Lore - Legends 71: Homewrecker

Episode Date: January 19, 2026

Home sweet home. We go there for safety, peace, and hopefully love. But for a very long time in some parts of the world, the home was ruled over by something more supernatural than family bonds. Narrated and produced by Aaron Mahnke, with writing by Alex Robinson and research by Jamie Vargas. ————————— Lore Resources:  Get Ad-Free Lore: lorepodcast.com/support Episode Music: lorepodcast.com/music  Episode Sources: lorepodcast.com/sources  Official Lore Merchandise: lorepodcast.com/shop ————————— Sponsors: BetterHelp: Lore is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at BetterHelp.com/LORE, and get on your way to being your best self. Quince: Premium European clothing and accessories for 50% to 80% less than similar brands. Visit Quince.com/LORE for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Tovala: Get a $300 off a Tovala Smart Oven when you order meals 6 or more times by heading to Tovala.com/LORE with offer code LORE. Squarespace: Head to Squarespace.com/lore to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using the code LORE. ————————— To report a concern regarding a radio-style, non-Aaron ad in this episode, reach out to ads @ lorepodcast.com with the name of the company or organization so we can look into it. ————————— To advertise on this podcast please email: [e-mail]. Or go to: https://advertising.libsyn.com/lore ————————— ©2026 Aaron Mahnke. All rights reserved.

For a very long time, the White House has had a nickname, the People's House. And it makes sense. After all, presidents come and go like Summer Olympics or cicadas. They're just a temporary tenant. Instead, the White House belongs to We the People. But of course, we the people can't control everything that happens in Washington, D.C. And a good example took place in 1814. That's when the British marched on America's capital city, burning everything in sight.

including the White House. Fun fact, at the time, it actually wasn't called the White House. Instead, it was known as the Presidential Mansion. Even so, it was the seat of the executive branch's power. So the British set it on fire, and in doing so, they tried to destroy the nation. Thankfully, they didn't succeed. After a fair bit of incompetence, which included accidentally blowing up 30 of their own troops, the British packed up and left D.C. the next morning.

then amazingly, a storm rolled in and doused all the fires they had left behind. By the time the rain stopped, the presidential mansion was a husk of what it once had been. But ever the optimist, the government looked at the charred remains and decided that it was worth rebuilding. After all, it was someone's home. We all know the old adage. Home is where the heart is. But sometimes that home does need a little bit of help, because building something worth having has always been a team effort, even when that team includes a few spirits. I'm Aaron Mankey, and this is lore legends.

I think it should be said that historians are not magicians. They can't look into a crystal ball and see what everyone was up to throughout every single year of recorded history. So instead, they go off of physical evidence. Written records, crumbling architecture, artwork, clothing, even the occasional preserved crumb of food. Olive works together to tell us a story about those who lived before us. Naturally, though, the written word is the most valuable tool that scholars have,

which is why it's such a setback when no record exists at all. You see, written records can be tragically lost. The burning of the Library of Alexandria comes to mind. Sometimes they were intentionally destroyed, as was the case when the Spanish had all Mayan documents gathered up torched, and occasionally the records still exist, but they're just too indescipherable to read. One powerful illustration of the value of written records can be found in Russian history. In the early medieval period, only the most wealthy there could afford to be educated.

Literacy was reserved for the upper echelon of society, and because of that, there's a huge divide in the documents that exist. We know a ton about power, struggles, wars, and government, but for the majority of the people who lived back then, we have very little. The area that historians feel this lost the most in is religion. The majority of Russia's peasantry did not convert to Christianity along with the nobles. Instead, they practiced a sort of homegrown polytheistic paganism. There were a few major deities that people acknowledged across the board, but the majority of their gods were regional.

Different villages had different cults and different gods. Some of them were similar to others from across the nation, and some were completely unique. The thing is, we don't know exactly how many deities they worshipped, and all the rituals they used to worship them, or even what they fully believed about all of them. And that's because the people who were actually doing this worshipping didn't have the literacy tools they needed to leave behind information. They passed down their beliefs orally, which sadly doesn't help modern-day historians as much as paper documents. The few records that we have about the early Slavic religion were written through the biased lens of the distant bystander, usually an educated monotheist, like a Christian or a Muslim,

who looked down on what they considered to be backward superstitions. For example, according to a 12th century Saxon historian named Helmold, many Slavs believed in one supreme god who created lightning and ruled over the other deities. But modern historians disagree with this, believing that Helmold was. simply trying to find a parallel between the Greek gods and Zeus and the Slavic ones. In fact, most say that there is no existing evidence of any lightning-centric cults at all. We do know about a few popular gods that definitely did exist, though. There was Veles, the god of cattle, who protected livestock and farms,

