Myth of the Week 007

A leshy as depicted by Boris Zabirokhin

The Leshy or Lesovik is a spirit creature from Slavic mythology. He is said to protect the forest and all its animals. He's about the height of a tall man, but he can also morph to become as small as a blade of grass. Occasionally, he is depicted with a tail, hooves, and horns, but almost always is shown with pale skin and luminescent, gaping green eyes. Also, he has no shadow.

For company, the leshy keeps wolves and bears near at hand, and he carries a club to demonstrate his prowess and seat as master of wood. His blood is blue, tinting his cheeks, and he often wears a red scarf. As protector of the forest and all its occupants, the leshy tells his neighbors when to migrate and where. 

When the need arises, leshies can transform into humans to disguise themselves, but his glowing eyes often betray his true nature (and he's said to put his shoes on backwards, which is another dead giveaway). Nevertheless, if a human manages to make a friend of a leshy, he or she can learn all of the creature's secrets, including his ancient magic. For this reason, farmers would often make pacts with leshy to protect their crops and livestock.

Leshies are terribly mischievous and have horrible cries. In order to lure a passerby back to his cave—where the leshy is free tickle the stranger to death—the creature can imitate the voices of those familiar to wanderers of the forest.

For however malicious their acts may seem, leshies aren't inherently evil—instead, we'll call them sportive. Although they enjoy misguiding humans and kidnapping young women, they're also said to keep grazing cattle from wandering, and their underlying motive is always to maintain and protect their home, the forest, and all the other creatures living therein.