Ukrainians believe in a house spirit or domovyk. He is also called khoziain, meaning master, because he is seen as the master of the house and its protector. The descriptions of him vary. Usually he is the size of a person, only covered with hair. He has bright, round eyes. According to one person who saw the domovyk, he has pointy ears. The domovyk helps with housework if the people who live in the house are tidy, care for their home, and keep it clean. If they do not take care of the house, he can get angry and throw dishes or other items. He protects the home from domovyky who live in neighboring houses and also from spirits who live in the forest and field.
The domovyk can appear in dreams. The scientific name for this is sleep paralysis. The terms used in other cultures for this type of apparition is night terror and Old Hag. When a person sees a domovyk, he or she is at least partially awake. The person thinks that he is awake rather than sleeping. The domovyk comes into the room and can get on top of the person, pressing on the legs, then the stomach, then the chest. When this happens, the person should ask: βHave you come for good or for ill?β If the domovyk laughs: βha, ha, ha,β then it is good. If his laugh is βhe, he, heβ then it is bad. In this way the domovyk warns the people living in his house about things in the future.
