Tradition: Udmurt Mythology, Russian Mythology
Alternative Names: Mushvozmas
Category: House dweller

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The Myth

Ludmurt is a small male spirit in Udmurt mythology responsible for meadows and fields. He is described as being no taller than a child and dressed in white. In the fields, he is believed to appear as an old man or as a bird, moving through the agricultural landscape he protects.

Ludmurt guards animals and oversees crops, fulfilling a dual role as a protector of livestock and a guardian of cultivated land. He is associated with the forest spirit Nilesmurt, of whom he is considered a relative or retinue member. His name literally means “field man,” connecting him directly to the meadows and fields under his care.

Before the first pasture of the year, people prayed to Ludmurt and asked him to guard and protect their cattle from wolves and other wild animals. These prayers reflected his importance to agricultural communities, whose livelihoods depended on the safety of their livestock and the success of their crops.

Ludmurt was sometimes called Mushvozmas, meaning “guardian of bees.” On August 1, when people began cutting honeycombs, a duck was sacrificed to him at an apiary. This offering acknowledged his role in protecting bees and the production of honey, extending his guardianship beyond fields and livestock to another important part of rural life.

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Sources

“Ludmurt.” New Bestiary (Bestiary.us). https://www.bestiary.us/ludmurt

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Tradition: Buryat Folklore, Russian Mythology
Alternative Names: Bokholdoy
Category: House dweller

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The Myth

Booholdoy is a supernatural being in Buryat folklore that is understood both as a household spirit and, more broadly, as a general term for harmful spirits. In the narrower sense, it belongs to the category of house spirits. In the broader sense, the name refers to an evil spirit into which a person’s soul transforms after death.

Booholdoy is associated with misfortune, illness, and damage to property. As a general designation for malevolent spirits, it represents a supernatural source of suffering that can affect both people and their possessions. Its presence is therefore linked to the dangers attributed to spirits that bring harm into the human world.

The tradition presents Booholdoy as more than a single, clearly defined creature. The name can describe a particular kind of household spirit or serve as a broader label for harmful supernatural beings. This wider meaning connects the spirit to Buryat beliefs about death, the transformation of the soul, and the supernatural origins of misfortune.

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Sources

“Bookholdoi.” New Bestiary (Bestiary.us). https://www.bestiary.us/bookholdoi

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Tradition: Russian Mythology
Alternative Names: Bukusetka
Category: House dweller

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The Myth

Bukaritsa is a mysterious creature in Russian folklore that lives underground within a house. It is also known as a frightening figure used by adults to scare children. Although its exact appearance is not described in the available account, its unusual dwelling place distinguishes it as a supernatural inhabitant of the home.

Bukaritsa is associated with the idea of a hidden creature living almost directly beneath people’s feet. A saying recorded in Tobolsk province warns that when someone begins talking about a neighbour, the neighbour may tell them about another beetle who lives almost in the same underground space. This expression evokes the strange presence of unseen beings dwelling beneath ordinary domestic life.

The creature is described as similar to the susedka, a Russian household spirit, as well as to the bogeyman. In Transbaikalia, a comparable being is known as Bukusetka. These similarities place Bukaritsa among the supernatural figures associated with the home and with frightening children, although the available account provides little further detail about its behaviour or powers.

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Sources

“Bukarica.” New Bestiary (Bestiary.us). https://www.bestiary.us/bukarica

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Tradition: Russian Mythology
Alternative Names: Empty House Spirit, Kikimora
Category: House dweller

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The Myth

Pustodomka is a malevolent household spirit associated with an empty house. In some regions of Russia, including Perm, Tomsk, and Arkhangelsk, the name refers to a kikimora living in an unoccupied building. Although sometimes described as an independent supernatural being, Pustodomka is particularly associated with the domestic spirit’s ability to interfere with human lives and influence their fate.

According to beliefs recorded in the Arkhangelsk region, Pustodomka has the same occupation as the kikimora: she spins the “threads of fate” belonging to people. A story from the Russian North describes an empty-headed woman who repeatedly promises to attend a gathering but continually forgets. When she finally arrives, the girls hosting the party decide to teach her a lesson.

