Wilis

E473180

Wilis are vengeful female spirits of betrayed brides in the ballet "Giselle," who rise from their graves at night to force men to dance to their deaths.

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Statements (47)

Predicate Object
instanceOf ballet characters
female spirits
fictional supernatural beings
vengeful spirits
appearsIn Giselle NERFINISHED
artForm ballet
associatedTheme betrayal in love
forgiveness contrasted by Giselle
revenge
associatedWithWork the ballet "Giselle" NERFINISHED
basedOn Slavic folklore about female spirits
culturalOrigin Romantic-era European ballet tradition
danceStyle romantic ballet
emotion bitterness
vengeance
etymology derived from Central and Eastern European legends of willis/vilas/vila
fictionalUniverse the world of the ballet "Giselle"
firstAppearance 1841 premiere of "Giselle" in Paris
gender female
groupType corps de ballet
habitat graveyard
influenced later depictions of ghostly female corps de ballet
languageOfName French
leader Myrtha NERFINISHED
movementQuality ethereal
weightless
notableCharacteristic force men to dance to their deaths
often depicted with veils or wreaths
rise from their graves at night
spirits of betrayed brides
vengeful toward men
wear white dresses in many productions
notableScene Act II graveyard scene in "Giselle" NERFINISHED
opposedBy Giselle NERFINISHED
origin spirits of young women who died before their wedding day
relatedConcept banshees
ghost brides
rusalki
roleInPlot antagonistic force in Act II of "Giselle"
supernaturalAbility compel men to dance
remain active until dawn
symbolism doomed romantic love
the destructive power of vengeance
timeOfActivity night
typicalCostumeColor white
victimType men who wander into their domain
weakness dawn

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

ballet "Giselle" supernaturalElement Wilis
subject surface form: Giselle