A chort (Art by Kay Cit)
A Chort is an anthropomorphic malign spirit or demon in Slavic folk tradition.
Description[]
The true form of a chort is often a smallish hairy man with a tail, horns and one or two hoofs. But it is a shapeshifter and it tries to trick characters in its benign forms, before they even realize what it is. In these forms, it is often represented as an attractive young man, count, or huntsman. Often, this transformation is not (and cannot be) complete, so one can recognize the chort by small horns hidden in black curly hair, or a single hoofed leg hidden in high boots.
Overview[]
Chorts are often depicted identically to Christian devils, with horns, hooves, and a skinny tail. In Slavic mythology, a singular Chort is sometimes identified as a son of the god Chernobog and the goddess Mara. In folk Christianity, they are considered lesser minions of Satan.
In Czech folk tales, chorts are not malevolent characters per se. It is often trying to tease characters in selling their souls in exchange for something (money, power, completion of a task). This often ends badly for evil or greedy characters, who are tricked into getting useless gifts and then are carried into hell.
Other times, the chort changes roles from trickster to tricked as he loses a bet against a hero, who outsmarts it, winning his soul back. This way, a chort is often tricked to build castle walls in a day, dig fish ponds or even whole river banks, move large stones or create hills and mountains. Sometimes, a positive role of chort is further emphasized, namely in modern or modernized folk tales. A chort is trying to bring evil characters to hell, it often helps or befriends heroes in this process and gives them various magical items and treasures.
