Who is the domovoi?
The name comes from the Russian dom, house. The domovoi is an invisible housemate who usually lives behind or under the stove. If someone does catch sight of him, he is a small, old, hairy man, sometimes with the features of the head of the household. He looks after the house and above all the livestock in the barn.
Rules for dealing with him
The domovoi is no harmless household mascot. If he is neglected or insulted, he takes revenge: he bangs and clatters, makes the livestock sick, or presses down on the chests of sleepers at night. People set out bread, salt or porridge for him. When a family moved, they explicitly invited him to come along, for example by carrying embers from the old stove to the new house. A domovoi left behind could make life hard for the next tenants.
Origins
Many scholars see the domovoi as the spirit of an ancestor who watches over his descendants. This is supported by the belief that he resembles the head of the household and is closely tied to the hearth and the family. The belief is well documented in Russian collections from the 19th century. Linda Ivanits and W. F. Ryan have described it in detail in their work on Russian folk belief.
Episode on this topic
- He Sleeps Behind Your Stove: The Legend of the Domovoi (in German)
- Related: Kikimora, Leszy
Further reading
- Linda J. Ivanits: Russian Folk Belief, 1989.
- W. F. Ryan: The Bathhouse at Midnight, 1999.
- Sergei Maksimow: Nečistaja, nevedomaja i krestnaja sila, 1903.