Belun

Lore

There's a very rare tale of how Old Man Belun appeared in the forest beside a group of lost travelers. After a brief conversation, the travelers set off with the old man, who leads them back to the road they had strayed from. Then he disappears without a trace, and they never see him again.

But more often, stories tell of how Belun appears to poor folk in or near wheat fields, especially those adjacent to forests. Noticing a poor person, Old Man Belun calls them over or beckons with his hand. If the person hesitates to approach, Belun himself comes up to them with an unusual request: he asks the poor soul to wipe his nose. A key characteristic of this spirit is that he's unafraid of daylight and can appear both day and night.

If the poor person complies and wipes his nose, Belun gives them a gold coin. Interestingly, the number of gold coins Belun gives can vary and depends on what the person uses to wipe his nose. If they use their hand, Belun pours out as many gold coins as can be carried in the palm. If they use a handkerchief, cap, or shirt, Belun doesn't hold back and pours out as many coins as can fit in the handkerchief, cap, or shirt.

There's an old saying: "He must have befriended Belun," meaning that something unexpectedly fortunate has happened to someone—a stroke of luck or, for example, a successful deal.