Lesnik (Leshy) is a Slavic forest spirit similar to Greek satyrs. He is loud, friendly to shepherds, and is depicted as a humanoid with horns and helmets or as an old man.

The Slavic peoples of the pre-Christian era were deeply connected with nature. The belief that nature is inhabited by spirits and demons was so strong that traces of those beliefs are still present today. All scientists dealing with Slavic mythology agree that the forest played an important role in Slavic folklore (as elsewhere).

Similar to Germanic beliefs, groves were extremely important in Slavic folklore, as they were believed to be inhabited by ancestral spirits, demons, and souls. Many Slavic peoples still practice planting a tree next to a grave. This habit is rooted in the belief that ancestral souls live within the tree.

One of the best known Slavic forest spirits is Lesnik (South Slavs) or Leshy (East and West Slavs). The term comes from the old Slavic word les (forest).

The processions of the South Slavic Koleda included masked people called Lesnici (plural form of Lesnik). Usually there were two of them and they wore sheepskins with fleece facing out. They wore masks representing a horned animal. The role of these people in the procession was to make noise. They were also supposed to make sexual advances towards Snashka (Snashka is a man dressed as a woman during the Koleda procession).

East Slavic Leshy likes to laugh, sing and scream out loud. It is humanoid in shape, with a pointed head, but no beard or mustache. It can take the form of a naked old man or an animal with horns and hooves. He is the master of all forest animals and friendly to shepherds. His wife is called Lehachika, Lesoviha or Leshiha.

Obviously, Lesnik – Leshy is similar to the Greek satyr and has almost identical attributes. Lesnik is found in almost all Slavic folklore, it is generally believed to inhabit forests, and is often depicted with goat’s hooves and horns. In the western Slavic tradition, Lesnik is depicted as an animal dressed in white fur, who often takes women to his hut covered in fur. He often forces them to dance kolo around him.

Elsewhere, Leshy is depicted as a peasant in sheep’s clothing. Although it is humanoid, it has goats’ horns, ears, and legs. Its skin is covered in thick fleece and it screams as it approaches. He likes to kidnap women. Leshy loves shepherds and takes care of livestock. Sometimes it can take on a human form, but it does not have eyebrows or eyelashes. From time to time, he is depicted as one-eyed.