Chapter II russian folklore: forms of russian folklore

2.2 Nature and house spirits

The most common view of spirits was that they were the rulers of their respective domains—the home, the water, the field, or the forest. They are frequently depicted as elderly men, which is consistent with the age-based hierarchy of tribal families. Nature spirits were originally thought to protect humans, but over time, they came to be seen as neutral or evil forces, sometimes with the devil in common. Additionally, they are frequently linked to an "unclean" force that is associated with unnatural death and improper burial. Run-ins with nature spirits have been reported to have been more frequent in the distant past, and they are reported to be less frequent today.[19] The majority of the accounts of nature spirits that we have today were collected after the end of the 19th century and are told as second-hand tales.
Baba Yaga
Like a witch, Baba Yaga is a powerful being (or one of a threesome of sisters of a similar name) who shows up as a disfigured or brutal looking elderly person. In Russian fantasies, Baba Yaga zoom around in a mortar, employs a pestle, and stays somewhere down in the woodland in a cabin typically depicted as remaining on chicken legs. Baba Yaga is associated with forest wildlife, may play a maternal role, and may assist or hinder those who encounter or seek her out. Baba Yaga, according to Vladimir Propp's folktale morphology, can be either a donor, a villain, or even completely ambiguous. "One of the most memorable and distinctive figures in eastern European folklore," according to Andrea Johns, is Baba Yaga, who is "enigmatic" and frequently exhibits "striking ambiguity." "[8,21] Johns describes Baba Yaga as "a many-faceted figure, in capable of inspiring researchers to see her as a Cloud, Moon, Death, Winter, Snake, Bird, Pelican, or Earth Goddess," "totemic matriarchal ancestress," "female initiator," "phallic mother," or "archetypal image." "[8,32] Domovoy The domovoy or domovoi is a spirit of the house and is somewhat While wicked, the domovoy was viewed as the harmless defender of the family. He didn't make a place dangerous like other spirits did, and he wasn't opposed to Christian symbols like the cross. He was frequently referred to as "grandfather," and he was frequently said to appear in the form of a current or past head of the household, suggesting that he was a relic of ancestor worship practices. However, the majority of the time, he is depicted as a hairy, hunched-over elderly man. The domovoy was typically perceived through sound rather than sight. He might sing, bang pots, or make walls squeak. Most people thought a domovoy lived by himself, but some accounts say he had a wife and kids.
The domovoy was primarily responsible for household and livestock care. One way he did this would be by offering signs of future occasions, like positive or negative fortune, weddings, or a demise in the family. One of a household's responsibilities was to please the house spirit, whether that meant doing a good job managing the house, adhering to social customs, or even selecting livestock in the domovoy's preferred color. This was not difficult to do in light of the fact that the domovoy was effectively satisfied. It was believed that having a domovoy was necessary for a household to function properly.
A domovoy transfer was also a significant business. For instance, it was common practice for a woman to join her husband's family when she got married. She had to perform rituals when she left her home to separate herself from the house spirits of her family and familiarize herself with those of her husband's family. At the point when a family moved houses, they would explicitly welcome their domovoy to accompany them to guarantee it would stay with the family.
Leshy
A leshy likewise, leshii, "wood evil presence" is a timberland soul who has dominance over the forest. His appearance varies from story to story, but he is always male. By and large the leshy is envisioned as human-like, yet can likewise show up as a creature or, in one case, a mushroom. Like the devil, he is sometimes depicted with wings and a tail. He is sometimes described as having the appearance of a familiar individual to the viewer. A power that has been attributed to his role as a mirror of his surroundings is his variable size. Contingent upon the level of the vegetation in the woodland he occupies, he would find a place with his environmental elements. According to some accounts, the leshy has a wife and children, emulating a typical peasant household. A few records characteristic different leshie to a given woods, and depict them as having a various leveled society, again like neighborhood society.
The leshy, according to some, does not speak but only makes sounds like clapping or sounds of the wild (like birds, rustling leaves, growling, etc.). Others claim that he can imitate familiar voices.
As a rule, he is believed to be naughty or evil, and has been said to cause individuals to lose all sense of direction in the forest, make individuals become sick, take ladies, and even eat individuals. Fire and the sign of the cross, his traditional flaws, point to a later connection between Leshy and the Christian devil.
Vodyanoy A male water spirit is a vodyanoy. It is believed that he lives in a specific body of water, sometimes with a home at the bottom. The vodyanoy's appearance varies from story to story, just like that of the leshy. He is for the most part imagined as an old, hairy man, at times blue, white, or green now and again shrouded in ooze, once in a while swelled with water. He is frequently referred to as possessing fish-like features, such as scales or a fish's tail. The vodyanoy, like the leshy, was frequently depicted with a wife.
The vodyanoy's primary purpose is to drown individuals. The vodyanoy is also said to have been able to imitate voices or trick someone into changing their appearance. Millers and fishermen who offered offerings to a vodyanoy in order to secure good fortune from his waters are mentioned in some accounts of human-vodyanoy amicable relations.
The vodyanoy, in contrast to the leshy, is regarded as absolutely evil. He is frequently regarded as comparable to the devil.
