Belarusian Mythology

Ostrovets Tsmok

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Tradition: Belarusian Mythology, Lithuanian Mythology
Alternative Names: Ostrovets Tsmok, Tsmok
Category: Dragon, Cow

The Myth

The Ostrovets Tsmok has the body of a snake and the head of a cow. It is a strong and frightening creature, with a large body and horns resembling those of a cow. The Tsmok lives in forests and underground burrows, and is associated with hidden places, rivers, caves, and buried treasures.

The most famous Ostrovets Tsmok comes from the village of Voleikiški in the Ostrovets district. It was said to live in ancient times in a remote forest near the village. One legend says that it was a very kind creature, despite its frightening appearance. It helped people who were poor, and it was said to have guarded treasure hidden underground.

Another tradition says that the Tsmok was a dangerous creature. It lived in a forest or underground and would sometimes emerge from its burrow. People were warned not to approach it. Some stories describe a red snake living beneath the ground, with one such creature inhabiting each forest.

One local story tells of children who were forbidden to swim in the Viliya because a cow-headed creature lived there. The Tsmok was said to emerge from the water and suck the blood of swimmers.

Other stories connect the Tsmok with cattle. In one tale, a child was herding cows when he suddenly heard a sharp mooing sound. He followed the sound and discovered that one of the cows had a strange bite on its lip. No one could explain what had bitten it.

The Tsmok was also associated with hidden treasure. One legend says that gold was concealed beneath a pile of stones in the forest. The treasure was guarded by a Tsmok, which frightened away anyone who attempted to retrieve it. People said that whoever was brave enough to defeat the Tsmok could take the treasure.

The creature was particularly associated with underground places. Stories describe Tsmoks living in burrows and caves, sometimes hiding beneath hills or near rivers. One tradition even says that Tsmoks could construct stone barriers in rivers, marking dangerous shallows and places where the water was difficult to cross.

The Ostrovets Tsmok was therefore connected with both the natural landscape and the hidden world beneath it: forests, rivers, underground passages, buried treasure, cattle, and dangerous places.

Sources

“Ostrovetskii Tsmok.” New Bestiary (Bestiary.us). Accessed September 19, 2026. https://www.bestiary.us/ostrovetskii-tsmok

Volosen

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Tradition: Belarusian mythology
Alternative Names: Volosen, Volosenya, Valasen, Valasenytsa
Category: Demon

The Myth

Volosen is a supernatural being in Belarusian mythology that can appear in different forms. As a skin demon, it is associated with a purulent abscess that appears on the skin, most often on a finger. The Volosen is imagined as something unclean and otherworldly, associated with strange or misplaced hair.

The hair connected with Volosen may be hair that has remained in a river for three years, hair from a tangled or misplaced bundle, or simply a strand of hair carried away by a bird for its nest. Such supernatural hair was considered the cause of the skin disease. Lithuanians called this kind of hair “devil’s hair,” while Russians called it “zmeevets.”

A Volosen could be driven away through ritual treatment. One method involved pouring hot water through the ears of corn onto the affected area while reciting a special formula. Twisted hairs were also sought on ears of corn. Another method involved taking a bird’s nest full of hair, boiling it, and washing the affected area with the resulting liquid for three days until sunrise.

Another treatment involved melting wax in an old clay pot, adding lard and butter, mixing everything together, and pouring it into cold water. If the mixture spread quickly, it was applied to the affected area until the hair disappeared.

Volosen could also appear as a household evil spirit. In this form, it was described as a small, upright creature covered in thick, dark, long fur. It had large hands with seven fingers, each ending in a long nail. The Volosen scratched people’s faces and tickled their noses.

It was particularly troublesome to women and girls, whom it grabbed by the chest and hair. It could fall onto them with its shaggy body, ruffle their hair, and frighten children by buzzing in their ears or tickling their heels.

In some Belarusian folklore, Volosenya is therefore both a skin disease and a household spirit, ranging from something resembling an abscess on a person’s finger to a small hairy creature that torments people in their homes.

