Case file · Fairy lore
The 'well of the vili' in a Bulgarian charter
A charter of the Bulgarian tsar Constantine Tikh Asen (reigned 1257–1277) for the monastery of St George near Skopje mentions a 'well of the vili', probably the oldest dated attestation of the South Slavic fairies.
1260 CE · 42.00, 21.43 · status: account
The account
Vile were imagined as beautiful mountain, water and cloud maidens who could heal or kill, sworn sisters of heroes such as Marko Kraljević. A medieval homily also condemns people who pray to vili beside wells. Wells, springs and mountain clearings named after them survive across Serbia, Bosnia, Croatia and North Macedonia.
The sceptical view
The charter attests a place name and belief, not an encounter; the location given here is approximate.