Polevoi and Poludnitsa: A male field spirit is a polevoi. Like the other nature spirits, the polevoi's appearance by and large mirrors his current circumstance. He is sometimes said to have dark skin, like the soil; now and then with grass for hair; now and then wearing white and encompassed by wind. Like the leshy, the polevoi has variable size in view of his environmental elements, and may be tall as the whole grass in the mid year and small as the field stubble after the reap
The polevoi appears to be by and large less evil than different spirits, the most awful of his tricks being to cause individuals to lose all sense of direction in the field. People tried to avoid him by staying out of the fields at noon, when he was most likely to be around, because he is generally thought to be a bad sign and could accidentally run someone down on his horse. It was believed that the polevoi had a family and children.
The female field spirit known as a poludnitsa is generally considered to be fictitious. Her appearance differs essentially as to progress in years; she has been portrayed as a young lady or an older lady. She is remembered to safeguard the grain, and furthermore to hurt anybody working in the fields around early afternoon.
Rusalka The rusalka is a female spirit that is often associated with water. It is similar to an undine or water fairy. She is normally remembered to seem to be a youthful, delightful lady. Accounts have put rusalki in woodlands, in fields, and by waterways. Most people think that, like the vodyanoy, she lives underwater and walks around on land, tricking people who don't know what they're doing. In certain spots rusalki are believed to be the spirits of still-conceived or unbaptized youngsters, or of the people who passed on by suffocating. Now and again her underhandedness is essentially as innocuous as driving individuals astray,like the leshy or polevoi; She is also said to drown or tickle people to death at other times. Rusalka's association with the messy dead makes her a conveyor of the messy power related with other nature spirits. She has direct ties to the devil at times. She is thought, like other nature spirits, to be weakened by the cross and certain magic words.
There is a springtime celebration called Rusalia, Rusal'naia Week, or Trinity Week where rusalki are remembered to meander farther from their watery homes. The name for the celebration could emerge out of the Roman celebration of roses, Rusalii, or rosalia, kicks the bucket rosarum. During this week, townspeople honored past precursors and conjured the name of rusalki during springtime ceremonies like beautifying homes with new cut birch branches or leaving seared eggs by assigned birch trees. The job of the rusalka in this occasion is to some degree hazy. There are those who hold the belief that she is associated with ancestor worship, while others hold the belief that she is only associated with the unclean dead—those who died outside of nature and were not given a proper burial. Additionally, the rusalka is thought to encourage plant growth, despite the fact that the "unclean force" is typically associated with corrupting a location to make it dangerous and blighted.
Creatures
Creatures happen close by human characters, as well as close by different creatures. Foxes, sheep, goats, roosters, bears, and wolves are among the most prevalent animals in numerous Russian folktales and Skazki. These animals occasionally acquire human characteristics, such as the capacity to converse with human characters in addition to other animals. They exhibit the same emotions as real-life characters. They acquire human traits like wit, wittiness, slyness, and even stupidity. The attributes of these creatures have endured through time.
Foxes (лиса; Lisa) In Russian fairy tales, foxes were often depicted as clever females who would trick their counterparts. This can be grown-up people, wolves, chickens and bears.
Chickens (петух, petukh)- In Russian fantasies the chicken is related with the sun, as well as favorable luck and fruitfulness. Hens frequently laid brilliant eggs and made their proprietors rich. " Russia a social asset guide" Chickens can be tracked down all over numerous family things and frequently when there are two chickens with their heads together it was as a wedding gift to wish the lady of the hour and husband to be a decent marriage.
Bears (медведь, med'ved)- As indicated by Russia: A Social Asset Guide, its Russian name, med'ved, signifies "one who knows where the honey is". It was a progenitor of the Russian public and is well disposed. Regularly individuals will be changed into bears as a discipline or will frequently show up as a shrewd elderly person. Strength, power, might, warmth, and safety are all represented by the bear.
Wolves (волк, vuk) are typically depicted as male villains in the majority of Russian fairy tales. These animals lacked intelligence and were frequently susceptible to being tricked by foxes into setting traps or stealing food or prey. One source claims that people were forbidden from eating wolves because it was believed that the meat would turn them into werewolves. Respected and feared, wolves represented the wild, untamed nature of nature.
Zmey Gorynych - Its name signifies "Snake of the Mountains". The Slavic rendition of mythical serpent, this animal is said to have at least three heads and like different animals in Russian fantasies, they know how to talk. They are generally male and can be tracked down in timberlands or mountains. He is said to be so large when flying that he blocks out the sun.
Alkonost - This siren-like creature, depicted as a woman-headed bird, can actually alter the weather based on her state of mind. It is said that they lay eggs in the water and when in the water the weather conditions is quiet however when it hatches there is a tempest.
The Indrik-Beast, also known as Indrik in Russian folklore and the Dove Book, ндрик-вер, transcribed as: Indrik zver') is a magnificent beast and the king of all animals. He lives on "The Holy Mountain," a mountain where no one else can walk. The Earth shakes when it stirs. "Indrik" is a mutilated form of the Russian word edinorog (unicorn). The Indrik is portrayed as an immense bull with legs of a deer, the top of a pony and a gigantic horn in its nose, making it enigmatically like a rhinoceros. Indricotherium, the world's largest land mammal, is a synonym for the Russian folklore creature known as Paraceratherium.