Disturbingly on topic for today’s world, this Slavic Saturday we’re discussing four creatures that were believed to bring illnesses upon people and villages: Čuma/Kuga, the Nezhit, Likhoradka, and the Murrain Maiden.
(June 2021 Updated) Note: If you enjoy Slavic mythology, check out A Dagger in the Winds, the first book in my Slavic fantasy series called The Frostmarked Chronicles. You can also join my monthly newsletter for updates and free novellas (such as the prequel, The Rider in the Night) set in the world of the series.
Before we jump into the creatures themselves, it’s important to note that the early Slavs, like most people at the time, had almost no understanding of medicine or disease. Like other elements in the world around them, they used spirits to personify the things they didn’t understand. Knowing makes the frightening, creeping presence of these creatures more understandable, as even the smallest disease could take people seemingly at random.
Čuma/Kuga/Chuma – Slavic Plague Goddess
Čuma is perhaps the most different of the creatures we’re discussing today, as she is often considered a goddess instead of a demon. While that status is debatable, at least one story claims she is the daughter of Weles/Veles, god of the underworld.
Typically, Čuma is pictured as a deathly pale woman with long white hair and a flowing white dress. One one hand she carries a staff made of birch, and in the other, she carries scissors in which to cut the cord of someone’s life (similar to the Fates in Greek mythology). Though she is an ominous figure, it was believed that her presence meant a peaceful death, and she would grant her staff to those whose life she ended so that it may help them on their journey to the underworld of Nawia.
There were few ways to avoid Čuma during times of plague. Disease could run rampant, but people would clean their homes (which, in the end, did help) or grant offerings including basil and a comb.
The Nezhit – East Slavic Demon
Though the term “Nezhit” can be used in multiple forms, this terrifying demon has become associated with illness. His mere presence can give someone the flu, blind or deafen them, or even make their teeth fall out.
If there was a zombie is Slavic mythology, the Nezhit would be the closest you could get. Just looking at its decaying skin and skeletal presence is enough to be frightening. With their disease bringing qualities on top of it, they truly are a creature to avoid.
In the first book of my Slavic fantasy series, A Dagger in the Winds, the Nezhit makes a surprising appearance early in the story. He is an omen of what is to come, but it will take time for Wacław, one of the protagonists, to understand its meaning.
Likhoradka – East Slavic Disease Spirit
Another disease spirit in particularly Russian mythology is the Likhoradka. She is thought to be a servant of Chernobog, a dark deity that was debatable to ever exist, or at least be connected to Čuma. She was also pictured often the same as Čuma, showing the similarities between them.
The Likhoradka was believed to infect people by possessing their bodies, bringing with illness with them. In some later stories, there were up to twelve Likhoradkas, with each representing a particular common but dangerous disease.
The Murrain Maiden/Plague Maiden – West Slavic and Norse Plague Demon
The Plague Maiden Witcher Concept art by Marek Madaj 
The Plague Maiden Gwent Game Standalone Art
A demon from later Slavic and Norse folklore, the Murrain Maiden’s presence was known to potentially kill much of a village. She was pictured as woman in white, like the other female spirits, or a hunched hag. Unlike the other spirits though, she was crawling with maggots and worms while her flesh rots.
Once the Murrain Maiden arrived, it was said that people already knew they would die, and in Lucjan Siemieński’s folk tale Morowa Dziewica, all the demon needed to do was wave a red handkerchief for you to die.
This demon is also one of the more famous ones, as she appears in the Witcher video game series under the name “Plague Maiden.” This depiction differs from the myth, but like so many quests in the game, it is up to Geralt to appease the demon to prevent it from continuing to do harm.
That’s all for this week’s Slavic Saturday. Be sure to keep a lookout for more posts next week, and if you haven’t seen the full series of posts, be sure to check them out.
*As always just a quick disclaimer. Slavic mythology is broad and not written in many if any primary sources, so there’s a variety of interpretations. The interpretations I’m using here are from the sources I’ve found to be reliable and as well as some creative freedom for my book series.