Spirit Beings in European Folklore 3

<p><em>Compendium 3</em> of the <em>Spirit Beings in European Folklore</em>-series offers an overview of the mysterious sometimes beautiful and often shadowy entities of the Slavic countries the Balkans the Carpathians Albania Georgia and the Turkish and Romani peoples. Many types of <em>Vampires</em> and vampiric <em>Revenants</em> are included - in their original state and purged of later applied disinformation. The undead are prominent in the folklore of Eastern Europe and Albania. Also typical are farm- and household-spirits such as the <em>Domovoy</em> water-spirits and forest demons like the Russian <em>Leshy</em> the <em>Chuhaister</em> or the evil Polish <em>Bełt</em> who like the Ukrainian <em>Blud</em> leads travelers off their path until they are lost in the deepest part of the forest. Unique is the Russian <em>Bannik</em> or spirit of the bathhouse. Amongst the Slavs some 'demons' like the <em>Boginka</em> for example originally belonged to the pre-Christian pantheon. Eastern Europe in contrast to its returning dead is rich in seductive female spirits such as the Romanian <em>Iele</em> the Russian <em>Russalka</em> the <em>Vila</em> of the Eastern and Southern Slavs and the Bulgarian <em>Samodiva</em>. Via the Balkans Greek influences entered Slavic culture while there are also spirits that intersect Germanic and Nordic folklore.</p><p><br></p><p><em>Compendium 3</em> discusses 255 spirit beings in detail including their alternative names with additional references to related or subordinate beings and a unique selection of illustrations.</p>