also known as The Malachite Maid, is a legendary creature from Slavic mythology and a Russian fairy tale character,[1] the mountain spirit from the legends of the Ural miners and the Mistress of the Ural Mountains of Russia.[2][3] In the national folktales and legends, she is depicted as an extremely beautiful green-eyed young woman in a malachite gown or as a lizard with a crown. She has been viewed as the patroness of miners,[4] the protector and owner of hidden underground riches, the one who can either permit or prevent the mining of stones and metals in certain places.
The Mistress of the Copper Mountain has the appearance of an extremely beautiful young woman with green eyes. Some of her more distinctive features include dark braided hair, ribbons from thin tinkling copper, and a gown that is made from malachite.[3] She wears a diadem decorated with malachite and precious stones.[6] As a mountain spirit,[7] she is the protector and owner of hidden underground riches.[8][9] She is said to be always surrounded by her servants,[10] small lizards, which can be green, blue, golden or luminous.[11] The Mistress can appear as a lizard herself.[12] According to the legends, a person who sees the Mistress comes under her spell. She shows kindness to good people and skilled craftsmen, helping them to find jewels and gold, but if her conditions aren't met, the person loses all his luck, skill and can even die.[3][13] She could permit or prevent the mining in certain places, give or take wealth.[10]
The sacral being, the Mistress was surrounded by rituals and taboos, e.g. women did not come down in the mine, because it was the Mistress's domain, and young men seeking her patronage did not marry. The violation of the taboos was supposed to bring a harsh punishment.[14] Children were taught not to shout and quarrel next to the stones, and to keep quiet in the mines, because, according to popular belief, the Maid disliked loud noises.[15] Her distinguishing attributes were lizards, copper and malachite.
Other names
The Mistress of the Copper Mountain has many other names, such as The Stone Mother (Russian: Горная матка, tr. Gornaja matka),[16] The Stone Maiden (Russian: Каменная девка, tr. Kamennaja devka),[17] The Serpent Mistress, The Lizard Queen,[18] The Mistress of the Copper Mine,[19] The Malachite Girl,[20] The Malachite Maid[21] or The Malachite Lady (Russian: Малахитница, tr. Malakhitnitsa).[6][13] The miners simply called her "Herself".[22]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mistress_of_the_Copper_Mountain
In American mining lore she is known as 'lady of the mountain.'
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