The Demonology of the Urals and the Volga Region: Harmful Wonders, Spirit-Keremet and the Bathhouse Elder

This place is known as “Keremet” or “Keremet grove”; in Russian it’s called “keremetište.” I remember this grove well: there were trees there that were dark and dense. We were always warned not to go into the Keremet grove, because people often disappeared there and strange sounds could be heard all the time. Most importantly, nothing could be touched there—not berries, not branches, and not coins. Those who dared to do so later suffered from various illnesses. The book by ethnologist and folklorist German Ustyanzhev offers an exciting journey into the world of the mythology of the peoples of the Urals and the Volga region, such as Tatars, Bashkirs, Chuvashes, Komi, Komi-Permyaks, Udmurts, and Mari. You’ll learn why you must not show your teeth to the Chuvash forest spirit Arzyuri, how to properly visit the bath according to Bashkir beliefs so as not to anger the bathhouse master, what role the “cemetery chief” plays, and what place a house spirit has in a modern apartment. This edition is based on the works of well-known folklorists, archival documents, and the author’s personal research, supplemented by stories, beliefs, and rituals connected with evil forces. Here you’ll find not only the views of scholars and collectors of folklore, but also stories told by the residents themselves of the cities, villages, and hamlets of the region. Through accounts gathered during ethnographic expeditions and through illustrations by the contemporary artist PETUCHINO, legends and myths about ancient giants and flooded villages, about the angel of death Azyréne and the demon of Keremet, about the ghostly wedding train and spirits of disease come to life.