KIKIMORA is the spirit of nightmares and household mold, an East Slavic female mythological character who lives in a person’s home, causing harm, damage and minor troubles to households and people. It got its name from “shishimora”, where “shish” is an unclean spirit, and “mora” is the personification of the powers of the Goddess Morena. Our people’s belief in kikimora began from time immemorial and belongs to a special myth of Russian demonology. An evil spirit (kikimora) lives in this world by itself. Damned, she doesn’t know anyone, she’s not related to anyone; she has neither brother nor sister; She has neither a yard nor a stake, but she makes her way, homeless, wherever there is day and wherever there is night. Kikimora enters the hut, not knowing anyone, she settles behind the stove, not knowing anyone. It knocks and rattles from morning to evening, and whistles from evening to midnight, bringing fear to the household. Since that great disaster, the houses of the townspeople have been empty, the courtyards are overgrown with grass and ants.

Kikimora often breaks dishes at night, scatters cereals, onions, and even breaks furniture. She also loves to torment children. But her special weakness is to pull out the hair of men at night and pluck the feathers of birds. If the kikimora decides to finish some work for you, then she will hopelessly ruin everything, stain it, make it messy - you will never untangle the yarn or wash the embroidery forgotten on the sofa. Kikimora can even drive the owners out of the house with his quirks.

Of course, like any other magical power, Kikimora can be “appeased” for a while: by washing everything in the hut with a tincture of the bitter root of fern, which Kikimora loves very much. But it is best to expel Kikimora from the house forever by calling a sorcerer on the right day to perform the ritual.

Having settled in the house, Kikimora often becomes the wife of Domovoy, and if he is hard-working and cheerful, then Kikimora’s character can change for the better. Well, if Domovoy is a lazy person and a prankster, then Kikimora will show all his “kikimora nature”, for Kikimora, unlike Domovoy, is the evil spirit of the house, its dark side.

Kikimora, as a rule, is not shown to people, but they say that she is a small, ugly, unkempt old woman. Seeing her is a great misfortune, even death.

Kikimora's name day is celebrated on February 16th. Why do Domovoi and Dvorov walk around “drunk” on this day and chatter all night until the morning, giving neither their owners nor their pets any rest?

On “Grachevnik” (March 17), the kikimors become quiet and tame, and only on this day can they be killed.

It’s bad if Kikimora, after being expelled, goes to live from the hut in the chicken coop. Then all the chickens will have their feathers plucked. But even here you can protect yourself from it by hanging a “chicken god” in the chicken coop - a stone with a natural through hole.

A good amulet against Kikimora is considered to be a pot with a knocked-out bottom, which is hung in front of the entrance on the terrace, above a perch or on the beams in a barn. Sometimes a piece of red gum is tied to the jug. Today, for such protective purposes (at the dacha, in apartment buildings they won’t understand), it is quite possible to use the neck of a bottle.

In some regions of Rus', to protect against Kikimora, a “pig-slaughtering” stick was placed under the manger, and a tuft of bear hair was placed under the pole. Salt shakers in the house were tied with juniper belts. If they thought the kikimora had been “induced”, they looked for the doll in the house, and, having found it, burned it. Not finding it, they tried to persuade the supposed “thieves” to remove the enchanted item.

The arsenal of healing methods also included special spells and rituals. For example, at “Grachevnik”, they swept all the corners in the hut, and fumigated the stove with the sentence: “Oh, you goy, come out, Kikimora brownie, from the goryunin’s house quickly, otherwise they will tear you up with hot rods, burn you with blazing fire , will be filled with black resin. My word is firm." The path in front of the house was swept from the porch to the well or intersection. We got rid of old dishes with cracks and chips by breaking them and throwing them away. They burned the rubbish that had accumulated in the house, and threw old clothes into the fire.

Why might Kikimora appear in the house?

This happens in three cases:

1. The house can stand on an “unclean, “rotten” place,” that is, where either someone was once buried, or in a place of natural anomaly.

2. If a woman living in the house has had an abortion.

3. Feigned kikimora. If the builders and stove makers did a great job, and the owner of the new house is in no hurry to pay, vindictive workers can play a cruel joke on him. Place a spoken doll or just a piece of wood under the stove or in the foundation. Kikimora is provided in the building.

Kikimora becomes especially active on Christmas Carols and can go on rampage for a whole week. These days, Kikimora gives birth to a bunch of children - Shulykans. They are very tiny, sharp-headed, and always stick together. They fly out of the chimney into the street in a swarm.

