Origin of Kikimora

The origin of Kikimora according to Ivan Sakharov, who was collecting Russian folk tales and myths, goes like this:

Some young girl was seduced by a young man, who was possessed by evil spirits. They had a child together. Girl’s parents cursed the child and she was taken by demons from the mother’s belly far away over seven landscapes to a secluded kingdom. After seven weeks the cursed child was named Kikimora.

She grew up in the high mountains, and wizard was her guardian. He was feeding her with sweet honey dew and combing her hair with golden brush, bathing her in banya. From morning till evening black cat Bajun was reading her fairy tales from foreign lands. From evening till midnight wizard was playing with her Blind man’s bluff and other games. From midnight till dawn Kikimora was sleeping in acrystal cradle.

After seven years Kikimora grew into a petite young lady with hair black as charcoal. Her head was small as a thimble and body thin as a blade of grass. She could see far into the blue horizon and she could run fast through the vast lands without a care in the world. Not even in the broad day light, not even in the darkest night, no one could see Kikimora, but she knew everything! Every city, every garden and village. She knew everything about everyone, all humankind and their sins. She was spending days nights with wizards and witches, and during the night she sat at the spinning wheel and spun silky threads, hatching up evil plans for mankind.

Time came and Kikimora left the high mountains. She went to live with evil wizards to train new skills, but these devious and wicked wizards sent her to good people to ruin their lives. She came to people’s homes, living in the dark corners of the house, nothing suited her souls, making noises in the night, never up to no good…