "Zmaj Ognjeni Vuk" ( "Vuk the Fire Serpent/Dragon"; Vuk means "wolf") became the double of
Vuk Grgurević. Thus women can have the fiery serpent's children, and illegitimate births are still often explained as such devil spawn. If a woman conceives a child with such a devil, the pregnancy will be exceedingly long, and the child will be born with black skin, with
hooves instead of feet, eyes without
eyelids and a cold body (Russia), or its body will be cold and jelly-like (East Ukraine). Such births are not viable, and the children die.
Egg lore The wealth-bringing demon can be bred from an egg of a chicken (sometimes rooster, below) aged 3, 5, 7, or 9, according to Slavic legend. In Russian, this demon is referred to as either
ognennyi zmei ("fiery serpent") or (analog to Ukrainian
khovanets, , , , a Ukrainian house spirit born from eggs) or perhaps just as "serpent" or "flying serpent". The creature that hatches is in the shape of a cat, according to
Pavel Vasilievich Shejn, though it make take on the shape of either a cat, a train of fire, fire-sparks, or a
young chicken according to a different source. At any rate, it transforms into a fiery streak at night to steal money, or grain for the house or landlady who hosts it, and in return it is expected to be fed
Scrambled eggs or
omelettes). In Belarus, it is said that an egg laid by a (black) rooster (unusually shaped, like a snail) must be carried in one's bosom for 1 to 7 years (var. under the armpit for 3 years) for the small flying serpent to hatch. The Belarusian flying serpent is also referred to as in
kletnik (. ) and favours
fried eggs or a scrambled eggs dish (; ) that is not overly salty.
Historic examples An early sighting of the "fiery serpent" was recorded in a chronicle entry for the year 1092, which tells that the clouds darkened, and a great, three-headed snake with the heads aflame craned out of it, issuing fumes and noises, according to Ukraine writer . The year 1092 was one of calamaities in
Kievan Russia and
Polotsk in
Belarus according to the
Primary Chronicle. The preceding year, 1091, was also fraught with portents, such as the
solar eclipse.
Vsevolod Yaroslavich during hunt near
Vyshgorod in 1091, witnessed a dragon-meteorite falling from the sky, as illustrated in the
Radziwiłł Chronicle copy of the
Primary Chronicle ( fig. at top), which has been recognized as an instance of a "fiery dragon" sighting.
In literature Myths about the fiery serpent are found in
Serbian epic songs as well as Russian
byliny, and
fairy tales (
skazka). The term "fiery serpent" applied (sometimes) to the archetypal evil dragon dispatched by the dragon-slaying hero of
bylina, such as
Dobrynya Nikitich. There has been recorded the spell or
zagovory () to protect a woman against the incursion of the flying serpent, and the lengthy recitation names the "fiery serpent". Another spell, for a military man going to war, also invokes the "fiery serpent". There is an incantation (Ukrainian:
Замовляння, ) acting as a love charm, where the fire serpent is supposed to act as a magical creature which arouses a woman's passion. In
The Tale of Peter and Fevronia (16th century), this devil in serpent form flew to the wife of Prince Pavel, brother of Prince Peter of Murom. The image of a fiery serpent was described by the Russian poet
Afanasy Afanasievich Fet in his ballad, (, "Serpent"), written in 1847, where a young widow is visited by a serpent from the night sky. The
perelesnyk features in the play
The Forest Song (1911) by
Ukrainian writer
Lesia Ukrainka. == Eastern Europe ==