Also called Chert, Czart, Čert, Bes, Bies.
Their story
In East and West Slavic folklore the chort is a small horned devil, part of the "unclean force" of Christian folk belief. He haunts crossroads, mills and ponds, tempts people to drink and quarrel, and makes bargains for souls, but is often outwitted by clever peasants or blacksmiths. People avoided saying his name and used words like "the unclean one" instead. In Gogol's story "Christmas Eve" the smith Vakula rides a chort to St Petersburg.
Best times to give to them
- Koliada (when chorty roam most freely in tales)
- Kupala Night
What they like being given
- none; folk advice is not to name him or bargain with him
How to honour them
- Read Gogol's "Christmas Eve" for a playful folk-devil story.
- Take the tales as warnings against easy bargains that cost more later.
How they can help you
- resisting temptation
- wit and cunning
- thinking before you agree
Symbols
- horns and a tail
- hooves
- a crossroads
- a whirlwind
He belongs to Christian-era folk belief rather than pre-Christian religion.
Sources
- Linda J. Ivanits, Russian Folk Belief
- S. V. Maksimov, Nechistaia, nevedomaia i krestnaia sila (1903)
- Nikolai Gogol, Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka (1831-32)
More Slavic beings
- Div The crying omen in the tree-top
- Vodyanoy The old man of the millpond
- Polevik The spirit of the fields
- Poludnitsa Lady Midday of the harvest fields
- Mavka Hollow-backed maiden of the Ukrainian woods
- Mora The night-mare who sits on the chest
- Zmey Gorynych Many-headed dragon of the byliny
- Firebird The glowing bird of the golden apples