siubiela

Polish

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

• (Masovia):
  • (Near Masovian) IPA^(key): /ɕuˈbjɛ.la/

Noun

siubiela f

1. (Near Masovian) evil spirit-woman, lying in wait for unbaptized children, kidnapping them and replacing them with changelings, i.e. misshapen children with large heads, unable to walk
2. (Near Masovian) tall, thin, unpleasant woman

Further reading

• Władysław Matlakowski (1892) “siubiela”, in Słownik wyrazów ludowych zebranych w Czerskiem i na Kujawach (in Polish), Kraków: nakł. Akademii Umiejętności; Drukarnia Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego pod zarządem A. M. Kosterkiewicza, page 16