The girls give the woman a pot, a ball of spun yarn, and a salt shaker, then tell her to place the pots on her head and spin. When she begins spinning, the girls put their own pots on their heads as well. Pustodomka enters the house carrying the spinning wheel of the moiritsy, the spinning women, and sits down to spin. Her wheel is so small that she can barely tighten the spindle. She then begins to speak, complaining that the girls have chopped at her with an axe, pricked her with needles, and placed her on the table. The table, the spinning wheel, and the salt shaker each speak in turn, describing how the girls have mistreated them despite their willingness to put up with everything.

The story ends with Pustodomka becoming angry and attacking the girls. She strikes them with the spinning wheel and the pot, causing the pot to break and the spinning wheel to roll away. She beats every girl she can reach before leaving. The girls, however, laugh at the incident, treating it as a humorous mishap rather than a tragedy.

This legend portrays Pustodomka as a strange and potentially dangerous spirit whose relationship with people can turn hostile. Her association with spinning and the threads of fate links her to the kikimora, while the story emphasizes her unpredictable behaviour and the mischief that can arise when humans encounter the supernatural.

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Sources

“Pustodomka.” New Bestiary (Bestiary.us). https://www.bestiary.us/pustodomka

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Tradition: Mari Mythology, Russian Mythology
Alternative Names: Agun-kugyza, Agun-kuguzya
Category: House dweller

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The Myth

Agun Oza is a supernatural barn spirit in the folklore of the Mari people, described as a small animal-like creature with brightly glowing eyes. It lives in the barn, a place where sheaves, grain, and bread are dried, threshed, and stored. Although it is sometimes identified with the house spirit, known as the Pört oza, the source treats Agun Oza as a distinct being associated specifically with the barn.

Agun Oza plays a role in Christmas fortune-telling. In mythological tales, fortune-tellers visit the barn to learn what the coming year will bring. Agun Oza is believed to stroke the hands of those seeking predictions. If it strokes their hands with its bare paw, they will enjoy bread and prosperity throughout the year. If it strokes them with its furry paw, however, they will live in poverty. The spirit therefore determines whether the fortune-seeker can expect abundance or hardship.

The barn spirit dislikes lazy people and is said to frighten them. Its presence connects the prosperity of the household with the work performed in the barn, where grain and other essential foodstuffs are processed and preserved. Its role in fortune-telling makes it both a supernatural inhabitant of an agricultural building and an arbiter of future fortune.

According to Mari tradition, Agun Oza was appeased through an autumn sacrifice of a small animal. Parts of the sacrificed animal were buried beneath the barn. This offering reflects the importance attached to maintaining a relationship with the spirit that inhabited the place where the community’s grain and bread were prepared and stored.

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Sources

“Agun-Oza.” New Bestiary (Bestiary.us). https://www.bestiary.us/agun-oza

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Tradition: Russian Mythology
Alternative Names: Zhiroviy, Lizen, Lizun, Fat Devil
Category: House dweller

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The Myth

The Zhirovik is a small household spirit in Slavic folklore, known for its mischievous behaviour and love of warmth. It prefers warm, enclosed places around the home, especially near the stove, in chimneys, or in underground spaces. Although it can cause trouble, it is not necessarily malicious: its pranks often arise from boredom or an unusual nature rather than a desire to harm people.

The Zhirovik is particularly fond of food and domestic comfort. It may linger around food being prepared, lick pancakes and fritters left unattended, and poke around unwashed dishes at night. It is also associated with underground corners of the household, including the golbets, a partition or space behind the stove. Its love of warmth and food makes it a familiar presence in the domestic world, where it can be both an amusing nuisance and an unsettling companion.

Like other Slavic household spirits, the Zhirovik resembles a brownie: an invisible guardian of the home that can influence the household’s comfort and prosperity. In some traditions, a brownie may be described as a permanent inhabitant of a house who enjoys contentment and abundance, while in others it can bring misfortune when neglected or living in unsuitable conditions. The Zhirovik’s violent or troublesome nature is said to emerge particularly when it inhabits empty mansions.

Despite its reputation as a troublemaker, the Zhirovik is also a spirit of warmth and domestic life. Its fondness for food, hot places, and the quiet corners of a house reflects the belief that homes are inhabited by unseen beings whose habits and moods can affect the people living there.

