Lady Midday – ‘Poludnica’- An Evil, Elusive Female Field-Spirit In Slavic Beliefs That Comes To Kill At Noon

A. Sutherland - AncientPages.com - In Slavic mythology, a figure known as "Lady Midday," also referred to as "Midday Spirit" or "Poludnica," is a female noon devil. She cis lassified as a malevolent creature in folklore.

Statue of the Midday Maiden in Spreewald (Blota), Lusatia. Image credit: Qualia - CC BY-SA 3.0

According to traditional beliefs, she poses a significant threat to individuals who venture to work in the fields during hot days.

The legend suggests that encountering Lady Midday under these circumstances could result in severe consequences, potentially even fatal ones. This mythological figure serves as a cautionary tale within Slavic cultural traditions, highlighting the perceived dangers associated with midday labor in agricultural settings.

We must be aware of her presence on a hot summer day and not challenge her by engaging in extreme, exhausting activities that could seriously risk our lives.

Appearance Of Evil Midday Spirit

In ancient Slavic beliefs, she usually takes many different forms. She can appear as a strong air vortex during hot summer days and whirling dust clouds. In Moravia, one of the historical Czech lands, the Lady Midday is imagined as an older woman clad in a white dress with an ugly face, slanting eyes, and ruffled hair.

In Polish and other Slavic ancient beliefs, this mythological figure is described with specific characteristics. The Lady Midday is typically portrayed as a tall female figure, adorned in a full-length white robe. She is said to carry two distinct items: a sharp sickle, which is believed to cause instant death, and a large sack on her back. The sack's purpose, according to legend, is to capture unattended children in fields during harvest time.

In other descriptions, she is sometimes depicted as a woman with pale skin, dressed in white, with long, flowing hair. It's important to note that while this appearance might seem benign or even attractive at first glance, it is considered a deceptive facade. In reality, the legends describe her as an aged, unattractive being with malevolent intentions.

This mythological figure serves as an example of how ancient beliefs often incorporated elements of danger and deception into their supernatural entities, possibly as a means to explain natural phenomena or to reinforce cultural norms and behaviors.

During the summer months, Poludnica can be found in fields and wooded areas, where it observes individuals engaged in strenuous labor under the hot sun. Additionally, it is known that she can appear within cottages during stormy weather conditions. This behavior pattern is consistent across various reported sightings and folklore accounts.

Lady Midday Is Never Reluctant To Kill

Farmers and laborers also attribute this field spirit to natural phenomena such as strikingly vivid mirages known as fata morgana.

Traditionally, Poludnica operates only at noon during scorching summer days. On smaller farms with minimal mechanization, harvesting is the most labor-intensive activity of the growing season. This evil creature is aware of it and patiently waits until a farmer feels dizziness and weakness in his body, and then she attacks.

This demon is never reluctant to kill, and if she encounters a resting or sleeping man in the sun, not covered by any shadow, she suffocates them or scalds him painfully.

How Can We Protect Ourselves From Lady Midday?

In ancient times, people believed they could protect themselves from the dangerous Lady Midday.

Poludnica - evil Slavic spirit. Image credit: Nadezhda Antipova - H. Grushko, Y. Medvedev (A Dictionary of Slavic mythology — Nizhny Novgorod: 'Russian merchant' and 'Brothers Slavs', 1996 via Wikipedia

A very efficient way was to avoid hard work during the hottest part of the day, try to stay in a shadow as long as possible, or return home.

Lady Midday – Personification Of Natural Phenomenon

Ancient people did not fully understand natural phenomena and blamed Lady Midday for the harm caused by the sun's extreme heat.

More Myths And Legends

She was probably identified with summer whirls, which frequently occurred on hot days before the approaching storm. Today, we understand that this sudden weather change arises and then disappears as quickly as it appears.

It is also possible that heat illness due to an exposure to heat that is widely known in modern science as 'sunstroke' was by ancient people explained as the evil attack by Poludnica – the Lady Midday.

Written by – A. Sutherland  - AncientPages.com Senior Staff Writer

Updated on July 5, 2024

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