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 corresponds to 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.

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.

Mention of mythical creatures is found in legends of various countries. The image of a kikimora consists of only contradictions - sometimes she is an ugly old woman, sometimes an eternally young girl. And she either lives in the swamps, making friends with frogs, wearing clothes made of moss and braiding her hair mixed with herbs, or next to people, arranging for herself a nook in secluded places. This is a spirit that is sometimes kind, but more often loves to do mischief.

Description of the creature

Swamp kikimora is an otherworldly creature that lives with a person in a house or in forests with swamps. The Bolotnaya is considered the domesticated one's sister. Kikimora exists in all the legends of the world, but it is called differently. She is the wife of a goblin or a brownie, depending on where she lives. Creatures live in human houses in autumn and winter. Hiding in secluded places:

• under the bench;
• behind the heater;
• under the roof;
• in the closet;
• near the threshold.

With the onset of warmth, if they did not like living near people or were driven away, they return to the swamps and forests. On its territory it casts a spell on people. You cannot follow the blue glowing lights - a person falls into a trap and will no longer find a way out of the forest or swamp.

The name comes from the name of the ancient goddess Morena. She is often considered Mora's granddaughter. And the root “kik” means hunchbackedness, twistedness. In some places the spirit is called a shishimora. The root “shish” indicates the dark side of the creation’s purpose - according to popular belief, it is considered evil spirits.

She is accused of kidnapping children and leaving a log in their place. It can also attack an energetically weak adult. It is difficult to say what the swamp kikimora looks like: it is almost impossible to see, but its presence is felt - attacks of uncontrollable fear, panic attacks, nightmares or hallucinations begin, which affect a person’s mental health. The presence of a kikimora in the house is determined by wet tracks.

They are considered harbingers of bad events - illness of someone at home, death, misfortune. You can prevent misfortune by immediately placing an offering next to the creature. Then, on the contrary, it will bring happiness and good luck.

It is impossible to say unequivocally whether the swamp kikimora is an evil or good creature, because good is relative. The invisibility of a kikimora can play a cruel joke on a person, so at the first sign of the presence of evil spirits, it is better to use amulets.

Appearance

According to some sources, a kikimora is a scary old woman. The appearance is repulsive and disgusting, the hair is disheveled, with branches tangled in it. The body is thin, the limbs are long, there is a hump on the back, which makes it seem even lower. The head is small, and the face is ugly, with bulging eyes. The forest kikimora is covered with green or gray wool, feathers or moss. Dressed in rags or a ridiculous outfit. For jewelry, she uses beads made of black stones and other trinkets.

Sometimes the kikimora was represented as a young, beautiful, long-haired girl. Her clothes are white, but can also be red. Sometimes there are no clothes at all. Spirits are incorporeal, translucent, but affect physical objects.

No one can say for sure what a kikimora looks like: there is no single version of the appearance of a shishimora. It all depends on the place of residence and the situation when the creature was noticed. There are several options, the most common of which are a very old woman, a restless girl, a creature with a large head and a small body, or a dwarf. Male kikimores are very rare.

The appearance of kikimora

There are several options for dealing with shishimora and mostly boil down to wrongful death:

• abortion victims;
• premature or killed children;
• unbaptized.

Babies cursed by their parents and children from the fiery serpent also became real evil spirits. Kikimoras appear where there was a violent death, beatings - in places with a concentration of negative energy. If the house is located on the ground where an inexperienced person is buried, then the creature will appear with 100% probability. They can appear in a home if the owners have offended them in some way, using a doll, a playing card, or a knife. The sorcerer can send a kikimora using these or other magical devices. Such lekan is placed on a beam, between logs, in cracks, under the floor, that is, in secret places. A sent kikimora is no different from a domestic or swamp one and looks exactly the same.

Any unnatural death can cause transformation into a swamp kikimora. The appeal concerns children. It is much less common for an adult girl or boy to become a mara. Regarding the induced kikimora, we can only say that it cannot be a guy. The lekan must be sprinkled with the blood of the victim or wrapped in her hair.

Peculiarities

Kikimors love to do handicrafts - spinning, knitting, embroidering. She sits down in the corner and works until the morning, but she does it haphazardly - she tangles the threads and tears the yarn. If the kikimora touches the abandoned work at night, it will be difficult to finish it. It spins in the opposite direction, which means it will have to be redone.

