Leshy
An illustration, 1906
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Grouping | Fairy Spirit Relict hominid |
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First reported | In folklore |
Country | Slavic Europe |
Habitat | Forests |
The Leshy (Russian: Ле́ший; IPA: [ˈlʲeʂɨj]; literally, "[he] from the forest") is the tutelary spirit of the forests in Slavic folklore. The plural form in Russian can be transliterated leshiye (with accent on the vowel after the l).
Leshiye are masculine and humanoid in shape, are able to assume any likeness[1] and can change in size and height.[2][3] In some accounts, the leshy is described as having a wife (leshachikha/leszachka/lesovikha) and children (leshonki/leszonky). Because of his propensity to lead travelers astray and abduct children, which he shares with Chort, or "The Black One," the Leshy is believed by some to be evil. Others view him as more of a temperamental being like a fairy.[4]
Names and etymology
The Leshy is known by a variety of names and spellings including the following:[5][6][7][8][9]
Main name variations:
- Borovoi (Russian: Боровой, Polish: Borowy) "[he] of the forest"
- Gayevoi (Russian: Гаевой, Polish: Gajowy) "[he] of the grove"
- Leshak (Russian: Леша́к, Serbian: Лешак, Croatian: Lešak)
- Leshy (Russian: Ле́ший, Belarusian: Лешы, Polish: Leszy, Czech: Leši, Serbian: Лешиј, Croatian: Lešij, Leši)
- Lesnik (Russian: Лесник, Polish: Leśnik, Bulgarian: Лесник, Serbian: Лесник, Croatian: Lesnik)
- Lesovik (Russian: Лесови́к, Belarusian: Лесавік, Ukrainian: Лісовик, Serbian: Лесовик, Croatian: Lesovik)
- Lesovoi (Russian: Лесово́й, Czech: Lesovij, Serbian: Лесовој, Croatian: Lesovoj)
- Lesun (Russian: Лесу́н, Belarusian: Лясун)
- Mezhsargs (Latvian: Mežsargs) "forester"
- Mikshinis (Lithuanian: Miškinis) "woodsman"
- Mishko velnias (Lithuanian: Miško velnias) "forest devil"
- Vir'ava (Erzya: Вирьава) "forest mother"
Euphemistic titles:
- He (Russian: он) also used for the devil, based on superstition prohibiting invocation of evil
- He himself (Russian: он сам) like "he"[4]
- Les chestnoi (Russian: Лес честной) "honorable one of the forest"
- Les pravedniy (Russian: Лес праведный) "righteous one of the forest"
- Lesnoi dedushka/ded or Dedushka-lesovoi (Russian: Лесной дедушка/дед, Дедушка-лесовой, Belarusian: Лясны дзед, Polish: Leśny dziad) "forest grandfather"
- Lesnoi dukh (Russian: Лесной дух) "forest spirit"
- Lesnoi dyadya (Russian: Лесной дядя) "forest uncle"
- Lesnoi khozyain (Russian: Лесной хозяин) "forest master"
- Lesnoi zhitel' (Russian: Лесной житель)"forest dweller" or "woodsman"
- Lesny muzhik (Czech: Lesní mužík, Slovak: Lesný mužík), "forest man"
Popular culture
- "Leszy" is one of the monsters featured in Andrzej Sapkowski's fictional world of The Witcher
- "Leshen" is a woodland spirit that appears in the videogame The Witcher 3 created by CD Projekt RED based on Andrzej Sapkowski's novels
- "Leshiy" song by the psychedelic trance music project Parus from the 2006 compilation album "Seismic Mood"
- "Leshiy" [Леший] song by the Russian metal band Arkona from their 2011 album Slovo
- "Leshy" character in the 1994 computer game Quest for Glory: Shadows of Darkness by Sierra Entertainment
- The Wood Demon [Леший] (1889), a four-act comedy by Anton Chekhov
- "Leshii" is a shapeshifting pagan god in season 5 of Supernatural
- "Leshy" is a forest guardian that appears in the 2015 computer game Thea: The Awakening by Muha Games
See also
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- Äbädä (Tatarstan)
- Basajaun (Basque Country)
- Berstuk (Wend people of Germany)
- Boruta (Slavic region)
- Grand Bois (loa) (Haiti)
- Ochopintre (Republic of Georgia)
- Shishiga (Russia)
- Vörsa (Komi Republic)
- Woodwose
- Yum Caax (Mayan)
- Jinn
References
- ↑ Ushakov,Dmitry. (1896) Материалы по народным верованиям великоруссов, Этнографическое обозрение [Materials on the folk beliefs of the Great Russian, Ethnographic Review]. (Vol. 8), no. 2-3, pg. 158.
- ↑ Maksimov, S. V. (1912) Нечистая сила. Неведомая сила // Собрание сочинений [The Unclean Force, The Unknown Force, Collected Works]. pp. 79-80.
- ↑ Tokarev, Sergei Aleksandrovich. (1957) Религиозные верования восточнославянских народов XIX — начала XX века [The religious beliefs of the peoples of East 19th – early 20th centuries]. AN SSSR Moscow and Leningrad. p. 80.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Ivanits, Linda J. (1989) Russian Folk Belief. Routledge. p. 68 ISBN 0-873-32889-2
- ↑ Afanasyev, Alexander Nikolayevich. (2013) Поэтические воззрения славян на природу [The Poetic Outlook of Slavs About Nature]. Akademicheskii Proyekt. Moscow. ISBN 978-5-8291-1451-0 ISBN 978-5-8291-1461-9
- ↑ Afanasyev, Alexander Nikolayevich. (1983) Древо жизни и лесные духи [The Tree of Life and Forest Spirits]. Sovremennik. Moscow.
- ↑ Afanasyev, Alexander Nikolayevich. (2008) Славянская мифология [Slavic Mythology]. Eksmo, Migard. Moscow. ISBN 978-5-699-27982-1
- ↑ Krinichnaya, Neonila Artyomovna. (2004) Русская мифология: Мир образов фольклора [Russian Mythology: The World of Folklore Images]. Akademicheskii Proyekt. Moscow. ch. 3, "Leshy: Totemic origins and the polysemy of images". ISBN 5-8291-0388-5 ISBN 5-98426-022-0
- ↑ Levkievskaya, Elena E. (2011) Мифы русского народа [Myths of the Russian People]. AST, Astrel, VKT. Chapter "Leshy". ISBN 978-5-17-072533-5 ISBN 978-5-271-33771-0 ISBN 978-5-226-03926-3
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