The Alkonost and the Gamayun

The Akonost is, according to Russian mythos and folklore,
a creature with the body of a bird but the head of a beautiful
woman. It makes sounds that are amazingly beautiful, and those
who hear these sounds forget everything they know and want
nothing more ever again. She lives in the underworld with
her counterpart the sirin. The alkonost lays her eggs on
a beach and then rolls them into the sea. When the
alkonost's eggs hatch, a thunderstorm sets in and
the sea becomes so rough that it is untravelable
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Viktor Vasnetsov (1848–1926):
'Sirin (left) and Alkonost (right) –
Birds of Joy and Sorrow', 1896
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Baba Yaga, an Alkonost on the left
and the Sirin on the right by Ivan Bilibin
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Alkonost. Russian Lubok of 19th century
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Alkonost by Victor Korolkova - Виктора Королькова
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Viktor Vasnetsov (1848–1926):
'Gamaun, The prophetic bird', 1897

Gamayun is a prophetic bird of Russian folklore.
It is a symbol of wisdom and knowledge and lives
on an island in the east, close to paradise. Like the
Sirin and the Alkonost, the Gamayun is normally
depicted as a large bird with a woman's head
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A Gamayun
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