Russian Mythology

Ukher Bookholdoy

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Tradition: Buryat Mythology, Russian Mythology
Alternative Names: Ukher Bookholdoy
Category: Cow

The Myth

Ukher Bookholdoy is a werewolf spirit from the lower mythology of the Buryats. It takes the form of a hornless and tailless cow and appears at night.

The creature walks on its hind legs, despite having the appearance of a cow. Its hornless head, lack of a tail, and unusual way of walking distinguish it from an ordinary cow.

Sources

“Ukher-Bookholdoi.” New Bestiary (Bestiary.us). Accessed August 30, 2026. https://www.bestiary.us/ukher-bookholdoi

Korov’ya smert

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Tradition / Region: Russian Mythology
Alternative names: Cattle Death, Tovaricha Death, Black Infirmity
Category: Cow

The Myth

Cow’s Death is the personification of the death and disease that strikes cattle. Among the Eastern Slavs, she was believed to appear particularly around the day of Agafya the Cow-keeper.

She could take different forms. Sometimes she appeared as a black cow, cat, or dog; in other traditions she appeared as a cow skeleton or as an old, frightening woman with hands like rakes. It was also believed that she could be brought into a village by a visitor, traveller, or witch.

When cattle began dying, villagers performed rituals to drive Cow’s Death away. One of the most important was the plowing of the village. Women gathered secretly at night, took up clubs, sickles, and other objects, and plowed a furrow around the settlement. The procession made tremendous noise with pans, scythes, sickles, and other household objects to frighten Death away.

The villagers also drove their cattle through specially prepared ditches or tunnels, kindled a fire by friction, and sometimes wove a piece of cloth in a single day as part of the protective rites.

During the procession, the women called upon the cattle god Veles, identified in Christian tradition with Saint Blaise, asking that Cow’s Death leave the village.

If a cat or dog appeared during the ritual, it could be killed because the villagers believed Cow’s Death might be hiding in the form of an animal.

Old worn bast shoes soaked in tar were also hung in barns as protection against Cow’s Death.

Sources

“Коровья смерть (Korov’ya smert’).” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia (Russian Wikipedia). Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed August 21, 2026. https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Коровья_смерть

Komol

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Tradition / Region: Russian Mythology
Alternative names: Komokol, Komorkol
Category: Cow

The Myth

Komol is a fierce beast described in Slavic bestiary tradition. It possesses a strange and deadly defense: its urine can burn anything it touches.

If Komol urinates on a wooden board or a tree, the object is said to be completely burned by the following hour. The creature is depicted as a horned beast, although the surviving descriptions provide little information about its appearance.

Sources

“Комол (Komol).” New Bestiary (Bestiary.us). Accessed August 16, 2026. https://www.bestiary.us/komol

Mistress of the Copper Mountain

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Tradition / Region: Russian Mythology
Alternative names: Malachite Maid, Malachite Lady, Mountain Mother, Stone Maiden, Lizard Queen
Category: Cave dweller

The Myth

The Mistress of the Copper Mountain appears as an extraordinarily beautiful young woman with green eyes, dark braided hair, and a gown made of malachite. Copper ribbons hang from her hair, and she wears a diadem decorated with malachite and precious stones. She can also appear in the form of a lizard or snake and is surrounded by magical lizards of different colors, including green, blue, and golden-speckled ones.

According to the legends of the Ural miners, the Mistress dwells within the Copper Mountain, identified with the Gumyoshevsky mine near Polevskoy. Deep beneath the mountain she guards enormous underground riches of copper, malachite, gold, and precious stones. She controls the places where these treasures can be found and can either allow miners to discover them or prevent them from reaching the richest deposits.

The Mistress is said to favor honest, brave, and skillful miners. Those who earn her favor may suddenly discover beautiful stones and valuable deposits hidden within the mountain. She can also send her lizards to carry out tasks for her beneath the earth.

Those who anger her can lose everything. A miner who breaks her rules may suddenly lose his luck and his ability to find valuable stone, and in some stories the Mistress can bring about his death. Miners therefore treated the underground as her domain and followed various rules when working there. Women were traditionally forbidden from entering the mines, while young men seeking the Mistress’s favor were expected not to marry.

The Mistress particularly disliked cruelty and mistreatment of miners. In one tale, a cruel mine manager continued abusing his workers despite warnings that the Mistress would punish him. Eventually he encountered a beautiful woman underground whose eyes burned with anger. The manager and his men recognized her as the Mistress herself, and the manager was warned that nothing would remain of him except his boot soles if he continued treating the workers badly.

The Mistress is also associated with the Stone Flower and other stories of the Ural miners. She possesses her own hidden craftsmen who live within the mountain and create extraordinary objects for her, including works that appear almost alive rather than carved from stone.

In some traditions, the Mistress of the Copper Mountain is identified with the Azov Girl, an enchanted woman who lives within Mount Azov and guards hidden treasures. Other legends treat the two as separate beings, with the Azov Girl guarding the treasures of ancient peoples hidden inside the mountain.

The Mistress can appear suddenly to those who enter her domain and may disappear just as quickly. She can reward a skilled craftsman with wealth and knowledge, but the same mountain that provides riches can become deadly when its mistress is angered.

