Beware of Bugadyl
Religious Fables, Folklore, Legends, and Stories
From All Creatures Articles Archive

Submitted by: Yuri Klitsenko

"Long, long ago, there lived two brothers. They (two) are hunting, then, well, they are hunting, then it got dark. Then they (two) saw two store huts, little store huts, well, well, well, store huts, little store huts. And they (two) made fire, then the younger brother says: “I will go to the store hut, I will sleep there – beddings are hanging there, varies things, there is anything you need there”. The elder brother says: “Don’t go! There, well, in old things people don’t live, do sleep near the fire!”. But the younger brother didn’t listen. Then he says: “I’d rather sleep warmly in the store hut”. Then in the morning his brother woke up, then, well, early in the morning, then he says, well, the store hut is quite near, then he says, shouts: “Youngster! Wake up!” He (the other) says: “Wait! I, well, I’ll wake up now, I’ll gather myself my joints and come there right now!” He got frightened, well, gathered everything, his things, (and) went skiing home. Then they came, that store hut, very many (people) came, then they set fire to the store hut. While the store hut, the store hut was burning, out of it, well, out of it, well, all kinds of people’s voices were crying, some were shouting, children were crying out of the store hut. Thus, well, this legend, as people say, it is not allowed to spend the night where the things are stored, well, in store huts. All in all, spend the night, well, in the forest, and not in store huts. And we still keep the rule: not (to spend the night) in store huts".

In Evenki religion “bugadyl” (plural) are very small invisible personal spirits of any person. Multitudes of “bugadyl” reside on human’s body, clothes, personal things. Personal “bugadyl” are alive even after human’s death. Thousands of “bugadyl” belongs to particular person and can be very dangerous for others. I gave Evenki drunkard bottle of vodka for showing me fallen labaz (stilted storage). Labaz is neither shaman place nor grave, so I expected no problems. And yet Evenki showed me direction and refused to approach labaz. “I don’t know what kind of “bugadyl” are dwelling at the things on the storage” – Evenki explained his refusal. Evenkis avoid to use properties of unknown persons and "second hand" clothes because of “bugadyl”. Well, lets substitute word multitudes of “bugadyl” (small invisible spirits) with word “bacteria”...

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