Origin of the Rusalka

What is the ancient pagan origin of the slavic water spirit Rusalka?

According to some scholars, the Rusalka as we know her today was formed by a fusion of the more ancient spirits called bereginy and the concept of the unclean dead.4 See my last video to learn more about the later.
(Russian folk belief - Ivanits, Linda J.)

“Chroniclers, who confirm Procopius's earlier observations, refer to the river, lake, and forest nymphs as bereginy (bereg means "shore") and say that they appear to be the most ancient of divinities among the pagans. The bereginy represent the most primitive form of the hunting and fertility goddess.

When these divinities appear in later Russian folklore as rusalki or vily, living in water, on land, and in trees, they assume the transformational powers of these most archaic goddesses.”
- Mother Russia, The Feminine Myth in Russian Culture

Some have even claimed that the Rusalka is a descendant of Mokosh, the goddess of fertility, bounty and moisture, and the protector of women’s work and the fate of maidens.4

(Russian folk belief - Ivanits, Linda J.)

This remnant of goddess worship may be seen in some Ukrainian sources where she is called bohynia or goddess.8
(Volodomyr Hnatiuk, Etnografichnyi zbyrnik)

“It is possible that the rusalka is a remnant of an older society in which women were freer to express their sexuality. Many Slavic sources state that, with the influence of nomadic patriarchal tribes and, later, of Christianity, Slavic cultures became increasingly more patriarchal and monogamous marriage was instituted.“ - If It Dries Out, It's No Good: Women, Hair and Rusalki Beliefs

Although it’s tempting to see the rusalka as a remnant of a pre-Christian deity, or to see her life as a reflection of an earlier, pre-patriarchal social order, we just don’t have enough proof to be sure.
(Women as Performers of Oral Literature: A Reexamination of Epic and Lament, by Natalie Kononenko)

The Rusalka is a wonderful and complex being, with deep connection to the beliefs of the ancient pagan Slavs, and has undergone centuries of changes and adaptation to survive to the present day. While we can’t be certain of her true origin, we can recognise that there’s always more we can uncover from the hidden depth of her legend.