Tag: Kikimora

The bat among the ancient Slavs was closely associated with evil spirits. Lusatian Sorbs believed it was a vampire, and the Poles – a flying evil spirit or the soul of a sleeping witch. Poles also believed that witches could take tree leaves under their armpits and turn them into bats. The Belarusians thought that a walking dead sorcerer appeared in the form of a bat. In Russia, the bat was often called Kikimora, and it was a bad omen if it flew inside a house.
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However, due to blindness, the bat sometimes served as a talisman against the evil eye. For this, Bulgarians and Macedonians sewed the wing, head or skin of an animal into their clothes. The Poles hung bat up in the stable to guard their horses from the evil eye or nailed it to the door as protection from witches. The same way, Lusatian Sorbs protected themselves from illness and misfortune.
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But before making a talisman out of a bat, how, I wonder, was it caught? 😉
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To be continued…
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