102. Mortal Killers?

These mythological creatures of Russian legend had head and chest of a beautiful woman and the body of a bird (usually an owl). According to the myth, they lived "in Indian lands" near Eden or around the Euphrates River.

These half-women half-birds sang beautiful songs to the saints, foretelling future joys. For mortals, however, the birds were dangerous. Men who heard them would forget everything on earth, follow them, and ultimately die. People would attempt to save themselves from these creatures by shooting cannons, ringing bells and making other loud noises to scare the bird off.

Vladimir Nabokov wrote some of his first novels and poems using the name of the bird as pseudonym.

Which mythological creature?