Chugaystr [chugha'ister](from ukr. “Чугайстер"— "The forest man&am

Chugaystr [chugha'ister](from ukr. “Чугайстер"— "The forest man”) — The protector of nature in ukrainian mythology, one of the few examples of a friendly demon in slavic culture (well, not actually a demon, most of the slavic characters I talk about are called нечисть [nechyst’], which is commonly translated as “evil spirit”, but the direct translation is “unclean”/“unholy”. I’m stressing it out so you would understand that whenever I’m  using the words “demon”, “evil spirit” or somewhat like that in my descriptions, I’m referring to the group of nechyst’, which cannot be described as being completely evil and negative.)Analogically to Leshy, chugaystr is the master of nature — forests, plains and fields, protector of flora and fauna. The development and evolution of the character combines the traits of natural spirits, evil spirits (nechyst’!) and the spirit-progenitor, which characterizes benevolent and patronizing attitude of chugaystr to people.According to the beliefs, chugaystr looks like an extraordinary tall blue-eyed man, usually naked, covered in black or white fur (which is, in case of spirits-progenitors (Domovoy and Dvorovoy are also from that group)  have traditionally been considered a sign of prosperity). Chugaystr’s relation to evil spirits is manifested in such qualities as speed, phenomenal flexibility (it was believed that chugaister may curl up into a ring, like a snake, and even travel in such way), the ability to separate their own feet to use as a tool. Like other demonic beings, he was recognizable for his defects — he lisps badly due to the lack of teeth, often speaks with the whistle (parallel with the Leshy again).Chugaystr is commonly described as very happy and cheerful character, protecting people from dangers of the forests in every way,  sometimes  punishing for mistakes, though. Known for his eternal hunt for villainous mavki, whom he teared apart and devoured. People left a tender food somewhere elevated as an offering to chugaystr. The disappearance of the food, according to lore, meant that chugaystr had visited the place, and therefore there are neither dangerous animals nor mavki in the area. -- source link

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