Leshy

Let's pop over to Russia and into the lesser-known for this one. I bring you: the Leshy!

Typically depicted as a male woodland spirit in Slavic stories, the Leshy is similar to the Woodwose and the Basajaun. He is generally seen in the act of protecting wild animals and forests, and rather than being locked into a human or animal form he exhibits fluid characteristics in his shape-shifting. He can change his size, shrinking to become very small or growing to the heights of the tallest trees. While he seems to have connections with the gray wolf and various bears, he has the ability to assume any shifted form: plant or animal. When humanoid, his pale skin contrasts starkly with the living plant components of his hair and beard, with his brilliant green eyes, and with the blueish shade of his cheeks, caused by his blue blood.

The Leshy's dealings with mankind begin when man enters the forest. Generally just for his own amusement, the Leshy uses his shape-shifting and mimicry talents to kidnap young women and lure travelers off the path. However, he is also seen as benevolent, and will make pacts with farmers, shepherd, and cowherds to protect their livestock if they roam into his territory. Interestingly, the Leshy was familiar to most Slavs who lived in heavily forested areas; however, those in steppe country lack full stories of their own and operate on a hear-say basis. This may indicate that the forest spirit cannot travel far from his woods. The mythology which focuses on him is centered in wooded areas, and answers for any man or woman who may enter the forest and is never seen again.

It is unclear whether the Leshy kills its misguided victims or simply detains them, as ThinkQuest's article defends. It is generally agreed that the way to rid oneself of a Leshy's mischief is to wear your clothes backward and switch your shoes to the opposite feet. This either confuses or impresses the Leshy, who then leaves the traveller alone.

The Leshy seems to be, in essence, a spirit of the forest; or, perhaps more correctly, THE spirit of the forest. Since he has no restrictions on the form he may take, he has full access to the myriad appearances of the forest and all of its life. His reign is over the woods, and ends where that threshold lies.




Sources: wikipedia (unfortunately, yes), the Encyclopedia Britannica, ThinkQuest