Tradition: Romani Mythology, Czech Mythology
Alternative Names: The Hot One, The Burning One
Category: Insect
The Myth
Tçaridyi is a small, hairy worm or caterpillar that causes fever and inflammation in women. Her body is covered in long hairs that detach as she moves through the human body. These hairs are believed to irritate the tissues, producing heat, pain, and illness. She travels through the arteries and veins, infesting women and bringing particular suffering through puerperal fever.
Tçaridyi is one of the disease-causing children of Ana, a Keshali fairy in Romani folklore, and the King of the Loçolico. She was conceived unnaturally to become the wife of Tçulo, one of Ana’s other offspring. Tçulo had become increasingly troublesome, even persecuting his own sister Lilyi, and Melalo suggested that the King produce a wife for him to distract him. The precise circumstances of Tçaridyi’s conception are unknown, although the account suggests that worms may have been involved.
Tçaridyi and Tçulo became the parents of beings responsible for women’s diseases. While both spouses torment humanity, they are said to rarely cause death. Tçaridyi’s particular danger lies in the way her detached hairs bring fever and inflammation as she moves through a woman’s bloodstream.
Tçaridyi represents disease as a tiny creature that enters the body and causes harm through its movements. Her worm-like form and irritating hairs offer a supernatural explanation for fever and inflammation, while her association with puerperal fever places her among the disease demons feared for the dangers they posed to women.
Sources
“Tcaridyi.” A Book of Creatures, October 14, 2016. https://abookofcreatures.com/2016/10/14/tcaridyi/