Sinister in East Slavic legends are evil spirits, small creatures who, having traditionally settled behind a stove (like a brownie), remain invisible and bring misfortune to the house. Ukrainian and Belarusian proverbs and sayings mention the evil ones in a context common for mysterious characters. For example, the Ukrainian proverb "Butt you wickedly beat!" meant a wish for misfortune, and to send "to evil" was understood as sending to hell.
Sinister have vague outlines - according to different ideas, it can be, for example, invisible little old beggars or the same petty evil and nasty old women.
The person in whose house they settled will never get out of poverty - he will live very poorly and poorly.
You can get rid of them by deception: when the evil men running after the owner ask you to smell the tobacco, put them in a snuffbox and bury them or plant them in a larger barrel and take them out into an open field.
Option: trick it into an iron box or a casket made of hawthorn.
When the evil spirit is in the box, it should be closed, taken to the edge of the forest, where it should be buried. Having got rid of unsuccessful tenants, a person quickly becomes rich, and vice versa: who has moved into the house where they live, is mired in poverty.
If someone, out of pity for the wicked or out of envy for a rich neighbor, frees them from captivity, they will pounce on him, cling to and never leave - just like the saying: "You asked the wicked for three days, but you can't be vignati."
Promotional video:
"Sinister is an evil spirit," explains Maria Abramova from Zinkov in the Poltava region. - If they attacked a house, everything will immediately cease to appear in it. Sinister go with trouble. It’s true they say that it’s not trouble itself, but that it takes children with it.”
The villains attack the house in large groups, up to twelve pieces. In some regions, they are represented as small, thin and crooked creatures in large, dirty boots and hats. They are shaggy, capricious, angry and loud. Sinister constantly hungry and gluttonous.
In search of food, they turn everything in the house, stick their nose into every pot, steal eggs from chickens, destroy livestock. They instantly turn milk sour, porridge burns, bread in a tub spoils, dishes break and clothes are torn. Sinister bring so much harm and loss that the family where they settled quickly falls into poverty.
These creatures can attack for no apparent reason, or they can start from people who really dream of getting rich. It was once said that they cling to those who work while eating. Witches and envious people send them.
Although evil spirits are weak spirits, it is very difficult to fight them, it is much easier to prevent them from entering the house: for this, thunder and sun signs are applied on all openings, they are also applied to places where the evil ones may inhabit (chests, cabinets).
In the same way, you can protect yourself personally: for this, the indicated signs are embroidered on clothes or amulets with similar symbols are worn around the neck.
Wreaths consecrated in the church and a rusty knife stuck in the threshold of the house are protected from evil spirits. But the hardest thing is family harmony. And one more thing: there should not be a single stolen thing in the house.
In the village hut, the evil ones nested in a bake or under a stove. “In modern apartments, they live in corners,” adds Maria Abramova. - That's when they brought a candle from the church, brought it to the corners, and the candle was extinguished for no reason at all - it means that there are evil people there. To drive them out, you need to sprinkle the whole house with holy poppy seeds. Especially in the corners - poppy is poured crosswise and sprinkled with holy water."
In some areas, the evil ones were presented as small invisible women, without a tongue, eyes and ears. The following legend was told about their origin. A long time ago, a snake lived in a swamp. Once she put her arms around the devil's neck and began to bite him.
At the cry of the devil, Lucifer jumped out and threw the devil along with the snake into the boiling pitch. A terrible stench arose, Lucifer pulled out the snake, hit it against himself - and it became more evil. Instead of a soul, she has a devil with a pot, inside of which she has various abominations - she gives them to people.
The worst enemy of the wicked is the brownie, which is quite understandable: the wicked settle with him on the same territory, and even destroy his house. The housekeeper tries not to let evil spirits into his home, and usually he succeeds, since they are much weaker. However, if the brownie is weakened, then they can enter the house and hide for a very long time.