Mythology!

Lubber Fiend

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Tradition: English Mythology
Alternative Names: Lob, Lubberkin, Lurdane, Lob Lie-By-The-Fire
Category: House dweller

The Myth

The Lubber Fiend is a household spirit in English folklore, best known for performing domestic chores in exchange for simple comforts. It is typically described as a large, hairy man with a tail. In return for its labour, it expects a saucer of milk and a place in front of the fire, where it can rest after completing its work. Its behaviour resembles that of the Scottish brownie and related household spirits found elsewhere in Europe.

The Lubber Fiend belongs to a wider family of supernatural household helpers. It has been compared with the brownie and urisk of Scotland and northern England, the hob of northern England and the Scottish Borders, the Slavic domovoi, and the Scandinavian tomte. It has also been associated with Robin Goodfellow and hobgoblins. These comparisons place the Lubber Fiend among the folkloric beings believed to inhabit domestic spaces and interact with human households.

One account gives the creature a more extraordinary origin, describing it as the giant son of a witch and the Devil. This version presents the Lubber Fiend as something more imposing and potentially sinister than an ordinary household helper, although its best-known role remains that of a worker who performs chores in return for food and warmth.

A related figure is the abbey lubber, a minor demon associated with the wine cellars and kitchens of abbeys. Unlike the domestic Lubber Fiend, the abbey lubber encourages monks to indulge in drunkenness, gluttony, and sexual excess. One of the best-known stories involving this type of creature concerns Friar Rush, whose tale features a supernatural being that infiltrates a religious community.

The Lubber Fiend is also remembered through English literature. John Milton mentions the creature in his pastoral poem L’Allegro, helping preserve its place in the literary tradition. Across its different representations, the Lubber Fiend reflects the varied character of English household folklore: a hairy supernatural servant who rewards hospitality with labour, yet whose relatives and alternative forms can be associated with demonic temptation and misconduct.

Sources

“Lubber fiend.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed October 18, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lubber_fiend

Kikimora

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Tradition: Russian Mythology, Belarusian Mythology
Alternative Names: Kikimora, Shishimora, Shishimora, Kikhimora, Veshtchytsia, Kykmora, Shishimora
Category: House dweller

The Myth

Kikimora is a female household spirit in Slavic folklore, most commonly described as a small, ugly, crooked old woman with a long nose, long skinny arms, and a hunched body. She has a comic yet frightening appearance, with unkempt grey hair and tattered clothing. Some accounts describe her as so small and thin that she can be blown away by the wind. Other traditions portray her as a young woman with a long braid, a peasant woman wearing a married woman’s headdress, or even an animal such as a pig, dog, hare, or duck. She is often associated with the darkest corners of a house, particularly behind the stove or in the cellar.

Kikimora is believed to originate from the souls of people who died before baptism, children who were cursed by their mothers, or infants who were killed before they could be baptised. Some traditions also claim that she can be sent into a house by an evil spirit or deliberately placed there by builders or craftsmen seeking revenge for poor payment. In such cases, a small doll made of wood chips and rags is hidden beneath a beam or between logs in a corner of the building. Once the Kikimora takes up residence, the household may experience constant disturbances and misfortune.

The spirit is notorious for causing disorder during the night. She throws and breaks objects, disturbs sleep, bangs on pots, makes walls and furniture creak, and produces strange noises such as squeals, cries, and whistles. She may throw pillows, scatter belongings, or make the house seem haunted until its occupants are forced to leave. In some stories, she appears as an invisible presence whose voice can be heard even when nobody can see her. Her arrival is considered a sign that a house has become unclean or troubled, and her disturbances can make it almost impossible to live there peacefully.

Kikimora also torments livestock. She may ride horses through the night until they are exhausted, braid their manes, or cause them to become restless. In northern Russian folklore, she is said to shear sheep or pluck their wool, leaving them bald despite the owner’s efforts to stop her. Some accounts describe her tormenting animals until the farmer gives up and moves away. Her mischief can therefore threaten both the comfort of a household and its livelihood.

