Spirit

Buka

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Tradition / Region: Mordvin Mythology, Russian Mythology
Alternate Names: —
Category: Spirit

The Myth

According to the tales of Mordvin peasants from the Saratov province, Buka is a strange and unsettling class of were-beast. Unlike creatures that take animal or human form, Buka appears at night in the shape of a haystack, blending almost perfectly into the rural landscape.

Buka is said to roam mainly after dark. It chases passers-by, pursuing them through fields and paths while emitting frightening sounds—described as tones resembling the growl of a harsh electric train. These unnatural noises announce its presence before it is fully perceived, filling those who hear them with sudden fear.

The creature is particularly associated with areas around churches, where it is said to circle repeatedly, lingering within the sacred boundary as if bound to it. Those who encounter Buka rarely attempt to confront it, for it is known to behave unpredictably.

If pursued or nearly caught by people, Buka does not fight back. Instead, it suddenly falls straight into the ground, disappearing entirely—“into Tartarus,” as the tales say—leaving no trace behind. After this, it is as if it never existed at all.

Buka remains a night-bound presence in Mordvin belief: a moving shape where none should move, a sound where silence belongs, and a reminder that even the most ordinary objects—like a haystack—can conceal something unnatural once darkness falls.

Sources

Bestiary.us contributors. (n.d.). Eterari. In Bestiary.us, from https://www.bestiary.us/eterari/

Dema

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Tradition / Region: Australian Mythology, Aborigine Mythology
Alternate Names: Dema, Demes
Category: Shapeshifter, Spirit

The Myth

In the age before the present world had settled into its familiar shape, the Dema walked the land. They were beings of mixed form, combining human features with those of animals and birds. Their bodies did not obey a single shape, and their nature was never fixed. To encounter a Dema was to face something both familiar and strange, human and non-human at once.

The Dema belonged to the time of first creations, when the world was still forming. This era is spoken of only vaguely as “long ago,” yet it does not feel distant. Stories of the Dema move freely between past and present, as if the boundary between then and now were thin. What happened in the age of the Dema can seem as near as yesterday.

The Dema were creators. They brought species, natural forces, and essential objects into existence. Often they did not merely create these things but were them. A Dema might be a man, a bird, a serpent, a tree, or all of these in turn. Transformation was natural to them, and stories tell of sudden and unexpected changes of form.

A Dema could appear as a youth and then slip back into an animal shape without warning. One might live as a serpent, be killed in that form, and yet continue to exist as a human, still bearing traces of the serpent, before eventually becoming a snake once more. Death did not always end a Dema’s story; it often marked another change.

Many Dema were the ancestors of clans and tribes. As totemic founders, they gave rise to the first people, animals, or plants of a lineage. Their mixed appearance reflected the bond between a clan and its totem. Through them, humans and animals were revealed to share a common origin.

Some Dema became the very species they had embodied. A Dema-dog, for example, transformed fully into a dog and produced many intelligent, speaking offspring. From these came the ordinary dogs of the world. In this way, myth explains how the extraordinary became ordinary, and how the living world took its present form.

Though powerful, the Dema were not always benevolent. They often quarreled with humans, bringing danger, rivalry, and conflict. Like heroes and monsters at once, they shaped the world through both creation and destruction.

The Dema are remembered not as distant gods, but as unstable, shifting beings whose actions still echo in the land, in animals, and in human descent. They embody the idea that the world is born from transformation, and that nothing was ever meant to remain fixed forever.

Gallery

Sources

Bestiary.us contributors. (n.d.). Dema. In Bestiary.us, from https://www.bestiary.us/dema/

Interpretive Lenses

Religious Readings
  • Christian Ascetic Deep Dive
Philosophical Readings
  • Nietzschean Deep Dive
Psychological Readings
  • Jungian Deep Dive
Esoteric Deep Dive
  • Hermetic Deep Dive
Political / Social Readings
  • Marxist Deep Dive
Other
  • How to Invite The Dema

Aromo-rubi

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Tradition / Region: Papua New Guinea Mythology
Alternate Names: —
Category: Spirit

The Myth

In the beliefs of the Kiwai Papuans, the sky is not empty. High above the earth live the Aromo-rubi, strange anthropomorphic beings with small bodies and great, powerful limbs. No other spirits dwell in the sky with them; the heights belong to the Aromo-rubi alone.