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Sources

“Zhirovik.” New Bestiary (Bestiary.us). https://www.bestiary.us/zhirovik

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

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The Myth

Zharenitsa is an evil spirit in the folklore of the Russian North, believed to live in the hearth near the bottom of the stove. It appears as a fiery glow, described as blazing and glowing within the hearth. Its exact shape and other physical features are not described in the available accounts.

Zharenitsa was used to frighten small children and keep them away from the stove. Adults warned children about the spirit to prevent them from climbing into the hearth and getting burned. Its association with fire made it a threatening presence in the home, turning the dangerous heat of the stove into a supernatural warning.

Unlike the Zharenik and Zharenitsa figures associated with midday heat in the Vologda region’s fields and gardens, this Zharenitsa belongs to the domestic folklore of the Russian North. Here, the spirit is specifically connected with the stove and the danger of household fires.

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Sources

“Zharenitsa.” New Bestiary (Bestiary.us). https://www.bestiary.us/zharenitsa

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Tradition: Russian Mythology
Alternative Names: Zharenitsa
Category: House dweller

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The Myth

Zharenik is a spirit associated with pea fields and vegetable gardens in the Vologda region of Russia. Its female counterpart, Zharenitsa, is believed to inhabit the same places. Both spirits personify the intense midday heat during the summer, particularly when peas and other crops are ripening. Their appearance is not described in the available folklore accounts.

Zharenik and Zharenitsa belong to the category of midday spirits believed to inhabit fields during the hottest part of the day. Their presence was associated with the summer heat, when the ripening crops required protection and fieldwork could be uncomfortable. Although little is known about their nature, they formed part of the supernatural beliefs surrounding rural life and agriculture.

According to a local tradition, these spirits were used to frighten children away from pea fields. A flying pan and a frying pan were employed to scare children so that they would not pick peas from the crops. Another belief tells of a girl weeding a vegetable garden who sees a fried egg between the garden beds. Such stories reflect the association of these spirits with gardens, fieldwork, and the dangers or peculiarities of the summer midday heat.

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Sources

“Zharenik.” New Bestiary (Bestiary.us). https://www.bestiary.us/zharenik/ru

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Tradition: Mari Mythology, Russian Mythology
Alternative Names: Idym oza
Category: House dweller

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The Myth

The Idym Oza is the guardian spirit of the threshing floor and barn in Mari folklore. It is usually invisible, but may appear as a man dressed in traditional white Mari clothing or, in some accounts, as a black figure. The spirit watches over barns where grain and bread are dried, threshed, and stored, ensuring that everything remains in order.

The Idym Oza is said to appear around midnight, carrying a broom as it walks through the barn and inspects the premises. It checks that the work area is tidy and that the stored grain is properly cared for before disappearing. People who encounter the spirit should not disturb it or interfere with its duties. In traditional accounts, it is important to ask the barn guardian’s permission before spending the night in the barn. Those who forget may be frightened by strange noises, footsteps, or other disturbances, and the spirit may prevent them from sleeping.

The Idym Oza was treated with respect, particularly during the harvest season. At the beginning of threshing, families performed sacrificial rites to honour the barn’s guardian and secure a successful harvest. A priest might bring porridge to the barn and recite prayers asking the spirit to preserve the grain, assist with threshing, and protect the flax and hemp. The barn owner was also expected to maintain the building and remember the spirit with appropriate offerings.

Neglecting these customs was believed to bring misfortune. Some traditions tell of barns destroyed by fire after sacred prohibitions were violated, with the destruction interpreted as punishment from higher powers. Over time, these beliefs began to fade as barns changed and modern technology became widespread. Electric lighting and other changes were said to have made the Idym Oza invisible or driven it away, although the barn and its guardian retained an important place in Mari cultural memory.

The Idym Oza reflects the traditional importance of the barn as more than a place to store and process crops. It was a shared space where people worked together and depended on the harvest for their livelihood. Respecting its guardian was therefore part of maintaining order, protecting grain, and ensuring the well-being of the household and community.

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Sources

“Idym Oza.” New Bestiary (Bestiary.us). https://www.bestiary.us/idym-oza

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