Sources

“Волосень (Volosen).” New Bestiary (Bestiary.us). Accessed September 9, 2026. https://www.bestiary.us/volosen

Lepel Tsmok

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Tradition: Belarusian Mythology
Alternative Names: Lepel Tsmok, Lepel Dragon, Poozersky Tsmok
Category: Dragon, Deer

The Myth

The Lepel Tsmok is one of the most famous Belarusian tsmoks, a type of aquatic dragon associated with the Poozerie region. It is said to inhabit Lake Lepel and the surrounding waterways of northern Belarus.

Descriptions of the creature vary, but it is generally imagined as a gigantic serpent-like or dragon-like animal. One description compares it to a large snake with a long neck and a head resembling that of a deer, with a mouth full of sharp teeth. Another describes a creature resembling a gigantic fish, with a head like a horse or a deer. Accounts also give it enormous size and strength, with some saying that its body could stretch for great distances through the water.

The Lepel Tsmok was traditionally feared as a powerful creature of the lakes and rivers. Stories tell of it appearing in the water, frightening people, and occasionally attacking or interfering with boats. Its appearance was often associated with mysterious disturbances in the lakes of the Lepel region.

According to local tradition, the great lake dragons appeared in the Belarusian lakes hundreds of years ago. One tradition connects their disappearance with the legend of Saint Ambrose of Kuteyn. When the saint encountered the dragons and their supernatural presence, he is said to have cursed them and driven them away from the lakes.

Another tradition tells of the disappearance of the Lepel Tsmok through the actions of the villagers themselves. The creature was said to have lived in the lake and surrounding waterways, while people avoided disturbing it. Stories nevertheless persisted of enormous creatures moving beneath the surface and occasionally appearing near the shore.

The Lepel region also preserved ritual traditions connected with the tsmok. In one account, people went to the lakes and rivers to make offerings and pray for protection. The local people regarded the waters as inhabited by powerful supernatural beings, and certain days were considered especially dangerous for entering them.

Stories of the Lepel Tsmok continued into modern times. People claimed to have seen a huge serpent-like creature swimming in the rivers and lakes of the region. Witnesses described an enormous body moving through the water, sometimes with only the head and part of the back visible above the surface.

The creature also became connected with Belarusian literary culture. Vladimir Korotkevich used the traditions surrounding the Lepel Tsmok and the ancient lake dragons in his writings, helping preserve the creature as one of the best-known legendary monsters of Belarus.

Sources

“Лепельский Цмок (Lepelskiy Tsmok).” New Bestiary (Bestiary.us). Accessed September 5, 2026. https://www.bestiary.us/lepelskij-cmok

Lantukhi

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Tradition: Belarusian Mythology
Alternative names: Lantuch, Lantukh, Lantuchakh
Category: Demon

The Myth

Lantukhi are small, mischievous spirits in the folklore of Eastern European Jews. They are generally harmless but enjoy causing disorder and playing tricks on people. They are sometimes described as brownie-like beings and may leave footprints resembling those of a huge bird.

Lantukhi can also interfere with travelers, taking on the role of a troublesome goblin or water spirit. They may try to push travelers from bridges or confuse them in forests, laughing loudly when their tricks succeed.

In Jewish folklore from Belarus, the Lantukhi are associated with petty mischief and hooliganism rather than serious evil. Stories about them were especially popular among the Jews of Belarus.

One tale tells of a learned Talmudist who remained alone in a synagogue at night, reading the Gemara. Since he was forbidden to sleep, he relied on tobacco to stay awake, but he had none. Suddenly, a huge red tongue emerged from the women’s gallery and began moving about, as if offering him something to smell. The man took the tobacco, and the strange apparition immediately disappeared. The spirit was identified as a Lantuch, who had appeared to help the scholar with his work.

Another tradition describes a Lantuch as a playful demon possessing a very long tongue. It could frighten or tease people by pushing its tongue through a window. This form is closely related to the Belarusian character Lick, another frightening being whose unusually long tongue was said to lick disobedient children until they bled.

