Kryzhatyk

Lore

According to folklore, the Kryzhatyk is a spirit that dwells within the boundaries of a cemetery. A Kryzhatyk comes into being when a deceased person's grave—or more precisely, their grave cross—has been damaged for some reason. Generally, the Kryzhatyk is not hostile toward people, except those who commit mischief on sacred ground (within the cemetery under his protection or at nearby churches and chapels). He can knock someone off their feet or even push them into an open grave prepared for burial.

Unlike most other restless souls, the Kryzhatyk is not afraid of holy water, crosses, or prayers.

The Kryzhatyk doesn't have a specific physical appearance. He manifests his presence either as a humming in the trunks of pine trees growing in the cemetery or as the whistling of the wind between the crosses. However, when his strength grows due to a large number of people visiting the graves of their relatives, he can take the form of an old crow with faded plumage, a white beak, and human-like eyes. This crow watches closely to ensure that visitors to the cemetery cause no harm.

There is a story about a village drunkard who went to the cemetery after a night of heavy drinking. He said he went to visit his grandfather, the one who died a few years ago. And there, he claimed, an old crow knocked him off his feet and pushed him into a pit. He said the bird wasn't ordinary—as if some kind of demon had possessed it. He described it as gray and having human eyes. An old woman, who was already nearly a hundred years old at the time, explained that it wasn't the devil but a Kryzhatyk. She said the devil wouldn't set foot in a cemetery because it's sacred ground. The Kryzhatyk immediately sensed the drunk man and realized that a tipsy person shouldn't be on his territory, so he became angry.