The Vila (plural vile) are female nature spirits of South Slavic folklore with an ambivalent relationship to humans. In fairy tales they may act with malice — killing people, destroying crops — yet they may also help the hero by giving him magical objects and mounts.
They are usually friendly to people, but they take horrible revenge on those who insult them, disregard their orders, or approach their circle dances uninvited. They are best known among the South Slavs, with some variants in West Slavic mythology as well.