and we also know about Swarag, the sun god. Beyond that, though, it gets a bit hazy. The problem is that most gods were so localized that it's hard to trace them. Some had their likenesses carved into temples, while others were wild gods who roamed the forests. Many were animalistic, some were humanoid, and still others had multiple heads, a trait that was mostly unique to the deities of Eastern Europe. These Slavic gods, though, were inspired by the tangible elements of everyday life. They ruled over the family, the land, and the home, because that's what the people cared about the most. After all, the harvest was the only thing that kept their bellies full,

homes were their only protection against the harsh winters. And so it was only natural for them to dedicate their time, energy, and yes, even their worship, to the health and stability of the things that kept them alive. So really, it isn't all that surprising that the majority of Slavic families worshipped minor household gods alongside their more powerful deities. And these lesser gods were connected to one family at a time, and they dedicated their power to protecting that home. They kept the people safe from both physical and spiritual misfortunes and were believed to protect them from the household gods of rival families. It's strange, really. In other European cultures, these gods wouldn't be considered gods at all. They'd be thought of as spirits or fairies or nymphs. But in

Eastern Europe, they were respected and worshipped, to the point that they were even given sacrifices. Because when the world is cruel and the winds are cold, there truly is no place like home. Do you ever feel like you're being watched inside your own home? You know that you're alone, right? You're 100% sure of it, and yet something keeps niggling at the back of your mind. Someone is watching you. Now, some people just chalk that sensation up to an overactive imagination. Others might blame it on ghosts, but in Russia, they have an explanation that is entirely different.

It might just be a domovoi. In Russian, that name can be translated to mean, Master of... the house. And that's quite literally what he is, a domestic god for all intents and purposes, who runs the show in every household. Even if you do have a domavoy hanging around, it's unlikely that you'll ever see him. According to tradition, during the day they usually stay hidden behind the stove, invisible to anyone looking for them. In fact, folklore says that the only time they can be seen is on the eve of Easter. It's often described as an ugly little old man, with a long gray beard and hairy feet,

sort of like a garden gnome for indoors. In some stories, it's not just their feet, but their entire body that's actually covered in hair. Others claim that he takes the form of whatever the man of the house is, just a miniature version of your husband or your father, walking around like he owns the place. Which he sort of does. You see, each domavoie is tied to an individual family,

and his job is very simple. Act as the guardian of the house. He protects the family and the home from misfortune, whether that be fire, flood, famine, illness, or poverty. Russian peasants once considered domestic prosperity to be the sign of a happy domovoi. And they can also be a bit cranky about that. One story from Russia's Karkoff province claims that one Christmas Eve night, a family got a little too drunk during their holiday dinner. Afterward, they all went to bed without cleaning their dirty dishes off the table. Later that night, a loud crash woke the entire family up.

When they went to investigate, they saw their household domovoi, sitting on the table, throwing all their plates on the ground, and knocking over the chairs. In other stories, those who displeased this creature have reported creaking walls and floors, finding manure spread all over their doors, upside-down furniture, and pets floating in mid-air. One woman even reported that her domovoi tried to suffocate her in her sleep. Of course, if you strive to meet the needs of your domavovoi in the same way that he strives to meet yours,

then you'll have nothing to worry about. No broken crockery or cow poop will make an appearance. Many people find great comfort in having a domovoix around, which is why most families actually take theirs with them when they move house. In fact, there's an entire ritual that comes with transferring the domovoi from one house to another. After all of the furniture has been moved out, at exactly noon on the dot. The oldest woman in the family

is supposed to rake the embers from the stove into a jar, and then carry that jar into the new house where the rest of the family is waiting with fresh bread and salt. They all bow down and welcome the domovoi to his new home. And then the old woman shakes the jar

in the direction of all four corners of the new room, empties the embers into the new stove, breaks the jar, and buries the shards beneath the floor. And because that's the same, a lot to deal with after a long day of moving, some families decide to not even bother. Instead, the household spirit is abandoned to stay in the house that is no longer a home. And if no one ever moves into that house again, these orphaned dormvoys will never find a new family. In the

event that a new family does move into the house, they often bring a domavoie of their own. And the two spirits can eventually become violently territorial. But despite all that, sometimes things manage to turn out well for all parties involved. According to one folk tale from southern Poland, there was a house that everyone believed was haunted because all of its inhabitants kept dying. After a certain point, nobody in town was willing to live in it, except for one very poor man who needed to put a roof over his family's heads.

One day, the man decided that he was moving in. He opened the front door and shouted out a cheerful greeting to whatever spirits lived in the house. To his surprise, a Domavovoy answered him. It told the poor man that his family was welcome to live in the house so long as the wife cleaned the stove once a week. A free house, in exchange for the occasional scrub, seemed like a pretty good deal, so he happily accepted.

