The Domovoi
Have you ever been alone in your house and felt like someone was watching you? Or, have you noticed messes you never made or, even stranger, messes you know you made and never cleaned that are suddenly cleaned? You may have the domovoi to thank.
Similar to other creatures we’ve covered on the blog, like brownies, the domovoi are household spirits. These creatures, unlike brownies, have several major ties to the family. According to Russian lore, they are meant to be the embodiment of the long-dead forefathers of the family. This household spirit truly makes it a home and is often jokingly referred to as ‘Grandpa.’ The creature itself is said to have lived hundreds of years and, obviously, is quite wise. But how does the domovoi manage to stay with its family? It’s very important that whenever a family moves, they invite the domovoi to come with them and give him directions to their new abode.
Now that we know a little bit about how a domovoi is connected to a family...what does it actually do? Well, like most family members he helps around the house but can also cause a little trouble if he feels he isn’t properly respected or you dare to disrespect his rules.
Domovoi live under the stove during the day and are rarely seen by family members. However, when he is seen the domovoi is usually described as a hairy old-man, quite small, with horse ears, and a tail.
But, you don’t necessarily want to catch sight of a domovoi. Although sightings are rare, they are usually caught when trying to warn the family of impending danger. It is common that, should there be a fire in the home, the domovoi, not able to use his voice, will often smother someone in the family to wake them and alert them of the danger. Sometimes the domovoi will also try to alert family members in subtle, non-verbal ways of bad behavior or impending doom.
If the warnings of the domovoi are not heeded or if the domovoi feels disrespected, he will begin to act out. It is common that he will leave messes around the home, injure livestock, or even go as far as breaking beloved belongings. Oh, and domovoi are said to specifically hate cursing and when members of the family fight...so you should do your best to avoid that if you don’t want to suffer the consequences.
So, how do you keep domovoi happy? Keep a happy, clean household. The only food that should be left out is a small treat, usually a cake, for the domovoi as a thank you for his work. If the domovoi is pleased, you may realize that small, annoying tasks, like sweeping or dusting, are completed.
This work is in the public domain in Russia according to article 1281 of Book IV of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation No. 230-FZ of December 18, 2006 and article 6 of Law No. 231-FZ of the Russian Federation of December 18, 2006 (the Implementation Act for Book IV of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation) (details).