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Dziwożona (orMamuna orBoginka) is a female swamp demon inSlavic mythology known for being malicious and dangerous. Most at risk of becoming one of these demons after death were thought to bemidwives, old maids, unmarried mothers, pregnant women who die before childbirth, as well as abandoned children born out ofwedlock.[1]
Fromdziwo (God, sacred, wonder, seeDeus) +żona (female, seegyne). InSlovak she was called „diva lena”/ „divá žena”, inCzech „divoženka”, which means "wild woman". In modern Polish the literal meaning isstrangewife. This is also where thePolish "dziwożona" came from; the term was popularized by the writerZygmunt Kaczkowski in his book written in 1855 under the same name.[2] Other names include theHutsuldykaja żena or theSorbwódna żona.[3] The term Dziwożona is exclusive to mountain regions;[4] in different places, a similar spirit was calledmamuna orboginka, and later all three becamerusalka.[5]
Dziwożona was said to live in thickets near rivers, streams and lakes. According to some, she took the form of an ugly, old woman with a hairy body, long straight hair and breasts so huge that she uses them to wash her clothes.[1] On her head she wore a red hat with afern twig attached to it.[6][3][1]
Dziwożona was said to kidnap human babies just after they were born and replace them with her own children, known asfoundlings orchangelings. A changeling could be recognized by its uncommon appearance – disproportionate body, often with some kind of disability – as well as its wickedness. It had a hugeabdomen, unusually small or large head, a hump, thin arms and legs, a hairy body and long claws; it also prematurely cut its first teeth. Its behaviour was said to be marked by a great spitefulness towards people around it, a fear of its mother, noisiness, reluctance to sleep and exceptionalgluttony.[7][8] As an adult (which was in fact rare, as nearly all changelings were thought to die in early childhood), it was disabled, gibbered instead of talked, and mistrusted people.[citation needed]
To protect a child against being kidnapped by Dziwożona, a mother had to tie a red ribbon around its hand[9] (this custom is still preserved in some regions ofPoland, although without the original meaning), put a red hat on its head and shield its face from the light of the moon.[10] Under no circumstances should she wash its nappies after sunset nor turn her head away from the child when it was asleep.[citation needed] Another method of deterring a Dziwożona was to keep aSt. John's wort flower at home or to grab it when the danger was direct. This practice is also described in sources describingboginki.[11][12]
However, even if Dziwożona managed to take a baby away, there was still a way to get it back. The mother had to take the changeling to amidden, whip it with abirch twig and pour water over it from an eggshell, shouting "Take yours, give mine back!", at which point Dziwożona normally felt sorry for her offspring and took it away, returning the one she stole.[1][13]