The ancient Slavs (however, like other peoples) believed that the world was inhabited not only by people, but also by spirits. There were evil among them, there were good ones, there were also neutral ones (most of all), who acted depending on the situation.
Each of the spirits had its own, so to speak, specialization. And some were considered especially dangerous for children. Of course, the parents of the babies clearly knew what to protect them from.
Nightmare (night crybaby, nightmare, nightmare) - a spirit that causes insomnia in children
Always female, hostile, hates people. In conspiracies, it was often mentioned in the plural. In some areas, she was the personification of an ordinary childhood illness, accompanied by screaming and insomnia.
Despite the name, these spirits attacked not at night but at sunset, which is why evening sleep was considered harmful. In the Smolensk region, it was believed that Nightmare could be summoned by an “envious glance” or unkind words.
The Night Lady looked like a long-haired ugly woman in black clothes, often with long claws. She could also appear in the form of a huge hairy worm or a bat.
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Nightmare was expelled in different ways. In the Olonets province, children were washed with water "poured" from the icon of St. Tikhon or put a bowl of water under the cradle, throwing a knife and a noose of a harsh thread over it with a slander: "Here you, night moth, evil martyr, water - choke, sharp knife - stab, loop - choke"; in Voronezh, children were carried under church bells; in Smolensk, they carried the baby under a chicken roost and washed the child with a conspiracy. They also put a knife, needle, ax, key, or other iron objects that were considered charms under the pillow. They also used herbs that repel evil spirits: garlic, wormwood, thistle, mountain ash.
Lizun (Lizunko) - one of the taboo names of the house spirit
Lizun lives behind the stove or in the underground, comes out when no one is around. It looks like a furry animal that looks like a cat with a very long rough tongue.
Lizun loves to lick unwashed and thrown dishes, animal hair and hair of people. He especially likes children, whom he can lick to death. Slime's tongue leaves characteristic marks - as if burns.
According to some beliefs, Lizun could live in a well, where he dragged unwary children with a long tongue.
Wolverine. A very dangerous spirit that preys on children
She looks like a beautiful young woman with loose golden hair. It appeared when rye was in the ear. She sat in a field and began to comb her hair, luring the children with their radiance. When the kids approached, Wolverine either turned into a beast, or grew claws and teeth to carry the prey to its lair.
This spirit was very much feared by peasant women who go out to work in the fields with small children. It was worth distracting, and the baby became the dinner of evil spirits.
It was believed that when Wolverine went hunting, the rye began to worry: "The rye sways, that the wolverine runs waving arms." Apparently, this spirit is a spontaneous being that helps the loaves ripen, and the "stolen children" are an echo of sacrifices.
Midday (Rzhitsa) - the spirit of half a day in the guise of a woman; creature that causes screaming and insomnia in children
Midday has been described in different ways. It could be either a very beautiful woman with long blond hair or an ugly skinny old woman with sagging breasts. But both she and that were represented by goddesses of fertility, guarding rye, personification of time, stewards of life. They also monitored the observance of the rules: at "noon" of the year, that is, from July 6 to 19, the day was supposed to rest. These days, Midday appeared not only in the fields, but also went into the villages, “mowing down those standing”: “she will not touch whoever falls to the ground, and whoever stands, she will slay him to death. When you see that it is noon, lie down."
The Noon Day was especially dangerous for children: it took them away, lured them with a clear voice, bright decorations. She loved to get into baby cradles, which made babies lose sleep and screamed day and night.
It was possible to heal the child at dawn by performing a special ceremony. But "prevention" was considered a more effective means: not to let children into the fields, for which they were diligently frightened; lock all doors and windows at noon; rest in the hottest time.
Forty-little thing, forty-thing
Dangerous werewolf birds that feed on unborn children, taking them out of the mother's womb.
In order to turn into a magpie, the sorceress rolled over twelve knives, after which the upper half of the body became a bird, and the lower one was kept in the basement, under a filthy trough.
Having assumed the guise of a magpie, things also acted like ordinary witches, that is, they milked cows, caused damage, flew to the Sabbath, but at the same time harmed pregnant women: they stole from the womb of children, replacing the fruit with a crumb of bread, a stone, a broom or a log, after which the child was immediately eaten: "The little things do it without malice, because they eat in this way."
A woman could protect herself from misfortune only with the help of her husband: the clothes were afraid of men and flew in in their absence. Therefore, if a pregnant woman had to be left alone, she wore something from her husband's clothes, most often a belt. Unfortunately, this did not always help, they had to resort to "heavy artillery" - to use firearms. But again, only a man could do it.
Of course, this is not all Slavic evil, there is much more of it.