DOMOVOI/ Home and Hearth Spirit

#Folklore

Merry meet, witches and witchlings, and I hope you're all cozy and comfortable , cuddled up with your favourite beverage of choice, and ready to hear a tale of a Master Housekeeper, a famous spirit of hearth and home that exists in all Slavic cultures.

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HOUSE SPIRIT

Domovoi (stress on the last syllable, Russian), or Damavik (Belarusian) - lit., The One of The Home, a benevolent ancestral spirit of the house, has as many names as he has faces. His names vary depending on the area, how Christianized the place is, and what mood he might be in. He is The Grandfather and The Brother, Furry Housekeeper (how adorable is that?), Good Neighbour, Little Grandpa and the Mop, The Wealth Giver, The Uncle, The Little One, The One Who Lives Behind the Stove, The Provider, The Protector, The Fat One, the Knocker, and most recently, the Poltergeist. In his mischievous and malevolent iterations, he is the Imp, Strange Spirit, Malicious or the Wild One, and the Unclean.

Majority of Slavs considered him extremely beneficial to have around, most called him Master, and fed, treated him well, asked him for household advice, and carefully noted his behaviours; a home without Domovoi is not a home at all, and people tried to be very kind to Domovoi, making sure he moved house with them, protected him from other Domovois who wanted to take his place, and treated him as the original and true owner of the house.

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APPEARANCE

Domovoi usually looked like a small stocky version of the head of the household, whether he be dead or alive, (so looking like a grandfather is pretty common for him), with the exception of fur and supernatural add ons like pointy ears, claws, or a tail. He was also said to age backwards, born old, able to live upwards of 700 years, and becoming an infant as he died. Domovoi 's fur was usually the same colour as the head of the household's, and the hairier Domovoi was, the wealthier the family was; poor families would have a Domovoj who was rather bald, unfortunately. Often, Domovoi was said to look like the first male owner of the house, or the first male ancestor. There is a female version of Domovoi, as well.

DomovoI was usually dressed in red or blue cloth, and if he was seen wearing black it spelled disaster. Domovoi can shapeshift into any human or animal, and commonly looks like a snake in Western Slavic cultures.

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BEHAVIOUR

Domovoi lived behind the brick stove, or in the attic, barn, or cellar. People believed that without a Domovoi, tragedy awaits their family, so they made sure to invite one in at all costs. Some used to hang a pine branch in the house, believing DomovoI would live on it; when moving, the owner took some coals from the hearth and brought them into new home, loudly inviting Domovoi; in some areas, it was customary to drag a shoe behind the horse carts so Domovoi could ride in it to a new place. At a new place, as first bread was baked, a slice was cut off, salted and thrown behind the stove, "for Domovoi".

A happy Domovoi is extremely beneficial for the whole family. He keeps the fire in the hearth burning, brushes out the horses and braids their manes, cleans, guards the home, and waters and feeds the livestock-but tortures or neglects the animals he doesn't like, therefore, the family always asked for Domovoi's blessing in spring when taking cattle to pasture, and in autumn when bringing them in, and tried to buy animals whose coat matched colour preferences of Domovoi.

Food and milk was left for domovoj to keep him happy. Not arguing, keeping the house clean, treating children well kept him content. He loves kids, playing with cats and dogs, has a weakness towards glittery cute things, an affinity for snuff tobacco, and absolutely hates drunks. A happy Domovoi can tell if a guest means the family well, would pester an ill wisher until he or she would leave, and will protect the household from evil, both physical and spiritual.

Unhappy Domovoi is hell on wheels; he curdles milk, tangles animals manes , eats family's food, pinches people while they sleep, breaks dishes, rides horses all night, til they are out of breath and frothing. Certain things were said to anger Domovoi, like quarreling in the yard, standing on a midden heap, taking his favourite spot, for the wife - walking outside with unbraided hair or head coverings (for married women it was customary to cover their hair), etc.

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Sometimes, upset DomovoI would become outright dangerous and try to choke you at night. To stop his misbehaving, the owner would stick a knife above the front door, cross himself and the house (with advent of Christianity), sacrifice a black rooster at night, or simply yell at Domovoi. To protect livestock from an angry Domovoi, people brought in a billy goat into the barn or a stable at night time (this tradition later turned into protection from any evil spirits which harassed cattle). But it was much easier to simply keep Domovoi happy.

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PREDICTIONS

Domovoi would often predict future before an important event, by sitting on the owner's chest at night and making it hard to breathe; if the owner woke up and asked "For better or for worse", he would receive an answer; if Domovoi was silent, it meant bad luck.

Domovoi was what we now call a Poltergeist; the whole family paid attention to his noises to foretell fortune. If DomovoI laughed, it bode well, if groaned, stomped, howled, left bruises on a person, it meant this person might die; before the owner's death Domovoi showed himself wearing the owner's hat; if he suddenly treated cattle with exceptional care, it meant livestock's disease and death.

As a rule, presence of Domovoi ensured health, abundance and safety of the family, as well as its connection to its ancestors and living kin. On the territory of Russia and Belarus, people still widely believe in Domovois.

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Farewell, and may the spirits of hearth and home guide and protect you!

Merry part,

Wilhelmina Took

Most information is from my memory from my childhood and research done years ago at college. Some information is from Russian Wikipedia, a little from tradicii.com.