Novgorod Myths. From the Priest of Crows and Perun's Club to Shape-shifting Incantations and Secret Metro

Based on archival materials, field expeditions, and rare folklore recordings, this book presents Novgorod mythology as a living system of beliefs — original, polyphonic, and contradictory.

Who is the hair and why were they feared more than snakes? Where did the crocodile sorcerer come from in the waters of Novgorod? Why should one not whistle in the forest, touch the "bends" in the field, and what will happen if one does not treat the household owner to milk? You will learn what the inhabitants of villages and towns in the Novgorod region believed and continue to believe, and why mythology remains a part of their everyday life.