Despite her destructive nature, Kikimora is not always entirely harmful. In some traditions, she helps with household chores, bakes bread, looks after children, and assists with livestock. She is particularly associated with spinning and weaving. At night, she sits near a spinning wheel, twisting thread and working at the spindle. However, she is easily offended, and her help may become a source of trouble if the household fails to show proper respect. She can tangle wool, spoil spinning, or leave unfinished work behind. A common saying warns that a girl will not receive a shirt from a Kikimora because the spirit never finishes her work properly.

Kikimora’s spinning can also carry ominous meanings. If she is seen spinning in the front corner of a house, it may foretell the death of a member of the household. Her presence is associated with the boundary between ordinary domestic life and the supernatural world. In some regions, she is believed to appear openly only at Christmas or on the night before Christmas, when the inhabitants of the afterlife can enter the world of the living. Other accounts describe her as becoming more docile after Epiphany.

People used various methods to protect their homes and animals from Kikimora. A stone talisman known as a chicken god, often a stone with a natural hole, could be hung near the roost to protect hens. Sharpened sticks were used to guard livestock, while salt was placed on belts to prevent the spirit from harming horses. To drive her away, people might sweep the stove and corners of the house while reciting a charm, or fumigate the home with a burning palm branch. Another remedy involved placing hair in the house or washing pots and jugs with water infused with fern. If Kikimora had been deliberately introduced through sorcery, some accounts claimed that the object used to send her had to be found and destroyed.

Kikimora is one of the most ambivalent figures in Slavic household folklore. She may assist with domestic work and care for animals, but she can also torment families, damage property, and drive people from their homes. Her association with spinning, nighttime disturbances, and the spirits of the unbaptised connects her to anxieties about household order, unfinished work, and the uncertain boundary between the living and the dead.

Sources

“Kikimora.” New Bestiary (Bestiary.us). https://www.bestiary.us/kikimora

Coco

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Tradition: Spanish Mythology, Portuguese Mythology
Alternative Names: Coca, Cucuy, Cuco, Cuca, Cucu, Cucuí, El Cucuy, El Cucuí
Category: House dweller

The Myth

Coco is a frightening, ghost-like monster from Portuguese and Spanish folklore, known for abducting or devouring disobedient children. The creature is also widespread in Hispanic and Lusophone communities across Latin America, where its name and characteristics vary between regions. Rather than having one fixed appearance, Coco is often imagined as a shapeless shadow, a hairy monster, or a terrifying figure hiding in closets, beneath beds, or on rooftops. Its defining feature is not how it looks, but what it does: it comes for children who refuse to obey their parents, especially those who will not go to sleep.

Coco is traditionally invoked by parents as a threat to frighten children into behaving. It is said to watch from rooftops and lurk in dark corners, waiting for an opportunity to seize its victims. When it finds a disobedient child, it may eat them completely, leaving no trace, or carry them away to a place from which they will never return. In this way, Coco functions as a supernatural enforcer of parental authority, representing the danger supposedly awaiting children who misbehave or wander outside when they should remain at home.

The creature is particularly prominent in lullabies and children’s rhymes. One of the oldest known Spanish verses about Coco appears in a seventeenth-century religious play by Juan Caxés. A familiar version warns:

Duérmete niño, duérmete ya…
Que viene el Coco y te comerá.

This means, “Sleep, child, sleep now, or Coco will come and eat you.” Portuguese lullabies similarly tell Coca to leave the house and climb onto the roof, allowing the child to sleep peacefully. These songs turn the monster into a threatening presence that can be driven away, at least temporarily, so that children may rest.

Coco has several regional forms. In Spanish-speaking communities, the masculine Coco or Cucuy is commonly distinguished from Cuca, its female counterpart. In Brazil, Cuca is often represented as a female humanoid alligator with blond hair and clawed fingers. This distinctive appearance became especially familiar through adaptations of children’s literature and television, although older descriptions of the character were less specific. Portuguese traditions also feature Coca as a dragon-like creature, and some regional versions of the bogeyman resemble a mysterious old man carrying a bag or a bird of prey perched on a rooftop.

