In the Slavic religious tradition, Domovoy ( Russian: Домово́й, literally "

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of the household"; also spelled ''Domovoi'', ''Domovoj'', and known as pl, Domowik or

Serbian Serbian may refer to: * someone or something related to Serbia, a country in Southeastern Europe * someone or something related to the Serbs, a South Slavic people * Serbian language * Serbian names See also * * * Old Serbian (disambiguation ...

and ua, Домовик, translit=domovyk) is the household spirit of a given kin. They are deified

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s, that is to say the fountainhead ancestors of the kin. According to the Russian folklorist E. G. Kagarov, the Domovoy is a personification of the supreme Rod in the microcosm of kinship. Sometimes he has a female counterpart, Domania, the goddess of the household, though he is most often a single god. The Domovoy expresses himself as a number of other spirits of the household in its different functions.

Etymology and belief

The term ''Domovoy'' comes from the Indo-European root *''dom'', which is shared by many words in the semantic field of "abode", "domain" in the

Indo-European languages The Indo-European languages are a language family native to the overwhelming majority of Europe, the Iranian plateau, and the northern Indian subcontinent. Some European languages of this family, English, French, Portuguese, Russian, D ...

(cf. Latin ''domus'', "house"). The Domovoy have been compared to the Roman '' Di Penates'', the '' genii'' of the family. Helmold ( 1120–1177), in his '' Chronica Slavorum'', alluded to the widespread worship of ''penates'' among the Elbe Slavs. In the ''Chronica Boemorum'' of

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( 1045–1125) it is written that

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, one of the three mythical forefathers of the Slavs, brought the statues of the ''penates'' on his shoulders to the new country, and, resting on the mountain of the Rzip, said to his fellows: The Domovoy are believed to protect the well-being of a kin in any of its aspects. They are very protective towards the children and the animals of the house, constantly looking after them. These gods are often represented as fighting with one another, to protect and make grow the welfare of their kin. In such warfare, the Domovoy of the eventual winner family is believed to take possession of the household of the vanquished rivals. They are believed to share the joys and the sorrows of the family, and to be able to forebode and warn about future events, such as the imminent death of a kindred person, plagues, wars or other calamities which threaten the welfare of the kin. The Domovoy become angry and reveal their demonic aspect if the family is corrupted by bad behaviour and language. In this case, the god may even quit and leave the kin unprotected against illness and calamity. Also, the tradition of Russian people "Sitting on the lane" which means spending a few minutes in silence sitting down before a long journey is connected with the Domovoy. According to the legend the Domovoy does not like to be alone. Otherwise, he can hide or take things of the owners of the house. Thus, the owners are trying to deceive Domovoy, pretending that they are not going to leave their place of residence for a long time.

Iconography and worship

The Domovoy is usually represented as an old, gray-haired man with flashing eyes. He may manifest in the form of animals, such as cats, dogs or bears, but also as the master of the house or a departed ancestor of the given family, sometimes provided with a tail and little horns. In some traditions the Domovoy are symbolised as snakes. Household gods were represented by the Slavs as statuettes, made of clay or stone, which were placed in niches near the house's door, and later on the mantelpieces above the ovens. They were attired in the distinct costume of the tribe to which the kin belonged. Sacrifices in honour of the Domovoy are practised to make him participate in the life of the kin, and to appease and reconcile him in the case of anger. These include the offering of what is left of the evening meal, or, in cases of great anger, the sacrifice of a cock at midnight and the sprinkling of the nooks and corners of the common hall or the courtyard with the animal's blood. Otherwise, a slice of bread strewn with salt and wrapped in a white cloth is offered in the hall or in the courtyard while the members of the kin bow towards the four directions reciting prayers to the Domovoy. The Domovoy is believed to be somehow connected with the house building itself, so that sacrifices are also practised when a family moved to a newly built house, in order to invite the god to inhabit it. In this case, a hen and the first slice of bread cut for of the first dinner in the new house are offered to the god and buried in the courtyard, reciting the formula: Similar rituals are practised to invite a Domovoy to transfer from a house to another, and to welcome him.

Other household deities

Other household gods, or expressions of the Domovoy, are: * Dvorovoy – tutelary deity of the courtyard * Bannik – "Bath Spirit", tutelary deity of the private or public bathhouses, who corresponds to the Komi ''Pyvsiansa'' * Ovinnik (Belarusian: Joŭnik) – "Threshing Barn Spirit" * Prigirstitis – known for his fine hearing * Krimba – household goddess among the Bohemians * The lizard-shaped Giwoitis

Alternative naming

Some

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authors interpret the name ''domovoy'' as "house elf". The

Slavic languages The Slavic languages, also known as the Slavonic languages, are Indo-European languages spoken primarily by the Slavic peoples and their descendants. They are thought to descend from a proto-language called Proto-Slavic, spoken during the ...

and their local forms have variations of the term ''Domovoy'' and alternative names to describe the household god, including: * Děd, Dĕdek, Děduška (names of this form convey the concept of "grandfather", Czech) * Did, Didko, Diduch, Domovyk (Ukrainian) * Damavik (Belarusian) * Dedek, Djadek * Šetek, Šotek (Czech) * Skřítek (Czech) * Škrata, Škriatok (Slovak) * Škrat, Škratek (Slovenian) * Skrzatek, Skrzat, Skrzot (Polish) * Chozyain, Chozyainuško (Russian) (meaning literally "master" and "little master") * Stopan (Bulgarian) * Domovníček, Hospodáříček (Czech) * Domaći (Croatian) * Zmek, Smok, Ćmok (snake form) The female counterpart ''Domania'' can appear as: * Domovikha (russian: домовиха) * Damavukha ( be, дамавуха) *

Kikimora Kikimora ( rus, кикимора, p=kʲɪˈkʲimərə) is a legendary creature, a female house spirit in Slavic mythology. Her role in the house is usually juxtaposed with that of the domovoy. The kikimora can either be a "bad" or a "good" spir ...

* Marukha * Volossatka Domovoy may also have a proper name: * Zhiharko (russian: Жихарько), used in northern governorates of Russia * Adamiy (russian: Адамий), used in Russian zagovory *Dedushko Domovedushko (russian: Дедушко-Домоведушко) * Romanushko (russian: Романушко; diminutive of the name

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lett ...

) * Otamanushko (russian: Отаманушко) In zagovory, his wife may have a proper name as well: * Adamushka (russian: Адамушка) * Domanushka (russian: Доманушка; derived from the name Domna and from the noun ''дом'') * Serafimushka (russian: Серафимушка)

Gallery of household deities

File:Овинник Рисунок Ивана Билибина.jpg, Sculpture of Ovinnik ("Threshing Barn Spirit"), by Belarusian sculptor Anton Shipitsa based on illustrations by Valery Slauk File:Bannik.jpg, Bannik ("Bath Spirit"), by Ivan Bilibin File:L'Oiseau de feu (Golovin) - Kikimora.jpg ,

; Aleksandr Golovin's sketch for a costume for

Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (6 April 1971) was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor, later of French (from 1934) and American (from 1945) citizenship. He is widely considered one of the most important and influential 20th-century clas ...

's ''

The Firebird ''The Firebird'' (french: L'Oiseau de feu, link=no; russian: Жар-птица, Zhar-ptitsa, link=no) is a ballet and orchestral concert work by the Russian composer Igor Stravinsky. It was written for the 1910 Paris season of Sergei Diaghilev' ...

Explanatory notes

References

Citations

General and cited sources

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External links

* {{Authority control Slavic gods Slavic paganism Slavic tutelary deities Slavic household deities