Maruda is a demon in
Slavic mythology
Slavic paganism, Slavic mythology, or Slavic religion refer to the Religion, religious beliefs, myths, and ritual practices of the Slavs before Christianisation of the Slavs, Christianisation, which occurred at various stages between the 8th and ...
in female form, who is said to have harassed children in a cradle. In the 19th century it was believed that using magical methods was necessary to deal with the demon successfully. For instance, people put three spindles, three spoons and sewing into the bowl of water as to make the harasser busy enough to let the baby sleep undisturbed.
References
Slavic demons
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