Sources

“Lantukhi.” New Bestiary (Bestiary.us). Accessed August 30, 2026. https://www.bestiary.us/Lantukhi

Zlydnya

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Tradition: Belarusian Mythology
Alternative names: Zlydnya
Category: Demon

The Myth

Zlydnya is a malevolent supernatural being appearing as an invisible woman without a tongue, eyes, or ears. She was once a snake, which was transformed into Zlydnya after a violent encounter with Lucifer.

The snake wrapped itself around its neck in a swamp and began to bite. During the struggle, Lucifer pulled the snake out and struck it with a saber. The snake then became Zlydnya.

Zlydnya has a particular love of soul-damning substances and keeps various abominations in a pot. She distributes these abominations among people, bringing them harm.

Sources

“Zlydnya.” New Bestiary (Bestiary.us). Accessed August 30, 2026. https://www.bestiary.us/Zlydnya

Zhyzh

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Tradition / Region: Belarusian Mythology
Alternative names: Zhizh, Zhyzhyk
Category: Spirit, Cave dweller

The Myth

Zhyzh is a fiery underground spirit associated with fire and the earth. He travels beneath the ground, sometimes moving slowly and sometimes rushing through the earth while releasing flames. When he moves quietly, the ground is said to become warm, but when he begins moving rapidly, fires can break out across the land.

According to Belarusian legend, Zhyzh constantly wanders through the underground. When he walks slowly, only the soil is warmed by his passage. But when he gathers speed, flames rise from beneath the earth and spread across forests, hayfields, meadows, and fields.

People believed that spontaneous fires could be caused by Zhyzh moving beneath the ground. The places where he passed could become scorched, and the earth itself could dry out from the heat.

In some traditions, Zhyzh was regarded as the Belarusian god of fire, comparable to the fire deities known among neighboring peoples. His fiery nature was not always destructive, however, as his slow movement beneath the earth could warm the soil.

When Zhyzh became angry and began rushing through the underground, his flames were said to burst through to the surface. Forests, meadows, and crops could then catch fire, while the earth became dry and scorched beneath the heat.

Sources

“Жыж (Zhizh).” New Bestiary (Bestiary.us). Accessed August 15, 2026. https://www.bestiary.us/zhyzh

Vargin

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Tradition / Region: Belarusian mythology
Alternative names: Vargan
Category: Cat

The Myth

Vargin is an enormous demonic black cat regarded as the king of the feline kingdom. His fur is as black as coal, his eyes glow like flames, and his body is immense, with a pitch-black, furry tail as thick as a sable’s. He can appear and disappear without warning, squeeze through tiny cracks despite his size, and even pass through closed doors and windows. He is also able to assume the forms of butterflies, monstrous creatures, or humans, and is accompanied by evil spirits. His purring is said to lull people into a false sense of peace before bringing them misfortune.

Belarusian folklore tells that Vargin is one of the rulers of the animal world. The king of cats is Vargin, the king of roosters is Budzimir, and the king of mice is Podnor. While Budzimir represents peace and light, Vargin embodies torment, fear, and darkness.

Vargin is believed to prey upon people suffering from severe mental illnesses or emotional despair. Rather than causing ordinary physical sickness, he drives victims into confusion, social isolation, and complete mental and physical exhaustion. He especially torments those whose illnesses cannot be explained or cured, feeding upon their suffering.

One tale tells of a man named Tomas whose wife became mysteriously ill after insects entered her head. Doctors could not cure her. Tomas lovingly kept a black cat that everyone admired for its gentle nature, but a healer warned him that black cats, especially unknown ones, could bring terrible misfortune. The healer revealed that the beloved cat was actually Vargin, whose comforting purring concealed his true purpose of tormenting the household.

Another story tells of Budzimir being seized by Vargin, causing fear to spread throughout the world. An oak advised that Budzimir should be freed by calming and soothing Vargin rather than confronting him directly. Once the fire within the cat was allowed to fade and he became gentle, Budzimir was released and peace returned.

Despite his immense supernatural power, Vargin is said to fear only a powerful natural healer or sorcerer capable of driving him away with sacred words. Such healers can banish both Vargin and the evil spirits that accompany him.

