Tradition: Belarusian Mythology
Alternative Names: Lickun, Slime
Category: Frog

The Myth

Lizun is a frightening supernatural creature said to live in wells and gardens in the northeastern Vitebsk region of Belarus and the neighbouring areas of Russia’s Pskov region. It is described as a long-tongued, slime-covered being that lurks in dark wells, waiting for unsuspecting children. Some accounts describe it as a pale, slippery mass resembling a finger, while others imagine a terrifying creature with an enormous tongue. Its tongue is said to be capable of licking children until they bleed, leaving them helpless and terrified.

Lizun is especially associated with warnings used to frighten naughty children and keep them away from dangerous wells and water sources. Adults would threaten that the creature was waiting in the well and would drag children into the water if they approached too closely. In some stories, Lizun sits beside a well with a tongue resembling a grater, ready to seize anyone who comes within reach. Other versions describe it simply as a slime that waits in hidden places, threatening to lick anyone who ventures too near.

The creature’s long, deadly tongue is central to its terrifying reputation. Children were warned that once Lizun had licked them until their skin bled, no doctor could cure them. These frightening tales made the creature an effective guardian of forbidden places, ensuring that children stayed away from wells, gardens, and other locations where they might get into danger.

Sources

“Лизун (Lizun).” New Bestiary (Bestiary.us). https://www.bestiary.us/lizun

The Myth

Zhabalaka is a shapeshifting being in Belarusian mythology that can take the form of a toad or frog. Despite its amphibian appearance, it is a werewolf-like creature capable of changing its shape. It belongs to a group of supernatural beings that may also appear as cats, blurring the boundary between animal and human forms.

Zhabalaka is associated with the Frog Princess of Slavic fairy tales. In these stories, a princess or other enchanted figure may be trapped in the form of a frog until a spell is broken. The frog’s skin acts as a magical covering, concealing the beautiful woman beneath it. Burning the skin can release her from the enchantment, although doing so may have unexpected consequences for the transformation.

In one tale, the hero Koschei encounters an enormous toad with bulging, heavily made-up eyes. The toad offers to carry him wherever he wishes, promising to help him escape his troubles. Koschei reluctantly accepts, preferring the strange creature to the other dangerous beings lurking nearby. The encounter presents Zhabalaka as an uncanny shapeshifter whose grotesque animal form conceals a supernatural nature.