On Vodokreshcha (January 19), their childhood ends for them and serious adult life begins. There's a lot to do. Pinch the fat woman under her skirt. Scare arrogant, naughty children to the point of hiccups. Take a drunk into an unfamiliar area and throw him in the mud.

Until the end of their days, Shulykans live in communes in abandoned houses. Often people crush little dirty trickers with their feet, either by accident or out of anger: “There’s nothing here...” Shulykans are not capable of causing serious trouble to a person. They are more the grin of another world than its malice.

G. Dergachev. Kikimora's name day

The spirit of disturbing dreams, daydreams,
Restless dreams
Ghosts with lights
Flashed blue,
And leading into confusion, -
He's called Kikimora.
Such a malicious woman:
With a body as thin as a straw,
With a head there's less of a thimble,
With a long, curious nose,
And besides, and a comb
I didn’t know her hair for a century.
A real devil
Former child of the curse,
Secret messenger from Viy
Often lives in the house.
With Domovoy in a vicious relationship,
The lineage of both continues
And sticks his nose everywhere
With dissatisfaction and grumbling.
During the day he sits quietly,
But at night it will disperse:
It will rattle and nip at living creatures,
Hangs the kids' heads,
Makes food sour
And hisses in the faces of men,
Turning into a gray cat.
It won't do any more harm,
But it is annoying.
Waking up from a nightmare
The owner of the log will harness,
They will be covered with fur on top,
And then he takes a broom,
Sweep, read a spell,
May he bring both fur and firewood
Into the forest and Lesha will leave
Your enemy of the night.
Well, maybe amulets
Create for name day
This domestic evil spirits,
Yes, put the treats
For her and for her husband;
Let them sit and feast,
And they don’t do anything bad.

Slavic mythology is rich in a variety of small spirits, whose behavior is ambiguous. Kikimora or shishimora is a weak evil spirit that loves to bring trouble to people. In most cases, it is easy to deal with with the help of amulets and prayers. However, one of its varieties, the swamp kikimora, poses a serious danger to humans. She lures the traveler into the quagmire and eats him.

Kikimora can be easily dealt with with prayers

Main characteristics of the creature

Kikimora is a character who can be both good and bad. Many contradictory legends do not clarify her image. Only in the middle of the 19th century. researchers managed to structure scattered information about this creature.

Features of the name

Philologists consider the word “kikimora” as a compound word. It has two parts: “kick” and “mora”.

The “kick-” part has the following meanings:

• is traced back to the ancient Balto-Slavic root “kik-/kyk-/kuk-”, which means hunchbackedness, twistedness;
• derivative from the verb “kick” - scream, howl;
• from the Proto-Indo-European word “kukan” - swamp spirit.

The second part of “mora” also has several meanings:

• a derivative of the independent word “mora/mara”, denoting female demons;
• cognate with the word “sea” - death or what brings it;
• goes back to the Proto-Indo-European root “ma-” - wave your hands, nod your head, fool, deceive;
• or which originally meant swamp and standing water.

You can find the word “kikimora” spelled as “shishimora”. This is the same spirit, but its name is derived from the Russian dialect:

• shishit/shishit - to fuss around, to do something unnoticed;
• shish, shishiga - the name of a small unclean swamp or forest force.

However, it is impossible to accurately determine its specific meaning due to the large number of options.

Classification

Like other evil spirits, it has several varieties. Depending on your place of residence, there are:

1. Forest shishimora. It lives mainly on forest edges, but can also look into people's houses.
2. Bolotnaya. The homeland of such creatures is swamps or any bodies of water with standing water. He leaves his shelter at night and walks freely wherever he wants.
3. Homemade. It settles in people's homes or in outbuildings.

Lesnaya

One of the varieties of kikimora is called forest due to its place of residence. According to legends, this is a small evil spirit that lives in the roots and large hollows of trees.

Like other kikimoras, the forest one loves to scare lost travelers at night. She creaks with branches, howls with terrible voices and sends troubles. However, if a person is kind and courteous to her, she will help him find the right path out of the forest and protect him from other evil spirits.

Some researchers of Slavic folklore find legends according to which the forest shishimora was considered the wife of the devil.

Bolotnaya

Swamp kikimora is the most terrible and evil representative of the shishimora. These spirits did not help, but only destroyed people. They frightened travelers with their screams and forced them off the path, and then dragged them into the quagmire.

