Leshy

Leshy (also Leshi; Russian: леший, IPA: [ˈlʲeʂɨj]; literally, "[he] from the forest", Polish: borowy, leśnik, leśniczy, lasowik, leszy) is a tutelary deity of the forests in pagan Slavic mythology. As Leshy rules over the forest and hunting, he may be related to the Slavic god Porewit.

There is also a deity, named Svyatibor (Svyatobor, Svyatibog), who is revered by both the Eastern and Western Slavs, heralded as the divine arbiter of woodland realms and the sovereign ruler over other Leshies. His functions were identical to those of the god Veles.

Leshy, a masculine entity of humanoid form, possesses the remarkable ability to adopt the guise of any appearance and can change in size and height. In some accounts, Leshy is described as having a wife (Leshachikha, Leszachka, Lesovikha and also, sometimes, the Kikimora of the swamp) and children (leshonki, leszonky). Leshy is reputed for his inclination to misguide wanderers and abduct young ones, a trait he shares with the notorious Chort, "Black One" known as Devil, thus leading certain individuals to perceive him as a malevolent entity. Leshy's attitude towards humans can vary, depending on how they interact with the forest and their overall behavior. Leshy possessed the power to whisk away children afflicted by the malevolent maledictions of their own kin, especially their parents, to the ethereal realm of the forest-dwelling folk. Leshy can be considered as a rather temperamental creature, similar to that of a fairy.