Ovinnik- Slavic SpiritSpirit"Barn Spirit"

The Black Cat

A large black cat with eyes like embers crouches in the darkness of the drying barn. That is the Ovinnik, spirit of the ovin where harvested grain was dried before threshing. He may also appear as a disheveled man covered in soot. The barn belongs to him.

He protects the grain from spoilage and vermin, but only if properly respected. Those who enter at the wrong hour or neglect his offerings risk fire. In a building full of dry grain, fire ends everything.

New Year's Eve

On New Year's Eve, young people seeking to know their future approached the barn in the dark. They bared their backs and pressed them against the barn window. If the Ovinnik touched them with a soft, furry paw, fortune was coming. If with a cold scratch, misfortune.

The Third Firing

Workers left offerings before using the drying barn: bread, a rooster, sometimes beer. They avoided the barn during certain hours when the spirit claimed it for himself. The third firing of the ovin belonged to the Ovinnik. No one entered until it was done.