From dawn until evening he sits behind the stove or hides in a secluded nook, and at night he prefers to play mischief. The domestic kikimora grooms pets, breaks utensils, disturbs sleep, rows, plucks, strangles the owners of the house, throws itself under their feet and drops things on the floor. Sometimes she is useful - when she wants to be.

The marsh kikimorka appears to people in the guise of various animals - from a kitten to a pig. Although she is translucent and invisible in the dark, she communicates in phrases with her owners, makes pet sounds or taps on the walls.

Kikimors are light and therefore prefer not to leave the room unless necessary - they can easily be carried away by the wind. For them it is a way of transportation. They are restless, always move quickly and have excellent vision. A real swamp kikimora can clean the house, wash utensils, and finish needlework. But it will ruin or break something anyway.

Since kikimora is basically a female spirit, her favorite activities are truly feminine. But such help does more harm than good. This is a very playful spirit, but sometimes it crosses all boundaries and can harm its owners. Sometimes she wants to talk and knocks on walls and other surfaces, this happens at night, there is no need to be afraid.

Exile and protection

To drive out mara, magic spells are used.

“We honor the choir, consecrated corners. Shun yourself from the flying, from the floating, from the walking, from the crawling, from every enemy, from day to night, at every hour, at every time, for endless years, from now to centuries, out, accursed one!”

Before the spell, a certain ritual is performed. On Rook, March 17, the house is cleaned and a templar is called in to fumigate and consecrate the building. Mentioning God or harsh words will help against the creature.

If the shishimorka is sent, then they look in the house for a small doll or anything that looks like a doll from a distance, and burn it, and throw the ashes out the gate. If they haven’t found it, but are sure that the swamp kikimora was sent, then they find those who sent it and persuade them to take away the evil spirits.

Other means will help protect against kikimora:

1. Carrying garlic, salt, silver, wormwood with you - the creature does not like them and will begin to avoid the house.
2. Juniper also doesn’t like kikimora, so they wrap branches around the salt shaker - this way it won’t use salt and will leave.
3. Burying a silver object or making a salt path near the entrance to the house - because of this, the kikimora will not cross the threshold.
4. If you wash dishes with a decoction of fern root, then evil spirits will not be able to break them.
5. Animal hair is placed between the floorboards, and a pig slaughtering stick is placed under the crib.
6. A good amulet against swamp mara is the “chicken god” - a cobblestone with a natural hole or the neck of a broken jug.

The best way to protect against evil spirits is timely protection. It is best to invite a clergyman home once every six months. If this is not possible, use all available means: wormwood, juniper, silver and salt.

Kikimora Challenge

Anyone can cause shishimora. This is done on March 2 - the day of parting with winter and inviting spring. The girls lead round dances, cook pancakes and take treats to the thickets and swamps for the forest evil spirits that live there, including kikimoras. The road from the dwelling to the crossroads or well is swept and old clothes are placed there - a gift for the creature.

There is no way to call a swamp kikimora as such. You can only call her, and the evil spirits themselves will decide whether to agree or not. The swamp kikimora will definitely come if you interest her and appease her with offerings and good attitude.

In the modern world, kikimora are confused with poltergeists and other supernatural manifestations of power, but people know who is playing pranks in their homes. Her homeland is a swamp or a “dark” house. There is no need to disrespect the creatures. They are older and wiser. This attitude can offend them and bring trouble to the person. The marsh kikimorka is a very touchy creature and can cause trouble at the slightest provocation.

In Slavic myology there were many unusual beliefs and fantastic characters, legends about which are still passed on from mouth to mouth. So, until now we can easily explain who the merman, the witcher and the kikimora are. The interpretation of each character suggests a deep subtext, rooted in ancient times.

History of creation

The history of kikimoras and the biography of the family dates back to ancient times. Kikimora personifies the spirit of nightmares. The origin of the East Slavic character is explained by mythology. According to popular beliefs, this creature lives in the homes of the Slavs and brings all kinds of harm. There are two variations in the appearance of the heroine's name. According to the first, it was called “shishimora”. “Shish” corresponded to evil spirits, and “mora” to the goddess Morena. In another explanation, "kiki" stands for "hunchback."

