Leszi
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The Leszi or anglicized as Leshiy (Ukrainian: Лісовик, Russian: ле́ший) is a woodland spirit in Slavic mythology who protects wild animals and forests. There are also leshachikha/leszachka (wives of the leszy) and leshonky (children of the leszy).He is roughly analogous to the Woodwose of Western Europe and the Basajaun of the Basque Country.
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[edit] Etyomology
The Leszi is known by a variety of names and spellings including Lesiy, Leshii, Leshy, Lesovik, lesij, or leshii.
[edit] Description
A leszy usually appears as a tall man, but he is able to change his size from that of a blade of grass to a very tall tree. He has hair and a beard made from living grass and vines, and is sometimes depicted with a tail, hooves and horns. He has pale white skin that contrasts with his bright green eyes. He is sometimes considered akin to the devil. A leszy has a close bond with the wolf, and is often seen in the company of bears as well. He is the Forest Lord and carries a club to express that he is the master of the wood.
[edit] Abilities
He is said to have the ability to shapeshift into any form, animal or plant. When he is in human form, he looks like a common peasant, except that his eyes glow and his shoes are on backwards. In some tales he appears to visitors as a large talking mushroom. He can also vary in size; shrinking himself to the height of a blade of grass when moving through open fields, or grow to the size of the tallest trees when in the forest
If a person could befriend a leszy, the latter would teach them the secrets of magic. Farmers and shepherds would make pacts with the leszy to protect their crops and sheep. The leszy had many tricks, including leading peasants astray, making them sick, or tickling them to death. They were also known to hide the axes of woodchoppers.
Leszi is a terribly mischievous being, he had horrible cries, but could imitate voices of people familiar to wanderers & lure them back to his caves, where he would tickle them almost to death, he removes signs from their posts. Lechies isn't always evil, though he enjoys misguiding humans & kidnapping young women he is also known to keep grazing cattle from wondering too far into his forests and getting lost. Sometimes cow herders will make pacts with Leszi by handing him their cross from around their neck and sharing communion with him after Christian church gatherings, these pacts are said to give the cowsmen special powers.
[edit] Dictionnaire Infernal
Lechies is a demon or spirit in the fictional Dictionnaire Infernal. Is a Slavic forest being, similar in nature to the Polevik sprites. He protects the birds, trees & animals of the forest, he appears in the shape of a human with blue skin, 2 great horns and green hair, a long green beard across his face carrying a club or whip indicating his mastery of the forest.
Should one ever encounter Lechies one must thwart him immediately by turning all your clothes inside out and backwards, placing your shoes on the opposite feet, the sign of the cross often works, but in the worst case should the Lechies torment you set the forest ablaze behind you and don't look back, he will be so concerned with putting out the fire he will forget why his mischief fell upon your poor soul.
[edit] Modern cultural depictions
- A benevolent leshii appears first as a peasant, and then as a gigantic demon-like creature in the comic book miniseries Hellboy: Darkness Calls by Mike Mignola and Duncan Fegredo.
- In the fictional Shin'a'in culture of Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar books, they use the word leshy'a to refer to spirits or ghosts.
- In Sierra's 1993 role-playing game Quest for Glory IV the Hero encounters a Leshy in the forest who offers game clues in reward for solving riddles.
[edit] See also
[edit] Source
Togans Spirit Guide A Field Guide To Demons - Carol K. Mack
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