From their place above the world, they throw down long ropes. When they descend along these ropes and climb back up again, flashes of lightning tear across the sky. Their movement between sky and earth splits the darkness with sudden fire.

Thunder is made in another way. The Aromo-rubi roll massive tree trunks across the heavens. As the wood grinds and crashes through the sky, the sound echoes across the land as thunder, shaking forests and villages below.

Through these acts, the Aromo-rubi command the storm. Lightning and thunder are not signs of distant forces, but the visible and audible traces of their work in the sky.

Sources

Bestiary.us contributors. (n.d.). Aromo-rubi. In Bestiary.us, from https://www.bestiary.us/aromo-rubi/

Begeredubu

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Tradition / Region: Papua New Guinea Mythology
Alternate Names: —
Category: Spirit

The Myth

Begeredubu is the mythical being of Waboda, a figure who is both man and spirit. He first appears in stories set in another place, but during a great flood he was carried away by a powerful torrent and brought to Waboda, where he remained.

At first, Begeredubu lived inside a large tree called gagoro. The tree was closely bound to his existence, and in time Begeredubu himself came to be identified with it. When the gagoro tree eventually fell, he built a house for himself and continued to dwell there, maintaining his presence in the area.

Begeredubu is remembered as a powerful and unusual being, marked by physical traits that set him apart from ordinary men. Through his arrival by flood, his dwelling in the gagoro tree, and his continued presence after its fall, he became firmly rooted in the land and memory of Waboda, existing at the boundary between the human world and the realm of spirits.

Sources

Landtman, G. (1970). The Kiwai Papuans of British New Guinea: A nature-born instance of Rousseau’s ideal community.

Basai and Kaibani

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Tradition / Region: Papua New Guinea Mythology
Alternate Names: Basai, Kaibani
Category: Spirit

The Myth

On Paho Island there is a hollow place beneath the ground that answers when people stamp upon it. The earth itself gives back a deep echo, and for this reason the place is known as Basai’s drum. Nearby lies a stone called Basai’s stone, linked to the beeswax once fixed to drum skins to strengthen and purify their sound.

Some say that Basai is the name of the being who inhabits this place beneath the earth. Others tell that the spirit there is a woman named Kaibani, who lives beneath the stone. In earlier times, Kaibani was said to appear at the stone, seated and patiently working on a belt, her hands moving steadily as she wove.

The place is not only hers. The spirits of the dead pass by it on their journey to Adiri, and as they do, they dance around the stone. They beat Basai’s drum by leaping upon the hollow ground, causing it to resound beneath their feet.

In the past, whenever the Mawata people traveled to Paho Island to gather crabs and fish, they performed ritual dances at this sacred spot. The sound of the drum was taken as an omen. If the echo rang out clear and strong, the people believed their journey would be free of trouble. If the sound was dull or broken, hardship and difficulty were expected.

A verse from an old song preserves the memory of Kaibani and her work:

“Mother of Paho made the belt;
Kaibani’s belt was no good.”

Thus the drum, the stone, and the woman beneath the earth remain bound together—listening, answering, and foretelling the fate of those who pass through the island.

Sources

Landtman, G. (1970). The Kiwai Papuans of British New Guinea: A nature-born instance of Rousseau’s ideal community.

Kutys

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Tradition / Region: Russian Mythology, Udmurt Mythology, Besermyan Mythology
Alternate Names: Vu Kutys (“Water Kutys”), Kutesi (Besermyan)
Category: Swamp Dweller, Spirit, Disease

The Myth

Kutys is a spirit that dwells near water, feared by people and animals alike. His name means “the one who seizes,” and when he acts, it is said that he truly grabs hold of his victims.

Kutys lives at springs, at the sources of rivers and streams, and in ravines where water once flowed. Even when a ravine dries in summer, Kutys may still remain there, unseen. Wherever he lives, sickness and terror follow. When he becomes angry, he punishes people and livestock first with sudden, unexplainable fear, and then with illness. Boils, scabs, erysipelas, abscesses, and wasting pains appear without warning. Sometimes Kutys inspires fear by wild, inhuman cries, and sometimes by appearing in dreadful forms, neither fully man nor beast.

Near the village of Omutnitsy, far from the town of Glazov, there is a spring where Kutys is said to live even now. Above the spring lies a marshy ravine covered with tangled growth. Kutys guards a hidden treasure there. On hot summer days, people or horses who approach the upper part of the ravine may be seized. Breath becomes difficult, strength drains away, the stomach tightens inward, fever and trembling begin, and soon the whole body falls into sickness. This suffering can last for days and may end in death unless Kutys is appeased with sacrifice.

