Russian police officer nominated for award after trapping spirit in a jar

It's been a while since we've had some kooky folklore news on the blog, but this one's been worth the wait. According to a local newspaper in Russia, a police officer has been nominated for an award after helping a local elderly man out after he complained his house was being used as a playground by an evil 'domovoi'.

In Slavic folklore, domovoi are benevolent spirits that inhabit every household. They help out around the house and are generally pleasant unless you manage to piss one off and disrespect by not looking after your house properly- then it gets nasty.

Knowledgeable about the lore, the officer recommended the man trap the domovoi in a glass jar. Two days later the man returned to the officer with the jar and thanked him, telling him that the spirit had been trapped and he had experienced no disturbances.

You can read the full story here.

Aside from being house guardians and rapscallions, domovoi are also viewed as oracles, their behaviour forewarning people of future tidings. If you're a woman and your hair is pulled, then that's taken as a warning of an abusive man, or if the spirit wept then there would be a death in the family. A domovoi is said to make the sound  "He! He! He!, Ho! Ho!, Ho!" when excited or happy, which is actually kind of terrifying.