The Myth Of The Leshy Explained

Despite all the minor variations in the myth of the Leshy, what remains true is that they are spirits of the forest with the magical ability to control plants and animals. Some versions of the Leshy say the creature is married, and others say it even has children (via ThoughtCo). Less purely malevolent and typically more of a treacherous trickster, the story goes you need to appease the Leshy while traveling in the woods, or else it might lead you astray.

One of the most sinister aspects of the myth of Leshy, however, has to do with abducting children. If a child misbehaves and is cursed by their parents, the Leshy will steal them and take them deep into the forest to live with the forest people. Otherwise, the Leshy typically has a man-like appearance with a missing ear, eyelash, and eyebrows (via Britannica). In their native forest, the Leshy is as tall as trees, but once it steps out of the woods, it's nothing more than a blade of grass. Let's hope you don't meet one the next time you're out on a hike.

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