The names associated with Coco have been connected with words meaning the head or skull in Portuguese, Spanish, and Galician. Related forms occur in other Celtic languages, although the precise development of the name is not fully established by the accounts presented here. Across its different forms, the name evokes a frightening figure associated with the human head and the fear of being seized or devoured.

Coco is often compared to the devil or understood as the opposite of a guardian angel. Some interpretations also associate the creature with the dead of the local community, suggesting that its frightening presence may reflect fears surrounding death and the unknown. Whatever its precise form, Coco represents a threat that watches unseen and punishes children who violate the rules imposed by adults.

The tradition spread throughout Latin America during Spanish and Portuguese colonization, becoming established in countries including Mexico, Argentina, Uruguay, and Chile. Its many regional variations demonstrate the adaptability of the bogeyman: the name, appearance, and details of the threat change, but the central warning remains remarkably consistent. Coco is the monster waiting in the darkness, ready to take the child who refuses to listen.

Sources

“Coco (folklore).” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed October 18, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coco_%28folklore%29

Talasym

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Tradition: Macedonian Mythology, Bulgarian Mythology
Alternative Names: Talason, Talasima, Talasym, Drakus
Category: House dweller

The Myth

Talasym is a supernatural guardian associated with houses in South Slavic mythology. According to Macedonian belief, it originates from the soul of a person walled into a building during its construction. In this tradition, the talasym is considered a benevolent and harmless spirit, but only as long as it does not perceive hostility towards the house it protects. The spirit appears after the death of a person sacrificed during construction, whose soul becomes bound to the building.

In ancient times, people were believed to have placed people in the foundations of houses, bridges, fortresses, watermills, and windmills to ensure that these structures would endure for centuries and remain protected from evil spirits. A talasym guards its structure by day and night, sometimes appearing to random travellers. Its presence was therefore associated with the protection and longevity of important buildings.

In Bulgarian mythology, however, the talasym takes a more dangerous form. It is described as an eternally living werewolf that can transform into a dog, cat, or another animal. It attacks people during the night and strangles them. Those who fail to escape its grasp may die, and even survivors are said to suffer consequences in the days or weeks that follow.

The talasym is also associated with hidden treasure. Popular belief claims that it protects riches concealed by fire serpents and robbers. Anyone wishing to recover such treasure must fulfil a condition established by the owner, such as sacrificing a black rooster or a person at the place where a cuckoo calls. The talasym ensures that this vow is fulfilled, and only those who meet the required condition can obtain the treasure. It may even transform into an animal to deceive or frighten treasure hunters.

Some accounts describe people who attempt to rob the talasym of its protected treasure. Those who approach without fulfilling the necessary conditions risk being attacked. The spirit may leap onto a person’s back and seize them by the ears, then disappear without leaving a trace. In its hands, the victim is said to be left with either a basket of gold or a cauldron of coal.

The talasym’s nature varies between regional traditions. In South Slavic belief, it can be a protective spirit bound to a building through a sacrificial death, while Bulgarian accounts portray it as a dangerous, shape-shifting werewolf associated with nocturnal attacks and guarded treasure. Across these traditions, it remains a supernatural being whose power is tied to a particular place and whose presence demands caution from those who approach it.

Sources

“Hohlik.” New Bestiary (Bestiary.us). https://www.bestiary.us/hohlik

Khokhlik

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Tradition: Belarusian Mythology, Polish Mythology
Alternative Names: Chochlik, Khokhlik, Khokhlik, Khokhlik (Podlasie variant)
Category: House dweller

The Myth

Khokhlik is a small household spirit described in Belarusian and Polish folklore as a little devil who assists the domovoi, the guardian spirit of the home. It is associated with the pantry and household supplies, where it may take the form of a cat. According to Polish sources, Khokhlik can guard the pantry, but its assistance depends on how the household is managed. If the housewife is careless, the spirit may cause mischief, knock dishes from shelves, and ruin supplies.

The creature’s appearance is not described consistently. Its name has been connected to words meaning shaggy or unkempt, and some descriptions suggest a small, hairy spirit. The illustration associated with the tradition depicts a squat, hairy humanoid with a long tail, although this is an artistic representation rather than a definitive description found throughout the folklore.

