Mavka (aka niavka, navka, from Old Slavic). A mythological female figure, tall, round-faced, long-haired, the nymphs. They were believed to live in groups in forests, mountain caves, or sheds, which they decorated with rugs. They made thread of stolen flax and wove thin transparent cloth for making clothes for themselves. They loved flowers, which they wore in their hair. In the spring they planted flowers in the mountains. On Pentecost (known as Mavka's Easter) they held games, dances. They are depicted in literature, most notably in Lesia Ukrainka's Lisova pisnia (The Forest Song) and Mykhailo Kotsiubynsky's Tini zabutykh predkiv (Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors).