Mora – a malicious entity in Germanic and Slavic folklore. Mora is a night demon, she is created from a baby that is born with blood and she has a habit to sit on people’s chest while they are sleeping, bringing them nightmares, and even drink their blood. Mora could take form of hair or straw and could pass trough keyholes.
Babaroga – (not to be mistaken with Baba Yaga) is a creature known among Southern Slavs. She is represented as a very ugly, hunchbacked old woman with a horn on her head and in some tales, iron teeth. She often lives in lives in dark caves. According to folktales, Babaroga likes to steal naughty children and to bring them in to her lair.
Kikimora is a female house spirit that is known in Eastern Slavic countries. There are two different kinds of Kikimoras: one that comes from the house and is married to the Domovoi and the other one comes from the swamp and is married to Leshy. It is said that Kikimora can be identified by her wet footprints. When home builders wanted to cause harm to someone buying a house, they would bring in Kikimora. Once she is inside, it is difficult to get her to leave. Her role in a house is juxtaposed with Domovoi, and is usually bad in comparison. She lives in cellars and behind stoves and produce noises similar to mice. She scares naughty children and sometimes could be seen spinning thread in the cellar.Domovoy (or Domovik) is a house spirit known in all Slavic countries. Represented as a tiny middle-aged man with a beard, he guarded houses and cared for cattle and therefore connected with God Veles. He could transform into a dog, cat and a cow, and sometimes into a snake or a frog. He often lived in the corners of the house, at the attic or in the garden. He could be heard, but it was dangerous to see him. If people wouldn´t bring him a sacrifice (in form of bread or wheat), he could abandon their home and cause sickness of the house inhabitants and the cattle.Lesnik (Leshiy or Lesovik) is a creature known in all Slavic countries. His role was to protect forests and wildlife. He could change his size from the size of a blade of grass to the tallest tree. He had blue cheeks because of blue blood, pale skin, hair and beard created from grass and vines and vivid green eyes. Slavs thought that migrations of animals are actually Lesnik’s orders. If a human befriends Lesnik, they could learn everything about magic. Farmers and shepherds usually made pact with him, so he could take care of their animals and farms. Lesnik is known to lead people the wrong way in a forest, where he could tickle them to death. If two Lesniki meet each other, they could wreak havoc upon forests, destroying trees and scaring animals.Vodenjak (Vodenyak or Vodyanoy) is a creature from Eastern and Western Slavic stories that lives in water, especially close to watermills. They are created from souls of drowned people, especially the ones that didn’t meet funerary rites. Some people believed that Vodenjak is a soul of a very evil human that is punished by Gods to live in water. It is represented as a human with long claws and tail, covered in moss or grass, or as an old man with green beard and hair or as a fish covered in mud. During the day, he rests in his decorated lair, while at night he pulls down unlucky people into the water, especially married men, so Vodenjak could steal their women and make them into servants. He often damages watermills, bridges and fishing nets. People appeased Vodenjak by slaughtering a rooster, a chicken or a sheep. Sometimes, people sacrificed a well-fed horse by throwing it into the water with a stone tied to it´s neck.Latvian Lauma or Lithuanian Laumė is a fairy-like woodland spirit, and guardian spirit of orphans in Eastern Baltic mythology. Originally a sky spirit, her compassion for human suffering brought her to earth to share our fate.
the Slav Cat NFT 