Case file · Non-fiction & research literature
Dal's treatise on Russian beliefs and superstitions
Vladimir Dal, compiler of the great Russian dictionary, published 'On the Beliefs, Superstitions and Prejudices of the Russian People' (1845), one of the first systematic accounts of domovoi, leshy, rusalki, sorcerers and charms.
1845 CE · 59.93, 30.34 · status: official
The account
Dal collected material as a doctor and official across Russia. He describes the house spirit fed with porridge, the forest spirit who leads travellers astray, and cures by whispering. The work is a key source behind the spirit types in this atlas.