Tradition: Polish Mythology
Alternative Names: Tęsknota, Osmętnica
Category: Ghost
The Myth
Tęsknica is a female demon in Slavic mythology, appearing as a pale, ghostly woman who embodies deep longing, sorrow, and a state of melancholy. She descends from the sky alongside falling stars, emerging from a black storm cloud. A wreath of dried ferns rests upon her head, and she wraps herself in a grey cloth taken from beneath the bed of a dead person. On her feet, she wears clogs woven by her own hands from green reeds pulled from a lake or from vines growing beside the water. She walks slowly with her head bowed, often sitting near cemeteries or beside roadside shrines at crossroads.
Tęsknica seeks out sorrowful, lonely, and weeping girls. When she finds one, she sits beside her, embraces her with thin, wasted arms, kisses her on the lips, and lays a heavy hand upon her heart. She most often targets young women who have not yet had children. Her touch leaves no wounds or visible marks, but it drains the victim of her strength and vitality. The afflicted girl loses her appetite and thirst, suffers from sleeplessness, and gradually becomes weak and motionless. Those touched by Tęsknica usually die not long afterward.
The only hope of salvation comes with the arrival of the Three Women, invisible angels of God who descend from heaven to help the afflicted. Until their intervention, Tęsknica’s victim remains trapped in sorrow and longing, slowly wasting away under the demon’s supernatural influence.
Sources
“Tęsknica.” Wikipedia, wolna encyklopedia (Polish Wikipedia). Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed October 15, 2026. https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/T%C4%99sknica