Devil Boruta () is a fictional character from Polish mythology, folklore and literature, associated with the Polish town of

Łęczyca Łęczyca (; in full the Royal Town of Łęczyca, ; ; ) is a town of inhabitants in central Poland. Situated in the Łódź Voivodeship, it is the county seat of the Łęczyca County. Łęczyca is a capital of the historical Łęczyca Land. Or ...

. The character is the transformation of the pagan Slavic ''

leshy Leshy or Leshi, ; literally, ' efrom the forest'. is a tutelary deity of the forest in pagan Slavic mythology. As Leshy rules over the forest and hunting, he may be related to the Slavic god Porewit. A similar deity called ''Svyatibor'' ('' ...

'' in post-Christianization times. Boruta is also referred to as '' błotnik'',Pełka, Leonard (1987). ''Polska demonologia ludowa''. Warszawa: Iskry. pp.187. a swamp spirit. He was usually considered to be a

nobleman Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally appointed by and ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. T ...

, and accordingly, he was usually busy with corrupting nobles, leaving other social classes to other devils - like Rokita the devil from the same region, who more often tempted peasants.

Zygmunt Gloger Zygmunt Gloger (3November 184516August 1910) was a Polish historian, archaeologist, geographer and ethnographer, bearer of the Wilczekosy coat of arms. Gloger founded the precursor of modern and widely popular Polish Tourist and Sightseeing Socie ...

and some other ethnologists believed that dressing Boruta as a nobleman is

fakelore Invented traditions are cultural practices that are presented or perceived as traditional, arising from people starting in the distant past, but which are relatively recent and often consciously invented by historical actors. The concept was high ...

produced in the 19th century and reintroduced into folklore.

In ''Encyklopedia staropolska''

Zygmunt Gloger's ''Encyklopedia staropolska'' ( 1900–1903) Boruta is described as follows:

, ''Encyklopedia staropolska'', 1900–1903, Boruta

References

{{reflist Slavic mythology Polish legends Slavic demons Slavic folklore characters Culture of Łódź Voivodeship