Tradition: Greek Mythology
Alternative names: Kutsodaimon
Category: Demon
The Myth
Kutsodaimon is a grotesque demon associated with the Kallikantsars, appearing in the human world during the Christmas season. He is lame and often blind, with a huge head, a long tongue hanging from his mouth, and a large hump on his chest. He usually accompanies a group of Kallikantsars and hobbles along at the end of their procession, constantly cursing and insulting his companions.
Kutsodaimon remains after the other Kallikantsars disappear with the first crowing of the rooster, waiting until the third crow in order to carry out one final malicious trick.
The humpbacked Kutsodaimon is described as the most dangerous of the Kallikantsars. He attacks pregnant women and girls, making him particularly feared during the Christmas period. Various measures were used to prevent him from entering houses, including placing a sieve with a pomel at the threshold, hanging pork bones in the chimney, burning incense at night, and burning old shoes in the fireplace because of their smell.
One story tells of Kutsodaimon blinding a king’s daughter by stabbing her in both eyes just before disappearing. He later boasted to the other Kallikantsars that the princess would never see again unless she rubbed soot and cobwebs from their chimney into her eyes.
However, a young traveler who had unknowingly spent the night in a cave inhabited by the Kallikantsars overheard him. After the demons departed, the traveler collected soot and cobwebs from the cave and brought them to the capital. The remedy restored the princess’s sight, and the grateful king rewarded him with a cart full of gold.
Sources
“Kutsodaimon.” New Bestiary (Bestiary.us). Accessed August 30, 2026. https://www.bestiary.us/Kutsodaimon