Khokhlik is also associated with forests and people who lose their way. In a local account from the Vetkovsky district of the Gomel region, a witness described the spirit as a guide who leads lost travellers through the woods. A recorded saying reflects this association: when someone became lost, people would say that the Khokhlik had led the way. Other accounts connect the creature with nighttime disturbances and strange noises.

In the folklore of Podlasie, a historical region along the Belarusian-Polish border, Khokhlik is described as having characteristics normally attributed to household spirits and mischievous devils. It may braid the manes of horses during the night, leaving them tangled in the morning. It can also cause horses to become restless or exhausted. Some stories say that a Ukrainian should not ride a horse at night because Khokhlik may ride alongside or torment the animal until it collapses. In one account, horses were protected by placing flax or hemp beneath their hooves.

Khokhlik’s behaviour is therefore contradictory. It may protect household supplies and assist the domovoi, but it can also cause disorder in the home, mislead travellers, and torment horses. Its role varies between local traditions, and the available accounts do not establish a single consistent appearance or set of powers.

Khokhlik illustrates the overlap between domestic spirits, mischievous devils, and forest beings in Belarusian and Polish folklore. Its stories reflect concerns about keeping a household in order, protecting stored food, caring for horses, and finding one’s way through the woods. Although often troublesome, it is not portrayed as uniformly malicious; its actions depend on the particular account and the circumstances in which it appears.

Sources

“Hohlik.” New Bestiary (Bestiary.us). https://www.bestiary.us/hohlik

Kaevukoll

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Tradition: Estonian Mythology
Alternative Names: None recorded
Category: House dweller

The Myth

Kaevukoll is a bogeyman in Estonian folklore said to live inside a well. Its name was used to frighten children and prevent them from approaching wells without their parents. By warning children that Kaevukoll lived in the well, adults sought to protect them from accidentally falling into the water.

According to the account recorded by Tadeusz Zubiński in Mythology of the Estonians, Kaevukoll could appear either as a dwarf or as a giant. No further details about its appearance, behaviour, or supernatural abilities are provided in the available description.

Kaevukoll illustrates how folklore could turn a potentially dangerous feature of everyday life into the dwelling place of a frightening supernatural being. The threat of encountering the creature served as a warning to children, discouraging them from approaching wells alone and helping protect them from accidental falls.

Sources

“Kaevukoll.” New Bestiary (Bestiary.us). https://www.bestiary.us/kaevukoll/en

Maggy Moulach

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Tradition: Scottish Mythology
Alternative Names: Meg Mullach, Maggie Moloch, Maug Moulack, Maug Moulach, Mieg Moulach, Maug Vuluchd, May Moulach, Meg Molloch, Manch Monlach, Hairy Meg
Category: House dweller

The Myth

Maggy Moulach is a supernatural creature from Scottish Highland folklore, described as a brownie who performs household and agricultural labour. She is unusually small, standing around two feet tall, and is distinguished by her impressive head of hair or, in some accounts, her hairy hands. These features earned her the alternative name Hairy Meg. She is also said to possess the ability to transform into a grasshopper. Her son, Brownie-Clod, is a dobie: a well-intentioned but somewhat dull-witted variety of brownie.

In earlier legends, Maggy and her son lived at Tullochgorm Castle, which belonged to the Grant family. There, Maggy performed the ordinary duties of a brownie, helping with the work of the household. She also assisted the clan chief in defeating opponents at chess. However, her role extended beyond domestic service, as she functioned as a banshee who announced the deaths of members of the Grant family. Her presence therefore combined helpful labour with a supernatural association with death.

One tale concerns Fincastle Mill, where brownies were feared as guardians against trespassers. A young woman preparing for her wedding discovered that she did not have enough flour for her wedding cake. Since the miller had already left, she entered the mill herself and began grinding the grain, placing a pot of water over the fire while she worked. Brownie-Clod heard the noise and approached to discover who had entered the mill. When he asked the woman’s name, she repeatedly answered, “Mi fein,” meaning “me myself.”

