I 'll start with Bayun.
This is probably the most famous character in Slavic fairy tales. In some he acts as a kind animal, in the other - as an evil henchman of Baba Yaga, which is not entirely correct, because the Cat Bayun is a completely independent person. Here he simply absorbed the features of a witch's cat, which appeared in folklore a little later.
And yes, the good cat Bayun is an oxymoron, for he has never been kind.
For starters: Bayun is a cannibal. His voice is carried seven miles away and lulls the potential victim. This, as a rule, is a kind fellow who needs to pass the prescribed tests in order to achieve his goal. To do this, he, on the advice of magic assistants, wears "three caps of iron, three of iron mittens." Often, the iron rod also grabs the cat on the sides.
And, I must say, not just like that. This "cat" has no legs. Rather, paws, but with iron claws. And the teeth are also iron. And with them he quite successfully rips off the skin of an unwary passer-by who has thrust himself into his Dead Forest. True, Bayun's cat is not only a storyteller, he has the ability to look into the future, and if the hero manages to win, Bayun will help, tell, guide. But even here you need to keep your ears open. Kisulya can send something to certain death, without warning about the pitfalls of travel. Well, for example, that Serpent Gorynych lurked at the crossroads of three roads, or Nightingale the Robber is sitting in ambush. Or he will be silent that one should not drink from the only spring in the whole district, otherwise you will ride a mountain goat on your exploits.
But if you manage to win the respect of Bayun, you will help without a catch, with everything you can.
There is one more thing: Bayun's tales are healing. He who has managed to listen to them and not fall asleep, receives healing from all diseases, physical and mental. It is not surprising, because he is a mediator between the world of the dead and the world of the living.
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So why is the Bayun cat often depicted in bylichki as an affectionate, kind animal? Folklore is a living phenomenon, it changes, there is mixing, substitution. Here, too, the image of two spirits merged in one cat: Bayun and Bayunk.
Côte Bayunok - Baiyun complete opposite. This is an affectionate, gentle cat, a favorite in the family. A kind spirit, which with its songs soothes even the most capricious children and evokes kind, calm dreams. By the way, it was believed that it was impossible to "get" Bayunk's cat yourself. He always comes by himself. Comes and stays in the house. If the owners don't chase him away, then the harmony in the family is guaranteed.
But this is not all the cat-spirits of Slavic mythology. There are such creatures - korgorusi. These are assistants to the courtyard, and they appear in the form of black nimble cats. If the owner is kind to the courtyard and does not forget about his assistants, then often Korgorushi drag neighbors' supplies to his courtyard (especially if the courtyard is negligent there). They will bring hay for livestock and money buried in the yard for a rainy day. Because of this, enmity flares up between the courtyards, before the fight, in which the Korgorushi take an active part. And then the cants hung out on the fence beat, things break, and in general, everything turns upside down.
In addition to home, there are also "wild" spirits. For example, Earth Cat. She is the guardian of underground riches and buried treasures. Wanders underground, guarding underground treasures. There are especially many legends about the Earth Cat in the Urals. They believe that she is kind to people and can open a gold mine for a kind person.
The size of the cat is impressive, it is just huge. And she has a special sign - ears glowing with a greenish light. According to tales, if you stand between them, then no wolf is afraid of you. They say that many who were caught by a hungry flock were saved by the Earth Cat: they are afraid of her wolves and, seeing the lights of her ears, run away.
In some areas, the image of the Earth Cat merged with another treasure guardian - a large ginger cat. But that's a completely different story.
In an article about the mythical heart of the universe, I quoted a saying:
And I was interested in the word "grumbling". I have always believed that it is used for melodiousness and imagery. This time I went to look at the etymology of the word. And from what she learned:
That is, "grumbling" is an affectionate murk cat)))