Sources

“The Mistress of the Copper Mountain.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed August 15, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mistress_of_the_Copper_Mountain

Zhegshemeер bookholdoy

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Tradition / Region: Buryat Mythology, Russian Mythology
Alternative names: Zhegshemeer Bookholdoy
Category: Cave dweller

The Myth

The Zhegshemeer bookholdoy is described as a disgusting and abominable spirit belonging to the lower mythology of the Buryats.

In the surviving description, the Zhegshemeer bookholdoy is identified as one of the supernatural characters found in Buryat folklore. No further legend or account of its appearance, behavior, or encounters with humans is given in the source.

Sources

“Жэгшэмээр бөөхөлдой (Zhegshemeer Bookholdoi).” New Bestiary (Bestiary.us). Accessed August 15, 2026. https://www.bestiary.us/zhegshemeer-bookholdoi

Bukanai

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Tradition / Region: Russian Mythology
Alternative names: None known
Category: Cave dweller

The Myth

The Bukanai is described as a bogeyman-like creature from Russian children’s folklore. It is considered one of many frightening stories told to children and is described as a fantastic creature similar to a brownie.

According to the tradition, the Bukanai lives in places such as stables, haylofts, or underground shelters in the Middle Urals. Beyond its role as a frightening creature used in children’s tales, no further description or legend is provided in the source.

Sources

“Буканай (Bukanay).” New Bestiary (Bestiary.us). Accessed July 28, 2026. https://www.bestiary.us/bukanaj

Kav

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Tradition / Region: Bezhtin mythology, Russian Mythology
Alternative names: None recorded
Category: Cat

The Myth

The Kav appears as a shaggy creature completely covered in hair with the face of a cat, but without whiskers. It is the restless spirit of a recently deceased person who lived an unrighteous life and rose from the grave after death.

According to Bezhtin tradition, the Kav wanders through abandoned villages, ruined houses, barns, and haylofts. Those unfortunate enough to encounter it are overwhelmed by terror, and the creature is said to frighten its victims so severely that they may be driven into madness or even die from the encounter. It is regarded as an evil undead spirit that continues to haunt the living after emerging from its grave.

Sources

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

Lyub

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Tradition / Region: Russian Mythology
Alternative names: Nelyub
Category: Cat

The Myth

Lyub appears as a large-eared, shaggy, golden-haired cat carrying a stalk of arrowhead in its teeth. It is the guardian spirit of the marriage bed and protects the relationship between husband and wife. Nelyub, its opposite, appears as a shaggy black cat that brings misfortune to the marriage.

To ensure Lyub’s blessing, newlyweds performed special rituals after their wedding. The marriage bed was sprinkled with incense and dedicated to Lyub. The morning after the wedding, the newlyweds’ bloodstained bed sheet was displayed to relatives and in-laws as part of the ritual. A special loaf called lyubok was also baked from rye dough with a symbolic filling placed inside and then hidden in a secluded place near the couple’s bed as an offering for Lyub. In return, the spirit was believed to protect the marriage and preserve harmony between husband and wife.

Sources

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

Earth Cat

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Tradition / Region: Russian Mythology
Alternative names: —
Category: Cat

The Myth

The Earth Cat is an underground wildcat believed by the people of the Ural Mountains to guard hidden treasures beneath the earth.

One of its best-known appearances is in Pavel Bazhov’s tale “Cat’s Ears.” In the story, a girl named Dunyakha encounters what first appears to be two mysterious fires with a small mound between them that resembles a cat’s head. As she watches, the fiery “ears” grow larger, then shift aside as if the cat is moving. The strange apparition is said to appear in places where copper and gold lie buried underground.

The Earth Cat is described as a supernatural manifestation of the underground world rather than an ordinary animal. It is closely associated with hidden mineral wealth, appearing above deposits of valuable ore while silently guarding the treasures beneath the earth.

Sources

“Земляная кошка (Zemlyanaya Koshka).” New Bestiary (Bestiary.us). Accessed July 28, 2026. https://www.bestiary.us/zemljanaja-koshka

Three-Headed Eagle

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Tradition / Region: Russian Mythology
Alternative names: Triple-Headed Eagle; Öksökö (Yakut and Dolgan)
Category: Bird

The Myth

The Three-Headed Eagle is a legendary giant bird that appears in several Eurasian traditions. Unlike the more familiar two-headed eagle, this fearsome creature possesses three heads, making it an even more formidable supernatural being. In Yakut and Dolgan folklore, it is known as Öksökö, which may have either two or three heads depending on the tale.

In a Chechen fairy tale, the Three-Headed Eagle appears as a monstrous adversary that terrorizes the land until it is confronted by a heroic warrior. After a fierce struggle, the hero slays the giant bird, overcoming one of the greatest dangers of the story and restoring peace.

Although the Three-Headed Eagle later appeared in heraldry and religious literature, its mythological role is that of an immense supernatural eagle whose multiple heads emphasize its extraordinary power and make it a worthy opponent for legendary heroes.

Sources

Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). Triple-headed eagle. In Wikipedia. Retrieved June 29, 2026, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triple-headed_eagle