Alkonost
In Russian art and folklore, the Alkonost is a celestial bird that bears the head of a maiden. She is frequently mentioned and depicted together with another heavenly bird, the Sirin. The image of the Alkonost goes back to the Greek myth of the girl Alkyone, who was transformed by the gods into a kingfisher. The name and picture, which first appear in translated texts, stem from a misunderstanding: likely during the copying of John of Bulgaria’s Six‑Day Chronicle—where the bird in question is a kingfisher (alkiōn)—the Slavic phrase “алконостъ есть птица морская” (“the alkyon is a sea bird”) was misread as “alkonostъ.” The earliest depiction of the Alkonost is found in a 12th‑century book miniature.
"There is a bird called Alkonost. It builds its nest on a sandy shore at the edge of the sea and lays its eggs there. Its chicks hatch during the winter season. When the bird senses that its chicks are ready to hatch, it takes the eggs, carries them out to the middle of the sea, and lets them sink into the depths. At that time the sea may be stormy, with waves crashing against the shore, but as soon as the Alkonost places the eggs in one spot and perches above them on the water’s surface (the eggs themselves remain at depth), the sea becomes calm for seven days, until the Alkonost’s chicks hatch in the deep water. Once they emerge from the water, they recognize their parents."
Explanatory Palea
Magical Bird
The Legend of the Eggs
Legends tell that the Alkonost carries eggs down to the ocean depths in the middle of winter. The eggs remain at the bottom for seven days, after which they rise to the surface. During those seven days the sea is completely calm. Afterwards the Alkonost retrieves the eggs and broods them on shore.
Iconography
The Alkonost is usually shown wearing a crown on her head. In Russian lacquer (lubok) paintings she is portrayed with a female breast and two arms; in one hand she holds a paradisiacal flower or an unfolded scroll bearing a saying about the reward awaiting righteous lives in heaven. Her song is said to be so beautiful that anyone who hears it forgets everything else.
One lubok caption reads: “The Alkonost dwells near paradise, sometimes even on the Euphrates River. When she lets out her singing voice, she does not feel herself. Whoever is near her at that moment forgets everything in the world: the mind departs from him, and the soul leaves the body.”
Connection with Sirin
The legend of the Alkonost echoes the tale of the Sirin. The Alkonost’s habitat is variously named as the Euphrates River, the island of Buyan, or simply the Slavic paradise of Iriĭ.
Alkonost
Alkonost