She is considered a close friend of the goblin and the wife of a merman or swamp. She is the mother of forest creatures - foxes, small, gentle spirits who confuse paths and frighten travelers, but cannot cause much harm.

According to its name, it lives in swamps, but can settle in reed thickets, rivers and lakes. There are legends that mention shishimoras living in abandoned wells.

Swamp kikimora - the most dangerous variety

Home

A creature that lives in houses built in places with bad energy. This could be a site where a cemetery used to be located or where people died en masse.

The villagers believed that an improperly buried person, and especially a child, could return to the house in the form of a shishimora.

The domestic kikimora is a gentle spirit that sleeps during the day and plays pranks at night. These creatures love to do household chores, especially spinning and embroidery. However, they do it very poorly, and housewives have to redo everything for them.

They trade in petty tricks, love to scare people and send bad dreams to them. But if they get angry with one of the family members, they begin to cause serious problems: breaking furniture, breaking dishes, mocking domestic animals.

History of appearance

How the real swamp kikimora or the first of the genus appeared is unknown. Researchers believe that this was the child of one of the water goddesses, who drowned in a swamp or was kidnapped by evil spirits.

According to legends, only children who died under certain conditions or were associated with a dark force during their lifetime became kikimoras.

The following options exist:

• children who commit suicide become kikimores;
• unbaptized babies, stillborns or miscarriages, from which their mothers disposed of by drowning them in a swamp;
• children from the connection of earthly women with the fiery serpent;
• babies kidnapped by dark forces;
• children who were cursed by their parents before birth.

Appearance

What a kikimora looks like depends on its habitat. Some imagine her as an old woman, others see her as a beautiful maiden. There are legends where she is mentioned in the form of a chimera with a human body and a fish tail.

However, we can identify generalized concepts that occur more often when describing her appearance:

1. Small height, not exceeding 50 cm.
2. Long, unruly hair that stands on end. Usually black, sometimes with a greenish tint.
3. Thin, wrinkled body and disproportionately long limbs.
4. Knotty and crooked fingers.
5. Its paws are furry, which allows it to move quickly and silently.
6. Big eyes and a long nose.

Depending on where she lives, she may wear different clothes.

The forest one is dressed in tree bark and leaves. There may be a wreath of dried flowers or a mushroom cap on the head. On her back she carries a box where she collects pine cones, poisonous mushrooms and berries. She likes to put them in people's baskets when they don't see it.

Homemade looks tidier. She wears a simple white or gray shirt and may tie a scarf on her head. If she is angry with her owners, she appears before them in the form of an old woman in a torn, dirty dress.

Legends describe differently what the swamp kikimora looks like. However, most sources claim that this creature is more terrible than its relatives. From a long stay in the water, the evil spirits become completely covered with mud and acquire a characteristic swamp smell. Her skin is green and covered with a large number of warts. Moss and algae serve as her clothes. She often decorates her hair with fish bones and water flowers.

A domestic kikimora may look like an unkempt old woman

Capabilities

Shishimora of any type has a number of supernatural abilities. These include:

1. The ability to become invisible. Kikimoras spend most of their time in this form.
2. They move quickly. The human eye is not able to track the speed of their movement.
3. The ability to see people's fears.
4. They can create illusions and send nightmares.
5. They can transform into animals and birds.
6. They have excellent eyesight. They can see over long distances and through objects.
7. They have an extraordinary voice with which they can lure unwary people.

Fighting kikimora

Depending on the type of shishimora, people have developed several rituals to appease the raging creature or drive it away.

Forest and swamp

Sorcerers' or Volkhov's conspiracies helped to overcome the evil spirits that lived in the forest or swamp.

They also used many amulets that the swamp kikimora was afraid of:

1. The Chicken God is a stone with a hole in the center.
2. Canvas incense bags in which juniper or dried weeping grass were stored.
3. or ordinary wooden ones, previously soaked in fern decoction.
4. Travelers carried holy water and salt with them, with the help of which they fought off the naughty kikimora.
5. Bunches of dried wormwood, which they carried with them and laid out in secluded corners of the house, also served as amulets.

People believed that with the help of gifts they could call shishimora husbands - a goblin or a merman - and ask them to calm down their wives.

Homemade

Methods of dealing with the domestic species of kikimora differ depending on how it got into the house.

If she came on her own, this is a sign that not all is well in the family and household. To prevent it from bringing problems, it was necessary to sprinkle every corner of the house with holy water, throw away old and broken things, and maintain an atmosphere of spirituality and purity in the family.

