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) Kikimora. A type of evil house-spirit, wife of Domovoi("Hoise-Spirit") who spins threads in the night: during the day she hides invisibly behind the oven and during the night she plays pranks with a spindle and spinning- wheel,disturbs children. Kikimora may drive out of the house its owners; she is hostile with men. She may harm domesticated animals- especially, chicken.
Generally, in Slavic culture Kikimora is a creature of a feminine gender, an infant, who died during birth-giving, a small monstrously looking old woman with a hump, dressed in untidy way.
Metaphorical meaning: A reprobating way of addresing someone, who stays at home all the time; unsociable person, who always is preoccupied with something at home and, especially, does not look very diligently and neatly. Folk beliefs: Appearance of Kikimora in the houses is considered to be a bad omen. 1. Kikimora settles down in the houses which are built on a vile place (the place, where a self-murderer was buried). 2. There is a story, which says that Kikimora once lived in a house and even though she was not seen by anyone, everyone could hear her demanding: "Get away from the table". Those, who wouldn't listen to her, would be thrown pillows at or frightened by her so much, that by the end the whole family had to move out from the house. 3. Kikimora could be let into the house during its construction by stove-makers or carpenters, who wanted to harm house owners for some reason. 4. Hearing Kikimora spinning silk is an omen of a misfortune, disaster; Kikimora appears before the death of a family member- she comes out on the outside and starts crying. |
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