The personification of evil spirits, kikimora had no friends and did not communicate with anyone. She did not have her own home, so the creature lived in the house where a simple peasant lives. Kikimora had no relatives and was restless. When asked where the creature lives in the house, fairy tales answer that she preferred to be behind the stove. She announced her presence by knocking, whistling, falling objects and other unpleasant antics.

There was an opinion that unloved children, as well as small unbaptized drowned women, turn into kikimoras. Kikimoras appeared as a result of the romantic union of widows and maidens with a fiery serpent in the guise of a beautiful prince.

The ancient Slavs believed that carpenters and stove makers summoned kikimora using a special doll. By hiding it between the walls of houses, the craftsmen could cast a spell, thereby calling the beast into the house. Therefore, the craftsmen were always regularly paid for their work.

Residents of the Urals believed that children who disappeared in the swamps were stolen by swamp kikimors. They allegedly wrapped ropes around the child, pulling him into the swamp. Most of the village legends and tales associated with the disappearance of children in the swamps told about kikimoras. Mystical characters deprived their victims of memory and common sense.

In Slavic mythology

Mythology offers many explanations for the appearance of the image of the swamp kikimora. The most plausible is the image of innocent maidens drowned in the dirty quagmire of a swamp. Some stories described the kikimora as a wife. By marrying this character, the strange creature gained the opportunity to live in human homes. If the goblin became her chosen one, then the swamp forever remained her home.

According to legends and traditions, the kikimora was a negative character with negative energy directed at the owner of the home. The mythical creature interfered with homework and everyday life. Kikimors weaved threads in the opposite direction and were constantly in motion, so they confused any woman’s work. In addition to the living space, the creatures chose other places to settle. They liked barns and bathhouses, chicken coops and taverns. The main reference points for kikimoras were places where negativity accumulated. Therefore, the monsters chose dirty corners where old unnecessary things lay.

The image of the kikimora was compiled thanks to popular beliefs that described the appearance of the creature. Usually she was presented as an old and scary woman, hunchbacked, with disheveled hair. The costume was assembled from old cast-offs and rags. The head was crowned with a kokoshnik. The heroine had a thin build. The wind would easily carry it from place to place.

Film adaptations

The multi-part cartoon “Glasha and Kikimora” is a famous animation project that tells about the life of fantastic fictional creatures. Work on it was carried out from 1978 to 1995.

In 2011, the feature film “The Kikimora Who Laughs,” which tells about the psychological foundations of personality structure, was released on big screens. Actress Anna Troyanskaya played the main role in the film. The performer's photo was used in the design of posters for the film's distribution.

The character also appeared in the 2013 animated project “How to Catch the Firebird’s Feather.”

Despite the small number of media resources telling about the fantastic creature, it was one of the popular mythological images glorified by the Slavs. Composer Anatoly Lyadov wrote a symphony called “Kikimora” in 1909.

• Swamp and domestic kikimors celebrate their birthday in March. The holiday dedicated to the goddess Mara (Sea) falls on March 2. It is believed that spring begins on this day. On this day, our ancestors performed rituals to appease the deity. The first ritual was general cleaning. They used an old broom to sweep rubbish out of the house and then burn it. Unnecessary clothes and dishes were thrown out of the yard or left on the road.
• It was possible to drive out the kikimora by calling the priest for help and treating the house with church incense. To preserve their home and household, peasants sprinkled animals, crops and buildings, making mystical spells.

Kikimora(kikimara, shishimora, shishimara, neighbor, mara, etc.) - a predominantly negative character in Slavic mythology, one of the types of brownie.

Kikimoras come from different origins:

• these are babies who died unbaptized, stillborns, premature babies, miscarriages, freaks without arms and legs
• children from a vicious relationship with a fiery serpent;
• children cursed by their parents and therefore kidnapped or exchanged by evil spirits.

Kikimors, as a rule, settle in premises if the corpse of a child, a hanged or uninveterate dead person was buried under them, or in a house where a child died for some reason. May be sent by a sorcerer.

Kikimoras love to joke with people and sometimes appear in the form of an abandoned child along the way; picked up and warmed by people, they run away, laughing at them. She was represented in different ways: as the mistress of the hut, the wife of a brownie or a goblin. The swamp or forest kikimora was accused of kidnapping children, leaving behind an enchanted log in their place. Her presence in the house could be easily determined by her wet footprints. One could defend oneself against kikimora with a word of prayer, invoking the name of God, or, conversely, with abuse.

