Tradition: Polish Mythology
Alternative Names: Poroniec
Category: Demon
The Myth
Poroniec is a malicious and hostile demon believed to arise from the soul of a miscarried child or aborted fetus. The same fate could befall a child who was stillborn, died, or was killed by its mother shortly after birth and was not buried according to traditional customs.
Poroniec was considered an especially powerful demon because it possessed the potential of a life that had never been fulfilled.
Beliefs about Poroniec were connected with numerous taboos surrounding pregnant women, mothers, and newborn children. Pregnant women were forbidden from looking into wells or drawing water from them. Women with newborns were forbidden from leaving the house with the child, particularly going out into the fields, and sexual intercourse was also prohibited.
Newborn children were subjected to protective magical practices. One such practice involved wiping the baby with a bunch of straw. The mother was traditionally kept inside for the first six weeks after childbirth. Only after this period was she taken outside, while the child was considered fully human and given a name.
There was also a belief that a miscarried child buried beneath the threshold of a house as a foundation offering could instead become a favorable Kłobuk. In this way, it would not become a Poroniec.
Sources
“Poroniec (demon).” Wikipedia, wolna encyklopedia (Polish Wikipedia). Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed September 9, 2026. https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poroniec_(demon)