As Brownie-Clod approached, the woman threw boiling water over him. Fatally burned, he fled to his mother, who asked him who had injured him. He could only repeat the words “Me fein,” leaving Maggy unable to understand what had happened. She later discovered the woman’s trickery when she overheard her boasting about outsmarting a brownie. Enraged by the deception and the death of her son, Maggy threw a stool through the woman’s window with such force that it killed her instantly.

Another legend describes Maggy settling near a farm, where her labour proved so effective that the farmer dismissed all his other workers and relied entirely on her. Angered by this treatment, Maggy went on strike and transformed into a boggart, a troublesome spirit similar to a poltergeist. She began causing disturbances and playing tricks on the farmer until he was forced to rehire his workers. The story presents Maggy as a capable but independent supernatural servant who refuses to tolerate exploitation.

Later versions of Maggy’s legend give her a more frightening role. Some accounts claim that she could reach down chimneys and steal children, adding a child-snatching aspect to her character. These stories differ from the earlier accounts of her work at Tullochgorm Castle, where she appears primarily as a helpful brownie and a herald of death.

Maggy Moulach embodies the unpredictable nature of the Scottish brownie. She can perform valuable work, assist a noble family, and protect her own interests, but she is also capable of violent revenge when wronged. Her stories emphasize that supernatural servants cannot simply be exploited or deceived without consequences. Those who treat them unfairly may lose their assistance and instead face the mischief or wrath of a powerful household spirit.

Sources

“Maggy Moulach.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed October 18, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maggy_Moulach

Gruagach

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Tradition: Irish Mythology
Alternative Names: Grogoch, Gelt, Puka, Tipperary Wolfman, Ossary Wolfman
Category: House dweller

The Myth

The Gruagach is a large, bipedal, ape-like creature reportedly encountered in Ireland. Although sightings are rare, accounts describe it across both Northern Ireland and the south of the country. It resembles other Bigfoot-like creatures, but witnesses often portray it as more human-like than the traditional image of a giant ape. Its reported appearance has led to comparisons with the Woodwose, another wild, human-like figure, and even with Neanderthals.

The Gruagach is generally described as having a broad, relatively high-set nose, sometimes characterised as pig-like, a mostly flat face, and a prominent brow ridge. Unlike many depictions of Bigfoot, it is usually said to lack a sagittal crest, the ridge of bone that can give the skulls of certain apes a peaked appearance. Some accounts do describe such a crest, however, so its reported features are not entirely consistent. Its facial structure has been compared to that attributed to Neanderthals, although this resemblance is based on descriptions rather than any confirmed physical evidence.

Reported encounters occur in various parts of Ireland, with sightings said to be particularly concentrated around Slieveanorra and Ballyboley. County Wicklow is also associated with at least one alleged sighting. Despite these reports, the creature receives relatively little attention, partly because Ireland’s landscape is considered by some to offer limited habitat for a large, elusive animal.

The Gruagach’s supposed existence is often questioned because Ireland has relatively little forest cover, potentially limiting the places where a large creature could remain hidden and find sufficient food. The accounts nevertheless present it as an elusive inhabitant of the countryside, occasionally seen but rarely encountered.

The Gruagach occupies a place between traditional wildman folklore and modern cryptid reports. Its more human-like features distinguish it from familiar Bigfoot descriptions, while the scattered sightings and uncertainty surrounding its habitat contribute to its mysterious reputation. No conclusive evidence establishes the creature’s existence, and its descriptions remain based on reported encounters.

Sources

“Gruagach.” Cryptid Wiki. Fandom. https://cryptidz.fandom.com/wiki/Gruagach#Sources_and_links_for_research

Dorotabo

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Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: Mud Monster
Category: House dweller

The Myth

Dorotabo is a mud-covered humanoid monster described in a modern Japanese ghost story featured in Shin Mimibukuro, a collection of contemporary supernatural accounts by Hirokatsu Kihara and Ichiro Nakayama, published in 1998. In the story, a woman working for a publishing company in Kanda Jimbocho is warned by her editor-in-chief not to work through the night. When she asks why, he answers simply: “It’s Dorotabo.”

