DOMOVOI


Meaning of DOMOVOI in English

[Other] In Russian folklore a domovoy is a household spirit, also called "the grandfather" and "the master". He looks like a tiny old man whose face is covered with white fur, or as a double of the head of a house. There is a legend on the origin of the domovye (plural): when the evil host had been thrown out of the sky, some malicious spirits fell into human habitats. Living near the mortals those spirits became soft and friendly in time – so to say, transformed into a kind of mischievous helpers. There is a domovoy in each house, and he watch not only the house itself but all the inhabitants as well (obviously, today we should say that there is a domovoy in each apartment). This spirit is a big trickster and mischief-maker: he tickles sleeping people, squalls, knocks on the wall, throws pans and plates – just for the sake of nothing. He is on good terms with the domovye of the houses next-door to his own – until they start pilfering; then he gets up to protect the house and the property. ...

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Encyclopedia Mythica English dictionary.      Английский энциклопедический словарь греческой мифологии.