Ovinnik

The Ovinnik (Russian: Овинник), Joŭnik or Jownik (Belarusian: Ёўнік) is a malevolent spirit of the threshing house in Slavic folklore^[1][2] whose name derived from ovin 'barn'.^[3] He is prone to burning down the threshing houses by setting fire to the grain. To placate him, peasants would offer him roosters and bliny. On New Year's Eve, the touch of an Ovinnik would determine their fortune for the New Year. A warm touch meant good luck and fortune, while a cold touch meant unhappiness.

Ovinnik by Ivan Bilibin

See also

• Bannik
• Domovoi
• Slavic mythology

References

1. История, мифы и боги древних славян (in Russian). Litres. 2017-09-05. ISBN 9785457076495.
2. Jones, Prudence; Pennick, Nigel (1995). A History of Pagan Europe. Routledge. p. 187. ISBN 978-1-136-14172-0.
3. Dixon-Kennedy, Mike (1998). Encyclopedia of Russian and Slavic Myth and Legend. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO. p. 212. ISBN 9781576070635.

Bibliography

• Linda J. Ivanits (1992), Russian Folk Belief (illustrated ed.), M.E. Sharpe, p. 58, ISBN 978-0-87332-889-0
• Janet Parker; Alice Mills; Julie Stanton (2007), Mythology: Myths, Legends & Fantasies, Struik Publishers, p. 262, ISBN 978-1-77007-453-8