Kikimor's favorite pastime is weaving and yarn. On the night before Christmas, they ripple and burn the tow, left without prayer by absent-minded spinners on their spinning wheels. This feature in the activities of the kikimora makes her similar to the pagan goddess Mokoshya, the influence of whose cult probably left its mark on the image of this household spirit. Occasionally, the kikimora was even considered a female assistant in baking bread, washing dishes, caring for livestock and lulling children to sleep.

It was believed that kikimora could be seen before special events that were significant for family members, often on the threshold. If she cries or loudly knocks with bobbins for lace weaving, this portends trouble; if she spins, then someone’s death should be expected. If you ask a kikimora, she can answer by knocking.

A caught kikimora could be turned into a human if the hair on its crown was cut in the shape of a cross. However, some defect reminiscent of the past will always remain: stuttering, stooped posture, weak mind.

In the person of kikimora we have the remnant of some lower deity of the ancient Slavs. Belief in them is probably in connection with the cult of the souls of deceased ancestors.

Description

People imagine kikimoras in the form of ugly dwarfs or babies with a head the size of a thimble and a body as thin as a straw. They have the ability to be invisible, run fast and see long distances, wear neither clothes nor shoes - these are forever young girls, small and restless. According to other descriptions, the kikimora looks like a small, crooked and ugly old woman, dressed in torn rags, funny and sloppy, who is afraid that she will be carried away by the wind, and therefore does not leave the house. Occasionally, the kikimora was represented in the guise of a man. Occasionally in the guise of a maiden with loose hair or a long braid, completely undressed or in a single-color shirt. Occasionally - in the guise of a married woman in a military uniform. There are beliefs that the kikimora appeared to look like a dog, pig, duck, and also like a hare and hamster.

Due to their affinity with house spirits, kikimoras usually live behind the stove, under the floor, or in the attic. They can also live in abandoned buildings, in the yard, in the bathhouse, in the stable, on the threshing floor, in the chicken coop; even in a tavern. It hides from people during the day, is active at night, and sometimes annoys its owners with noise and fuss. On quiet nights you can hear them jumping, spinning and twisting threads. It can spin the left yarn, only not from left to right, but vice versa, but more often it breaks and wastes the threads, burns the tow, and tangles the wool that was thrown without a blessing. It sews poorly, the stitches of the kikimora are uneven and uneven:

“You won’t get a shirt from a kikimora”

(Russian proverb)

When they appear in the house, kikimoras are a constant source of trouble, they do minor mischief: they interfere with sleep by rustling, howling, squeaking, crying, breaking dishes, throwing onions from underground, throwing off clothes, driving horses at night, trimming feathers from chickens and wool from sheep:

When they appear in the house, kikimoras are a constant source of trouble, they do minor mischief: they interfere with sleep by rustling, howling, squeaking, crying, breaking dishes, throwing onions from underground, throwing off clothes, driving horses at night, trimming feathers from chickens and wool from sheep:

One owner's kikimora severely tormented sheep, cut their wool, and no matter how hard they tried to get rid of it, nothing worked. Then the owners decided to move to another village. They hoped that the kikimora would remain in its old place. As things were put on the cart, the owner asked: “Did they take everything from the house?” And a thin voice came from the cart: “I don’t know if you took everything, but I took my scissors!”

Sometimes, in a fit of playfulness, kikimoras, like brownies, fall on their owners and strangle them at night, and can pull their hair. The following tale was popular:

In one hut there was a kikimora, she walked on the floor all night long and stomped her feet heavily. Then she began rattling dishes and breaking bowls. The owners had to leave this house, and it was left desolate. After some time, gypsies and a bear settled there. Kikimora, not knowing who she had contacted, attacked the bear, but he crushed her badly. Kikimora ran away from this house. When the owners found out that the house was no longer “scaring,” they returned there. A month later, the kikimora approached the house in the guise of an ordinary woman and asked the children: “Has the big cat left you?” “The cat is alive and has brought kittens,” the guys answered her. Kikimora went back, muttering as she walked: “Now it’s really bad, the cat was angry, and with kittens you can’t approach her at all.”