Davydiuk L. Domestic spirits in the folk beliefs of western polishchuks (before XXI century)

Abstract

In the article the folk idea about home spirit of the West Polissya is given. A brownie (household spirit
“domovyk”) is one of the most popular demonic images but diverse in all ethnographic regions of Ukraine.
Researchers didn’t carry out full certain analysis of the West Polissya paradigm of this character. This
opportunity can be provided by the reference to archival files.
The study found that in the West Polissya a brownie is characterized by dominant signs of the Christian
rethinking, and therefore it is mostly interpreted as an evil spirit. However, in the case where its genesis is
associated with the cult of ancestors, he is an assistant. Home grass-snake, which some researchers believe to be
the kind of the home spirit-ancestor, is not correlated with the brownie in the West Polissya. Its names are uniform
throughout the territory; the residence - living quarters.