Sources

“Варгин (Vargin).” New Bestiary (Bestiary.us). Accessed July 28, 2026. https://www.bestiary.us/Vargin

Koshkalachen

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Tradition / Region: Belarusian Mythology
Alternative names: Kashkalachenya, Kotalak (Polish)
Category: Cat

The Myth

The Koshkalachen is a werecat from Belarusian folklore, a shapeshifting creature that takes the form of a cat. According to Belarusian tradition, werewolves could appear not only as wolves but also as toads, frogs, and cats.

One tale tells of a wandering werecat searching for food. Passing a small house, it saw a cat chasing mice and transformed into a magpie to perch on the roof unnoticed. The cat refused to let the stranger approach, so the werecat waited until sunset. As darkness fell, the household cat transformed into a beautiful maiden, revealing that she too was a werecat.

Captivated by her beauty, the werecat leapt from the roof and transformed into a man. The two spent the evening playing and talking together. At midnight, however, an owl cried out from the roof in a child’s voice. The forest stirred, streams roared, the girls transformed into mermaids and fled into the water, while the maiden turned back into a cat and ran inside the house. The male werecat likewise reverted to his feline form.

Unlike ordinary werewolves, the Koshkalachen is almost always found in the shape of a cat and is only believed to return to human form at night.

Sources

“Кошкалачень (Koshkalacheń).” New Bestiary (Bestiary.us). Accessed July 28, 2026. https://www.bestiary.us/koshkalachen

Gartsuk

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Tradition / Region: Belarusian Mythology
Alternative names: Gartsuk; Gartsuki
Category: Bird

The Myth

The Gartsuki are mountain spirits in Belarusian folklore that serve Perun, the god of thunder. They usually appear as birds of prey, but they can also take the form of small children with human faces or even transform into horses. Wherever they pass, they leave destruction behind—branches are torn from trees, dust rises into the air, and forests echo with the force of their unseen movement.

At sunrise the Gartsuki descend from the mountains and race through fields and forests. By midday they play among the mountain peaks, and in the evening they return to the highlands. Their constant running and flying stir up powerful winds and storms, making them both companions and servants of Perun. The louder the storm, the more fiercely the Gartsuki are believed to be playing.

Although they are not considered evil, the Gartsuki are wild and dangerous. Their games can flatten crops, break trees, and whip up violent weather. According to tradition, travelers caught in their path risk being overwhelmed by the storms they create, and the spirits vanish only after returning to the mountains with the setting sun.

Sources

Bestiary.us. (n.d.). Gartsuki. In New Bestiary: Encyclopedia of Imaginary Beings. Retrieved June 29, 2026, from https://www.bestiary.us/Gartsuki

Kryzhatik

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Tradition / Region: Belarusian Mythology
Alternative names: Kryzhatsik
Category: Bird

The Myth

The Kryzhatik is a restless spirit that dwells within the boundaries of a cemetery. It is believed to be the soul of a deceased person whose grave, or more often whose grave cross, has been damaged before the proper period of remembrance has passed.

It usually appears as a gray raven with human eyes, although in some traditions it may also take the form of an old raven with faded feathers, a white beak, and a human gaze. It moves among the cemetery crosses, watching over the graves.

Unlike many cemetery spirits, the Kryzhatik is generally not hostile. It is said to attack only those who show disrespect for the dead, such as vandals who damage crosses or people who behave irreverently within the cemetery. It is also believed to drive away evil forces, including demons and drunken troublemakers who enter the graveyard.

According to Belarusian belief, the Kryzhatik is not afraid of holy places or the sign of the cross, since the cemetery itself is sacred ground. During the nights before Radunitsa, when many people visit the graves of their ancestors, its power is believed to become especially strong as it silently guards the cemetery and ensures that no harm comes to the resting place of the dead.

Sources

Bestiary.us. (n.d.). Kryzhatik. In New Bestiary: Encyclopedia of Imaginary Beings. Retrieved June 29, 2026, from https://www.bestiary.us/Kryzhatik