Enemies in Black Book: Obderiha, Domovoy, Leshy

Just in 3 days we’ve been supported by 882 people on Kickstarter and gained 73% of our initial goal — that’s an incredible result, and we still can’t believe that there are so many of you guys who believe in our project — THANK YOU!

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We have community stretch goals in our campaign, and all 3 rewards for Twitter had been reached by the end of the first day. That’s why we’ve been revealing enemies in our Kickstarter updates — now all of them are disclosed, and it’s the best time to share them here with you.

Obderiha

What a real village native says about Obderiha :

*"We used to be terrified before: Obderiha could kill anyone in the bathhouse. She lives under a wooden bench and appears in different ways. When our mother was a young maiden she went to the bathhouse and saw a woman in a sling lying under a front bench.

None ever went to the bathhouse after midnight — Obderiha would rip their skin off. Once our friends stopped by and asked to visit the bathhouse. But it was late already — almost midnight. They have been warned: if cat meows — leave the bathhouse right away. A cat meowed once, meowed twice. They didn’t wait for the third time and ran out of there. Also women who had given birth and their children were never left alone in the steam room — Obderiha could replace the child with something else."*

One must ask permission from the mistress of Bathhouse in order to enter. You should also thank her when you leave — if you follow these rules, Obderiha can’t do any harm.

Domovoy

The word Domovoi comes from the Slavic word dom, which literally translates to home. The Domovoy are believed to protect the well-being of a kin in any of its aspects. These gods are often represented as fighting with one another, to protect and make grow the welfare of their kin. In such warfare, the Domovoy of the eventual winner family is believed to take possession of the household of the vanquished rivals.

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Domovoy, 1934 by Ivan Bilibin

Our ancestors would commonly offer gifts to their Domovoy, to be sure they’ll get his love and protection in return. They would hide some milk or bread near the stove to bribe their Domovoy to stay good and to show their respect towards him. Food isn’t the only treat you can offer Domovoy since, like many of us, he also enjoys some good quality tobacco.

All these gifts were only natural to the families at the time, because if you take a good care of this creature, it will not only keep you wealthy and healthy but will also protect your house from floods, fire and lightning bolts.

Leshy

Leshy means Forest lord from les, the slavic word for forest. He is seldom seen, but his voice can be heard in the forest laughing, whistling, or singing.

Leshy is the protector of all animals and birds in the forest. He is said to have the ability to shapeshift into any form, animal or plant. He can also vary in size, shrinking himself to the height of a blade of grass when moving through open fields, or growing to the size of the tallest trees when in the forest.

Leshy has many tricks, including leading humans astray, making them sick, or tickling them to death. If he got hold of a child, he might replace it with one of his own (a changeling), who would grow up stupid, with a voracious appetite. They are also known to hide the axes of woodcutters. If a leshy crosses the path of a person in the woods, the person will get lost immediately. To find the way out, you have to turn your clothes inside out and wear shoes on opposite feet.

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Leshy, 1906 by N. Brut

Although they enjoy misguiding humans and kidnapping young women, Leshies aren't absolute evil: they are also known to keep grazing cattle from wandering too far into the forests and getting lost.

If more than one Leshy inhabits a forest, they will fight for territorial rights. The evidence is in the fallen trees scattered about and scared animals.

Leshy likes offerings of kasha, blini, bread & salt. He is also perfectly happy with a cookie or candy left on a stump or log.