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[mythology-folklore]

Leshi

The Leshi (also known as Leshy and Lesovik) is a male forest spirit in Slavic mythology who is charged with protecting the forest and the wildlife who lives in the forest. 

Leshi usually appears as the size of a man, but can change his form to be as small as a blade of grass or as tall as a tree. Since his blood runs blue, his cheeks and lips have a light blue tinge to them, otherwise he is a very pale figure. In his pale face, bright green eyes peer out and have been said to glow. He is said to wear a bright red scarf and his shoes on the opposite feet. His beard and hair are made of living grass and roots and decorated with pine cones, flowers, and moss. 

The Leshi also has a very close bond with the grey wolf, a creature that is very common in the forests of the Slavic countries. Leshi is also known to travel in the company of bears. 

The Leshi is an inherently mischievous spirit. He enjoys stealing the signs from signposts and leading travelers deep in to the woods by calling out in a very human-like voice. Once he has travels in his cave, he tickles them to death. The Leshi can also be very beneficial to farmers. He will form pacts with them and protect their cattle and crops. In return, the farmer must surrender their cross to him and share Holy Communion with him after church on Sundays.

The Leshi has also been in popular culture recently. In the wildly popular show Supernatural, the Leshi featured as one of the 'monsters of the week'. He would find a victim and take the form of the person they most admired. Once he had killed them, he would plant a seed in their belly in an effort to regrow an ancient forest. He was dispatched with an iron axe.

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[mythology-folklore]

Tata Duende

Tata Duende is a character central to Belizean folklore. He is described as being roughly 4 feet (1.2 m) tall, being tan and wrinkled, he is completely thumbless, his feet are on backwards, and he lacks knees.

He is typically used to scare children in to behaving and using their manners. He kidnaps naughty children who wander too far from home. It is also said that if he sees your thumbs he will rip them out from jealousy. The backwards feet are to confuse people trying to track him and his lack of knees causes his steps to be stilted and awkward.

He is also the traditional protector of the jungles including all of it's animal inhabitants and the ancient sites. He punishes poachers and looters of temples swiftly and ruthlessly. 

If he takes a liking to you, he will teach you to play on his silver guitar. If you leave a guitar out in your home, he will play it and do a small chore for you while you sleep.