Domovoi
A domovoi is a bearded household guardian who lives behind the stove or under thresholds. Treated with respect and offerings, he protects livestock and warns of danger; insult him and he turns to mischief, pinching or hiding tools.
Story beats
- 1) Families welcome a domovoi when founding a home, leaving bread or milk near the hearth.
- 2) At night, he tidies, braids horse manes, and keeps wolves at bay; his presence is felt through creaks and warm drafts.
- 3) A shout, curse, or neglect offends him, turning protection to poltergeist pranks until appeased.
- 4) When a family moves, they invite him along; forgetting him invites misfortune in the new house.
Context & symbolism
Domovoi embody the spirit of ancestors and domestic continuity, rooting protection in reciprocal care. His omens—soft tugs, strokes, or hair-pulling—signal coming trouble or death, encouraging attentiveness.
Christianized folklore reinterpreted domovoi as minor demons or angels of the home, but the core remained: a guardian who mirrors the household’s respect for its own space and lineage.
Motifs
- Hearth offerings of bread, salt, milk
- Braided horse manes as a sign of favor
- Protective growls at night vs. mischievous pinches
- Inviting the spirit to move with the family
Use it in play
- Restore a domovoi’s favor to stop poltergeist activity in a rural inn.
- Negotiate between a new landlord and an old domovoi who refuses to move.
- Follow subtle omens—a tug on a sleeve, a cold patch—to uncover looming danger.
- Portable hearth relic lets the party carry a domovoi ally between safehouses.