If it was sent by sorcerers or envious people, then it is not easy to expel it. It is necessary to find the source of its power. Usually it was a small doll, which was buried near the threshold of the house or on the path leading to it. The doll had to be sprinkled with salt and burned over an open fire.

Natural enemies of an evil spirit

The enemies of kikimoras are domestic animals: cats, dogs and roosters. If they can rein in the raging creature, then the shishimora would admit defeat and behave quietly, or even leave the house altogether.

But if she gained the upper hand, then the livestock had to constantly endure her attacks. In this case, it was possible to rein her in only with a special ritual.

The rooster is the natural enemy of the kikimora

Prototypes in other cultures

In the mythology of other peoples there are references to creatures similar to kikimora.

1. The Swamp Girl is the sister of the mermaid who lives in the swamp. He has a beautiful appearance and a charming voice, thanks to which he lures people into the swamps.
2. Eleinoma - in the ancient Greek mythology of swamps.
3. Timi are creatures that live in forests or bodies of water. They look like people, but their appearance is disfigured by numerous wrinkles and warts.
4. Ochertyanyk is a swamp spirit in Ukrainian folklore that lures unwary travelers into a quagmire.
5. Loima is a swamp kikimora in Belarusian mythology, an insidious spirit of swamps only female.

Does Kikimora Bolotnaya exist? Of course, a lot of questions revolve around this old woman. Previously, it was believed that Kikimora appeared where a child was killed or drowned, thus the dead children became Kikimoras. Or children who were cursed by their parents. And in some sources, there is information that Kikimora Bolotnaya was the wife of a goblin and the mistress of the swamps.

Girls born from a fiery serpent also became kikimoras. He chose his victim and traveled through the air to her house in the form of a fireball. The fruit of this love was cursed. And if you believe the Slavic myths, even in the womb such a child was taken by evil spirits and raised at home. Therefore, can Kikimora be called an old woman?

Why was this creature called that?

Kikimora, Kukimora, or they could call it Shishmora. The word itself consists of several parts. The first kick means humpbacked, crooked. And the second part of the pestilence comes from the Slavic root “death”, from the famous goddess of death Mora. And she appeared where the child died. So it turns out that it only appeared in bad places.

Kikimora Bolotnaya takes on the image of a hunchbacked, crooked, unattractive, ugly woman, with small eyes, thin lips and a hooked nose. She is small in height, her body is no thicker than a straw, her head is the size of a thimble. There may be warts on the face and body. And the hair is long and tangled, with mud and marsh plants. When exposed to the sun's rays, it turns green. Runs quickly both in the sky and on the ground, becomes invisible, but sees over very long distances.

Where does Kikimora Bolotnaya live?

There is an opinion that during the day she is in the forest in the swamp, and at night she comes to the house. In the old days, Kikimora tinkered with yarn in the house, signed, jumped up with pleasure, thereby frightening the owners. After her, all the things in the house were scattered, she tangled the yarn, stained it, rattled and broke the dishes. Consequently, people could not live peacefully in such a house.

At night you can not only hear people signing, but also the cry of a child. Or he starts doing little dirty tricks. Doesn't let you sleep at night, scares you, ruins things, breaks dishes. Tortures livestock, tears out hair from domestic animals or residents of the house. It’s simply not possible to stay in the house at night.

But there is a belief that evil people could have deliberately placed Kikimora in the house. And then, everyone suffered from such a neighbor; animals seemed to be in the house, suites, noise and crying. This could lead to a sad end for the owner of the house.

And attempts to move from the house in which Kikimora lived are becoming unsuccessful. She and her owner will move to another house. Unless, of course, they find a doll or something resembling a person. Only burning this item will help get rid of it.

During the day, people rarely see her, unless, of course, she intends to intimidate and get lost in the forest. And if it happens that a person is drowning, then she definitely will not give him the opportunity to escape.

When winter ends and spring begins, the day of Maremyana the Righteous was celebrated, the day of Mary-Morena (Morana) is February 16 according to the old style or March 2 according to the new style. the day of the vernal equinox, and among the people the name day at Kikimora Bolotnaya. Morena is the goddess of death, winter and night.

From the stories of ancient legends you can learn that Morana, following her villains, tries every morning to steal the sun so that spring does not come. But every time it doesn’t work out and they move away from the power and beauty of the sun. And after Kikimora Bolotnaya leaves, spring always comes. That is why there is still a spring ritual of burning an effigy on Maslenitsa, which hurries up winter so that spring can come faster.