According to the story, people who sleep in the building are repeatedly awakened by a terrible stench. Beside their pillows stands a human-shaped figure with a body covered in mud, or one that appears to be made entirely of mud. The creature’s presence is accompanied by an overpowering foul smell that makes the encounter deeply unpleasant.

Those who attempt to touch Dorotabo discover that its body behaves unnaturally. When a person puts a hand into the muddy figure, the hand becomes sucked into its body. Even after pulling free, the person finds that the terrible smell remains. By the time they look around again, the creature has disappeared, leaving only its lingering odour as evidence of its presence. The account states that most of the male employees working at the company at the time had witnessed the phenomenon, and that they had long called the creature Dorotabo.

The name comes from an older Japanese yokai associated with rice fields. The artist Toriyama Sekien depicted this figure in Konjaku Hyakki Shūi, a collection of supernatural beings. The source describes Sekien’s Dorotabo as a creature he likely created through metaphor and wordplay. During the Shōwa period, it appeared frequently in yokai manga and children’s books, becoming a relatively familiar figure in Japanese supernatural folklore.

The mud-covered humanoid in the modern ghost story resembles Sekien’s yokai, which likely explains why the name Dorotabo was applied to it. The two accounts belong to different contexts: one concerns a yokai associated with rice fields and artistic representations of supernatural creatures, while the other describes a frightening apparition haunting an office building at night. In both, the name evokes a muddy, uncanny presence, but the modern story particularly emphasises its foul smell, disturbing physical nature, and ability to vanish without a trace.

Sources

“Dorotabō.” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1074589168.html

Azzalov

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Tradition: Lak Folklore, Russian Mythology
Alternative Names: Azzalav
Category: House dweller

The Myth

Azzalov is a household spirit in the folklore of the Laks, who live in the central part of Nagorno-Dagestan. It appears as a dishevelled woman dressed in rags and has an ambivalent nature. Azzalov can be kind, assisting the inhabitants of a house and providing physical and material benefits, but it can also become dangerous, bringing illness and misfortune to the household.

Azzalov is considered a guardian of the hearth and may remain loyal to the people living in the house. However, its benevolent nature has limits. It sometimes develops the habit of strangling people while they sleep. In such cases, the spirit can be driven away by tearing off its bone necklace and throwing it into a chimney. This necklace appears to be closely connected to its supernatural power and behaviour.

One account describes Azzalov taking up residence in the home of a woman named Pati. The spirit behaved disrespectfully towards its mistress, opening chests, rummaging through clothes, scattering objects around the house, and sometimes leaving the home while Pati was away. Yet Azzalov could also bring good fortune. When it was in a favourable mood, it left gold jewellery in plain sight, providing Pati with unexpected wealth.

Pati eventually grew tired of the spirit’s behaviour and sought advice from her neighbour. The neighbour explained that Azzalov’s necklace was not an ordinary piece of jewellery but a collection of beads and precious stones. Whoever obtained it would become its owner and be freed from the spirit’s mischief. Pati tried to steal the necklace while Azzalov slept, but the spirit awoke and snatched it back before she could escape.

The neighbour then advised Pati to throw the necklace into a churn, claiming that this was the only place from which Azzalov would be unable to retrieve it. When the spirit returned and attacked Pati again, she managed to tear the necklace from its neck and throw it into the churn. Azzalov burst into tears and begged Pati to return it, but Pati refused. The spirit eventually left the house, never to return.

Azzalov illustrates the contradictory nature of household spirits in Lak folklore. It can guard the hearth, assist a family, and bring material prosperity, yet it may also disturb the household, damage property, and threaten its inhabitants. Its bone necklace represents a potential vulnerability through which people can free themselves from its influence. The story of Pati demonstrates that living alongside Azzalov requires caution, as the same spirit that provides wealth and assistance can become a source of fear and disorder.

Sources

“Atstsalov.” New Bestiary (Bestiary.us). https://www.bestiary.us/atstsalov