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Fiery serpents (; ; , "fiery dragon"; among many others) is a European type of dragon, predominantly from Slavic folklore, but also found in Swedish folklore, said to appear as streaks of fire in the sky. Such are primarily evil spirits.
In Ukraine, fiery serpents are known as: (перелесник, "tempter, seducer"), (переве́сник),), (первонач), (літа́вець, "flying one"), (літу́н, "flyer"), (налі́т, "raid"), (налі́тник, "raider"). It is primarily a demon in the form of a fiery snake (meteor) that flies towards women. The pan-Slavic "fiery serpent" has been termed (вогняний змій) in Ukrainian.
In Belarus, fiery serpents are known as: (летучий змей, "flying serpent").
In the epic ballads, such is referred to as the ognyanik, or ("fiery dragon").
The Poland cognate is latawiec, ("the flying one") which is associated with the wind.
In Sweden, the analog beast is historically known as: flogdrake (archaic form of "fly-dragon"), elddrake ("fire dragon") or eldsdrake ("fiery dragon"). Flogdrake stems from Old Swedish floghdraki, flughdraki, originally just referring to flying dragons, which is a literary loan from Old West Norse flugdreki.
In East Slavic tradition, the Fiery Serpent generally resembles a fiery shaft (a "fiery carrying pole", ), a Flame broom, or a Phosphorescence ball of blue fire. It releases sparks during its flight and enters (the woman's) house through the chimney. Swedish sources gives the analogy of a fiery steelyard balance, lacking any visible limbs to wings, said to appear in the evening sky surrounded by sparks, looking like a golden stripe that sweeps across the sky. Such are said to live in mountain tunnels they drill (drakarör, "dragon tubes").
The serpent may bring gifts, but those gifts turn to horse manure at sunrise (Russian, west-Ukrainian).
The Demon reputedly visits the woman at night-time (this may be a literary convention. cf. 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 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 , including visions of supernatural Torture, such as Breastfeeding 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 Pronunciation sacred Christian names, and instead of "Jesus Christ" (Иисус Христос) the serpent may say "Sus Christ" (Сус Христос), or instead of (Богородица, Virgin Mary) it can only say (Чудородица). Other sources say the fiery serpent lacks the ability to Deafness and Muteness 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 (оборотень), the Fiery Serpent Wolf (; Змей Огненный Волк). 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" (Змај Огњени Вук "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 Hoof instead of feet, eyes without 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.
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 Belarussian flying serpent is also referred to as in kletnik (клетнік. cf. ) and favours or a scrambled eggs dish (; ) that is not overly salty.
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 (Cf. fig. at top), which has been recognized as an instance of a "fiery dragon" sighting.
According to Russian folk belief (around Tula), when the archangel Michael cast down the , some of these devils evaded falling down to earth, and remained flying in the atmosphere in the form of fiery serpents.
A legend about the letun ("flyer"), i.e. fiery dragon recorded in the old capital of Pereslavl-Zalessky, describes a woman who believed she was visited by her dead husband and wasted away. The family took measures to drive it out, hiring a woman to read the psalter, and awaiting in guard of the woman as it visited. The father-in-law's threat of strangulation kept it away.
A shooting star in the is considered a "fiery serpent" according to folk belief. An incident is recollected by , mine engineer and writer that when a meteor streaked the sky in the Taiga, workers started shouting " zmei (serpent)!" as the meteor was called ognennyi zmei colloquially, and the older men took them to be either a good or bad omen.
In Ukraine, there is also the belief that the spirit of the dead husband turns into a perelesnyk and visits the bereaved wife, especially if the widow's yearning for him is strong, visiting his grave frequently, etc. But the perelesnyk is harmful, draining her by drinking blood, or suffocating her. He is difficult to eradicate, requiring the service of a (, soothsayer) with a spell or potion. (Cf. Legend of Russian letun above).
The "the wealth-bringing spirit" motif is related to various house spirit myths of Europe, such as the Nordic gnome ( nisse), wight ( vätte) and Estonian kratt (among others), which helps around the farm and bring wealth to those they like, but they also collect treasure, which they guard by shapeshifting into dragons and thereof. This myth is further related to myths of undeads resurrecting as various monsters, not uncommonly dragons, to guard something precious, such as a burried treasure, a grave or a past home, further the root of various ghostlore.
It is also contended the Serbian epic ballads call it ognjanik or ognyanik (огњаник, which could mean 'fireworks'). This South Slavic ognyanik dwells in mountain caves, sometimes above the clouds. The dragon is covered in scales, and breathes fire, sometimes its mouth glinting like a flash of lightning. The ognyanik of legend has heroic prowess, hoards treasures, knows herbal lore including aphrodisiacs, charms women.
There is Serbian epic song entitled " Zmaj ognjeni i troglav Arapin (The fiery dragon and the three-headed Arab)".
Some interpret the fire streak phenomenon as the dragon "firing over his possessions" or "illuminating his goods", and thus pointing out where the treasure or dragon's nest is to be found. Other interpret the fire streak as the dragon itself.
Some commentators see some parallel between the Belarus flying serpent, however, unlike the Belarusian fiery serpent described above, the Estonian version fails to act as an ardent lover to a human woman.; cf.
There has been recorded the spell or zagovory (заговор) 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 Fet in his ballad, (Змей, "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 Ukrainians writer Lesya Ukrainka.
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