Also called Strzygoń, Strigoi (Romanian neighbour), Shtriga (Albanian neighbour).
The tale
In Polish folklore a strzyga or strzygoń was born with two hearts, two souls or two sets of teeth. When such a person died only one soul departed, and the other lived on in the body and went out at night to attack people and animals, sometimes as an owl-like creature. Precautions at burial included turning the body face down or placing a sickle over the neck, and archaeologists have found such burials in Poland.
When they are met
- Dziady
- Radonitsa
Staying on their good side
- proper remembrance of the dead
- candles on graves at Dziady
Honouring them, or keeping safe
- Light a candle for the forgotten dead at Dziady.
- Read the tales as reflections on difference and fear of the unusual, not as guidance for how to treat people.
What their tales teach
- understanding folk fears
- compassion for outsiders
- history of burial customs
Symbols
- two hearts or two souls
- a double row of teeth
- an owl
- a sickle
These beliefs sometimes led to cruelty toward people seen as different; they are recorded here as history.
Sources
- Oskar Kolberg, Lud
- Aleksander Gieysztor, Mitologia Słowian
More Slavic folklore
- Baba Yaga The witch in the hut on hen's legs
- Domovoi The grandfather who lives behind the stove
- Leshy The master of the forest
- Rusalka The maiden of river and birch
- Kikimora The spinner in the dark corner
- Koschei the Deathless The sorcerer whose death is hidden
- Kostroma The straw maiden of spring and summer
- Dodola The rain-bringing girl of summer