And on this day the old people cajoled the kikimora so that it would allow people to live in peace. They cleaned the house, washed the walls and floor, threw out old clothes and broken dishes. They swept all the paths in the yard to the nearest water, it could be a well or a pond. After cleaning, all rags and brooms were thrown away or burned.

Of course, there are many questions about whether it really exists. In the forest, she emits the cry of a child, laughter, the cry of a person, she is not visible, she does not appear on the eyes, but there is a feeling that you are being watched. In the forest, sounds can occur when methane escapes from the depths of the soil. But human crying is difficult to confuse with anything.

As usually happens, a person hears a child screaming or crying and runs to save him. He falls into a green trap that pulls him down, and the more he resists, the faster he goes into the depths. This is how Kikimora entertains herself, and only before the very end does she appear from the edges of the moss. Kikimora Bolotnaya is described as a scary, green woman with warts on her face, tangled long hair, and moss on her head. Her ominous laughter and terrible appearance frighten and deprive a person of his last strength.

In the forest, the swamp kikimora can still confuse and lead people astray. It forms glowing lights. They resemble the light from the windows at home. People follow the light of the lights, like the light of a home, and go astray, falling into its trap. And they will never find their way out of the forest again.

When walking through the forest, be careful not to fall for the tricks of Kikimora Bolotnaya. She is an evil character in Slavic mythology, which is why harmful and nasty people have come to be called that in our time.

Swamp kikimora - Mythical creatures.

In the understanding of many people, kikimora is a fairy-tale character who belongs to negative heroes. In fact, our ancestors believed in its reality, so we suggest you figure out who she is in Slavic mythology and whether you should be afraid of her. To begin with, it is worth saying that the name “kikimora” comes from the goddess Morena, who was also called Mara. People attached the root “kik” to this name, which means hunchback.

Who is a kikimora and what does she look like?

In fact, a kikimora is a spirit that lives in the houses of ordinary people, and she is the wife of a brownie. Its main habitat is behind the stove or with the animals in the barn. The kikimora's favorite pastime is playing pranks and scaring animals and people, for example, she knocks dishes, sets various traps and spoils things. If a kikimora comes out of its hiding place, then people hear inexplicable sounds, and they may also see different animals. Despite this, kikimora cannot be called a completely bad hero, since sometimes she still does good deeds. Speaking about who a kikimora is and analyzing it, it is worth noting that the Slavs considered it much kinder than brownies, since it almost never creates serious problems.

Kikimora's appearance

When understanding who a kikimora is, it is worth focusing on her appearance.

1. This spirit is represented in different ways, but the most common is the image of an old and ugly woman who has a thin body and a small head.
2. She is often depicted with a hump, which makes her image even more terrible.
3. One of the main distinguishing features is disheveled hair.
4. The terrifying image is complemented by an ugly face and rags instead of clothes.
5. There are other descriptions of the kikimora’s appearance, for example, some imagined her as a young girl with a beautiful and long braid, but completely naked.
6. It is extremely rare to imagine this spirit as a man.

Where did kikimora come from - 3 versions

Many people are interested in who the real kikimora came from, but on this issue people also did not come to a consensus.

1. Version No. 1 It was believed that this unclean spirit could become a child who died as a result of an abortion, or a girl who passed away before baptism.
2. Version No. 2. The origin of kikimora was often associated with the uninveterate dead and cursed people.
3. Version No. 3. Another version of the appearance of this spirit is the result of a girl’s love contact with an unclean spirit.

The image of a kikimora in Slavic mythology

In Slavic mythology you can find many stories about the places of manifestations of kikimora. She was often seen where murder was committed and in places where negative energy accumulated. In ancient times, people believed that if a kikimora appeared in front of a person, it meant that he would soon die. Like many spirits, kikimora has supernatural powers, so she can move from place to place with great speed. She is also credited with the ability to teleport and predict the future.

People with magical abilities can summon kikimora. Black witches attach evil spirits to their enemies in order to harm them. There are various conspiracies that help not only to see the kikimora, but also to expel it from your home. Usually people performed such rituals when the actions of the spirit became dangerous and caused huge troubles.

Who is a swamp kikimora?

This spirit is very similar to the "house sister" except in the place of residence. She is considered the wife of the devil who rules the forest. As for the appearance of the swamp kikimora, it almost completely matches the described features with the exception of skin color, which has a greenish tint, and hair length. The swamp kikimora usually appears in front of people who have been lured into a swampy swamp, and they do this in order to completely frighten the victim.