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Poludnitsa (from: Polden or Poluden, 'half-day'Ralston, William Ralston Shedden. The songs of the Russian people, as illustrative of Slavonic mythology and Russian social life. London: Ellis & Green. 1872. p. 147. or 'midday'Dixon-Kennedy, Mike (1998). Encyclopedia of Russian and Slavic Myth and Legend. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO. p. 227. .) is a mythical character common to the various Slavs countries of Eastern Europe. She is referred to as Południca in Polish language, Полудниця in Ukrainian, Полудница (Poludnitsa) in Serbian language, Bulgarian and Russian language, Polednice in Czech language, Poludnica in Slovak language, Připołdnica in Upper Sorbian, and Полознича (Poloznicha) in Komi language, Chirtel Ma in Yiddish. The plural form of this word is poludnitsy (or poludnici). Poludnitsa is a noon demon in Slavic mythology. She can be referred to in English as "Lady Midday", "Noonwraith" or "noon witch". She was usually pictured as a young woman dressed in white that roamed field bounds.Jones, Prudence; Pennick, Nigel (1995). A History of Pagan Europe. Routledge. p. 187. . She assailed folk working at noon, causing and aches in the neck; sometimes she even caused Insanity.
In some accounts, she symbolizes the midday star, thereby being the sister of Zorya (the morning star; also called Utrenica), Vechorka (the evening star; also called Wieczornica/Vechernitsa) and Kupalnitsa (the night star; also called Nocnitsa); Poludnitsa is the second youngest among the sisters, with Zarya-Zarenitsa being the youngest and Kupalnitsa being the oldest.
According to some northern Russian regions, Poludnitsa has a giant frying pan in her hands, with which she either blocks the rye from the scorching sun's rays, or burns the rye along with the herbs during the flowering period. She may also appear at midnight and show a person how to find a flower that can make them invisible, as was believed in the Arkhangelsk Governorate.
Poludnitsa, according to beliefs, loves to dance. If she sees a girl lying down to rest in the field, she will wake her up and begin to persuade her to dance. If the girl agrees, she will be forced to dance until the «evening dawn». Poludnitsa cannot be beaten in dancing; however, if such a girl is found, the noon spirit will present her with a rich dowry.
Slavonic spirits and deities remained a popular element of rural Polish folklore at the turn of the 19th and 20th century, as shown by Władysław Reymont in his Nobel Prize-winning novel The Peasants. Its story takes place during the 1880s in Congress Poland and follows the everyday life of the peasantry in a typical Polish village. In the tenth chapter of book two, some of the characters gather together to exchange stories and legends, in one of which the południca is mentioned twice alongside other traditionally Slavic beings.
In the vicinity of Prudnik in Upper Silesia, people believed in the Cornflower Wraith (Polish language Chabernica), a demon similar to Lady Midday. She was usually pictured as a young slim woman dressed in azure with Centaurea cyanus in her hair, that roamed field bounds during midday. (2025). 9788389375407, Wydawnictwo KOS. ISBN 9788389375407 She was angered by people who trampled the grain or used sharp tools. Those, who she thought deserved punishment, were put to sleep with her whisper, after which she caused them headache, paralysis or low back pain. Sometimes she attacked her victims by breaking their arms, legs or neck. To avoid the wrath of the Cornflower Wraith, a worker had to take a break from work during the midday of Angelus. (2025). 9788375763676, Bosz. ISBN 9788375763676
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