Once, men building a bridge over the stream called Yazinets slept beside their work. At midnight they were awakened by a terrible roar. At the head of the stream they saw a gigantic figure advancing toward them, something neither clearly human nor animal. In panic, they fled to the village, leaving their clothes and belongings behind.

To protect themselves, people make offerings to Kutys. Small loaves of bread, egg-filled pies, pancakes, grains of barley tied in cloth, copper coins, or even a live chicken with bound legs are given at springs and streams. Some throw grain mixed with salt, bits of cloth, or small dolls into the water or onto the ground where Kutys dwells. This act of offering is meant to calm him and release those he has seized.

Kutys is closely bound to water itself. Those who curse into water, spit, blow their nose, or behave disrespectfully near springs risk being taken by him. Among the Besermyans, Kutys is believed to be the spirit of those who died unnatural deaths, or of infants who died without being named. Such spirits linger near their burial places and seize anyone who steps upon them.

Thus Kutys remains a presence of sudden fear and sudden illness, a reminder that water is not only life-giving but dangerous, and that unseen hands may still reach up from springs and ravines to seize the careless.

Sources

Bestiary.us contributors. (n.d.). Kutys. In Bestiary.us — Mythical Creatures of the World, from https://www.bestiary.us/kutys#

Lidérc

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Tradition / Region: Hungarian Mythology
Alternate Names: Ludvérc
Category: Bird, Chicken, Flame, Spirit, Shapeshifter

The Myth

In the villages and marshlands of Hungary, people speak of the Lidérc, a restless and many-formed spirit that moves between fire, flesh, and shadow.

On some nights it appears as a shooting star or a wandering flame, streaking low across the sky or flickering over bogs and fields. Wherever it passes, sparks leap and fires may break out, barns and pens igniting without cause. In other places it takes the shape of a fiery rod, a blazing figure, or a marsh light that lures the unwary.

But the Lidérc is most feared for the form it takes among humans.

It seeks the lonely: widows, widowers, abandoned lovers, those whose beloveds are far away or dead. Slipping through the night, it enters their homes and assumes the exact appearance of the person they long for most. It speaks gently, knows their memories, and offers comfort, affection, and desire. Night after night it returns, lying beside its victim, feeding not on blood but on life itself. The victim grows pale and weak, dizzy and thin, until at last they waste away and die, loved to death. When its prey is spent, the Lidérc abandons the body and rises again into the sky as a star, seeking another heart to consume.

Yet the Lidérc is never perfect in its disguise. One of its legs always betrays it: a scaly goose foot, a chicken’s claw, or sometimes a horse’s iron-shod hoof. Those who scatter ashes at their threshold may see the tracks—one human footstep, one monstrous—and know what has crossed their door. Garlic, cords, and household charms can bar its entry, if the danger is recognized in time.

There is another kind of Lidérc as well, one born not from fire but from human greed. If the first egg laid by a black hen is hidden beneath a person’s armpit and warmed there, a strange, featherless creature will hatch. This Lidérc binds itself to its keeper, speaking with intelligence and obeying commands. It brings wealth, steals treasure, and works tirelessly, living on butter and favors. But it is never satisfied. If its master fails to give it constant tasks, it becomes restless and cruel, pestering day and night until it finally destroys the one who raised it.

The only escape is to give the Lidérc an impossible command: to carry water in a sieve, to squeeze through solid wood, to complete a task that cannot be done. Unable to endure failure, the creature will rage, weaken, and finally vanish.

Thus the Lidérc remains a warning whispered in Hungarian folklore: that desire, loneliness, and greed can summon something that looks like love or fortune—but feeds only on ruin.

Sources

A Book of Creatures contributors. (2021). Lidérc. In ABookOfCreatures.com, from https://abookofcreatures.com/2021/03/22/liderc/

Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). Lidérc. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lid%C3%A9rc

Shanjing

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Tradition / Region: Chinese Folklore (Hebei Province; Anguo / Ankoku region)
Alternate Names: Mountain Spirit; One-Legged Mountain Spirit; Xiao
Category: Mountain Dweller / Demon / Spirit

The Myth

In the mountains of what is now Anguo City in Hebei Province, there was said to exist a being known as the Shanjing, the Mountain Spirit. Ancient Chinese texts describe it as a small humanoid creature, usually between one and four feet tall depending on the source, with only a single leg. Its most striking feature was its foot: the heel faced backward, an unmistakable sign that it was not a natural being.

