Tradition: Itelmen Mythology, Russian Mythology
Alternative Names: Vapák; Banayamtaɬaʔh (Fly Agaric Girl)
Category: Insect
The Myth
Fly agaric people are supernatural beings from the beliefs of the Itelmen and neighbouring peoples of Kamchatka. They resemble fly agaric mushrooms but can take on human-like forms, sometimes appearing as one-armed and one-legged men or as stumps. They are associated with the intoxicating effects of fly agaric mushrooms, which are believed to allow people to perceive the mushrooms as living beings.
According to Itelmen beliefs, fly agarics can grow remarkably strong, with powerful roots that pierce tree roots and split them into two. They may crush these roots into small pieces, and their paths are winding. The mushrooms can take a person by the hand and lead them into another world, where everything is different. They visit the land of the dead and are believed to guide people along the paths of the deceased.
Eating fly agarics is understood as a fusion between the person and the mushroom spirit. The person inherits the mushroom’s traits, and the experience can alter their perception of their own body. One account describes a person who feels strong after eating a fly agaric, but whose legs move while their head seems different, as though the mushroom’s head has become their own.
Fly agaric visions are also associated with the disappearance of ordinary cultural restrictions and taboos. An old Itelmen named Nataliko recounted a dangerous spiritual journey in which, after eating a fly agaric, he found himself in the land of the dead. He passed through circles of the deceased, including drowned men and people who had died by hanging. Wherever he went, he was warned that if he lingered, he would remain there forever. Passing through the circle of those who had died by hanging was especially difficult, and he said he only managed to pass when he remembered the correct song.
Fly agaric girls are associated with a particularly erotic tradition among the Chukchi. They appear as supernatural seductresses who lead men into the forest, where they remain with them. The account describes them as sometimes semi-nude or nude, and their appearance can vary between visions. A Chukchi story tells of a man who follows a fly agaric girl into the forest, where she becomes a companion to him. These beliefs connect the mushroom beings with altered perception, dangerous journeys, the world of the dead, and encounters between humans and supernatural beings.
Sources
“Ljudi Muhomory.” New Bestiary (Bestiary.us). https://www.bestiary.us/ljudi-muhomory