The Mountain Spirit was said to dwell in mountainous regions and remain hidden during the day, emerging only at night. It was known to steal salt from humans, slipping into storage huts or mountain shelters under cover of darkness. Its diet consisted primarily of crabs and frogs gathered from the mountains and streams. Some accounts describe it carrying crabs in its hands as it approached human dwellings.

When encountered at night, the Mountain Spirit could attack people. However, it was believed that if a person called out the word “Ba,” the creature would lose its ability to harm them. At the same time, the Mountain Spirit was dangerous to provoke. Those who struck or injured it were said to suffer illness afterward, or find their houses consumed by fire.

Classical texts give varying descriptions of its appearance. Some portray it as human-shaped, others as resembling a small child. Several sources note that its body was hairy, its face dark or blackened, and that it laughed when it saw humans. In Daoist writings such as the Baopuzi, it is described as a nocturnal attacker and listed among spirits that could invade human homes.

The Mountain Spirit appears frequently in Chinese poetry and literature, where it is mentioned alongside other supernatural beings such as fox spirits and animal demons. These references describe it as a presence bound to mountains, night, and wild places, a being that moved between the human world and the unseen realm.

Through later transmission into Japan, the Mountain Spirit was depicted in illustrated demon compendiums, notably in Toriyama Sekien’s Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki. There it appears gazing at mountain huts while holding crabs, preserving the older Chinese description of a salt-stealing, crab-eating, one-legged mountain being that emerges after dark and vanishes again before dawn.

Interpretive Lenses

Religious Readings
Philosophical Readings
  • Nietzschean Deep Dive
Psychological Readings
  • Jungian Deep Dive
Esoteric Deep Dive
  • Hermetic Deep Dive
Political / Social Readings
  • Marxist Deep Dive
Other

Liiva-Annus

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Tradition / Region: Estonian mythology
Alternative name: –
Category: Spirit

The Myth

Liiva-Annus is one of the most widespread names used by Estonians to refer to Death itself, understood not merely as an abstract end, but as an active, personified spirit. Because death was feared as something that could be summoned by name, people avoided calling it directly and instead used substitute names and nicknames. Among these were Mulla-Madis, Kalmu-Kaarel, Haua-Kusta, Toone-Toomas, Death-Peeter, as well as descriptive titles such as the scytheman, boneman, blackman, and coldfoot. Liiva-Annus is one of the most enduring of these euphemisms.

In folk imagination, Liiva-Annus appears as an old man who comes to claim human lives by force. He is said to beat people to death using tools associated with earth and burial—such as a scythe, shovel, pickaxe, or similar implements—linking him closely to the grave, soil, and the labor of digging. His presence is sudden, unavoidable, and final.

The figure of Liiva-Annus belongs to a broader, internationally known image of Death found throughout Christian Europe: the aged reaper who harvests human lives. In Estonian tradition, however, his many names emphasize both fear and familiarity—Death is ever-present, but must be spoken of carefully, indirectly, and with respect.

Rahaaugu Haldjad

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Tradition / Region: Estonian mythology
Alternative name: –
Category: Spirit

The Myth

Rahaaugu haldjad, the Fairies of the Money Pit, are spirits believed to guard buried treasure hidden in the earth. In ancient times, money and valuable metal objects were often buried to protect them from war, raids, or theft. When the owners of these treasures died or were unable to return, the wealth remained underground, and the soul of the person who buried it became bound to the site as its guardian.

These spirits are not pagan priests or “old pagans,” despite later confusion in folklore. Their role is specific: they are keepers of wealth, bound to the treasure by death and unfinished responsibility. In some cases, a single money pit may be guarded by several fairies, reflecting that the treasure once had multiple owners, all of whom became its guardians after death.

To those deemed worthy, a fairy of the money pit may appear in a dream, inviting the dreamer to seek the hidden treasure. Yet this invitation is also a trial. Before allowing the treasure to be taken, the fairy tests the seeker’s courage. It may conjure shadowy apparitions, ghosts, or frightening visions, or transform itself into animals such as a dog, goat, wolf, or bear to terrify the human.

Only those who face these trials without fear or hesitation may succeed. In this way, the Rahaaugu haldjad embody the belief that wealth is never freely given, and that courage, resolve, and moral strength are required to claim what lies buried beneath the earth.