And at first, everything went well. But even with a house to live in, they were just as destitute as before. One night the poor man broke down in tears, crying that he didn't have enough money to feed his family. Suddenly, his tears were interrupted by a loud bang. He looked up and saw the domovoi dragging a huge pot of gold out from behind the stove. Because the man's family had taken such good care of the house, he, in turn, was providing for them. And so they lived with the domovoi for the rest of their days.

Happy, well-fed. And finally, at home. Go play in the yard. That was one of the most common phrases that my brothers and I heard during our childhood. got us out of the house and into nature, with its fresh air, green grass, and wide-open adventures. Being outside in the yard, though, isn't a modern idea, which is why the ancient Slavs believed that the housebound domavoie had an outdoor counterpart, and they were known as the Dvoravoy. They even had a similar appearance, with their short stature and long white beards,

and both are supernatural overseers of a specific realm. It's just that where the domavoie take care of the interior stuff, the Devoravoy focused on the outdoors. Now, back in the day, livestock and crops were significantly more important to the average person's life than they are today. In order to make it through the harsh Eastern European winters, people needed a good harvest and healthy cattle. The fields provided grain, fruit, and vegetables, while livestock provided meat, dairy, and warm hides. The health of the land was imperative. for every single family's survival. And so, fearing everything that could go wrong,

they began to appeal to the Devoravoy. Over time, this outdoor god became connected to all of the essential parts of their work, plowing the fields, harvesting the crops, supervising the farmhands, and caring for the livestock. He occasionally fixed broken barns and was even thought to behead the occasional chicken for dinner.

But most importantly, he protected the land from evil speech, and witchcraft. If anyone were to try to curse his family's crops or their cows, he was the first line of defense. And if necessary, he might even steal food and milk from the neighbors. And just like the Domovovoi, the Dvoravoy does all of its chores at night. If you looked out your window after the sun went down, you might just be able to see his candle bobbing around in the yard. Sometimes you might even see him take a joyride on the back of a galloping horse or a trotting goat. As the god of the livestock, this creature needed to approve of each new

animal on the farm, whether born or purchased, the landowner would present the new animal, bow to all four corners of the stable, and then announced that a new beast had joined the herd. If a homeowner really wanted to butter up a Devoravoy, he might bring an offering of bread and salt, which honestly would be a good idea, because apparently if the god didn't like something about the animal, he would pitch a fit by throwing manure on the walls and tormenting the poor animal until the homeowner gets rid of it. Devoravoie have been known to be extremely picky about the color of an animal's fur as well. Every god had a different favorite color, and it was the master's job to figure out what that color was for theirs. If the Devoravoy received an animal in his preferred palate, then he would

dote on it. If not, well, he would torture it. The best way to keep a Devoravoy happy, though, was to keep the farm clean, to not. interrupt its nightly work and to make him an offering consisting either of bread or a slain rooster. Oddly enough, he's okay with either. But if you trip up at any point, he will make your life a living hell. Trust me, you do not want to make this guy mad. His temper is significantly more explosive than that of his indoor cousin, and his punishments infinitely more vindictive. According to one Russian tradition, the Devoravoy has one great weakness, human women. They fall in with human women as easily as breathing, and they will dedicate their entire lives to serving the

women of their families. One traditional folktale tells the story of a beautiful young woman Nick Katya, who was suddenly and tragically orphaned. As the sole inheritor of her dead parents' house, she moved in right after the funeral and did her best to take care of the land. As time went on, though, Katia slowly became aware of the fact that the Devorovoy was helping her with the yard work. After a few years, he even dropped his invisibility and allowed her to see him, and he turned out to be a remarkably handsome young man, and almost immediately, she could see in his eyes that he had fallen desperately in love with her. Feeling an unexpected tenderness for her helper, she invited him in to live in her house. Every night after that, he braided her hair with the

same reverence that one might expect from a loving caretaker. Katia reveled in his adoration. but eventually she realized that something was missing. Her Devorovoy was incapable of physical affection. He never held her hand, gave her hugs, or held her when she was sad. So after years of this sort of physical isolation, she went and found a normal human man to love. He asked her to marry him, and she said yes. The night before their wedding, the Devorovoy unbraided Katya's long hair,

brushing it until it laid smooth and silky against her back. Then she went to bed, eager for the next morning to come as quickly as possible. Akatia would never see that sunrise. The next morning when all her friends knocked on her door, she didn't answer. And it turns out, she never would. In a world full of chaos, all anyone ever wants is a sense of control. Fear and risk make us highly aware of the things we can lose. Our safety, our freedom, our ability to provide for our safety.

ourselves and the people we love. And that's what the Devorovoy offers. You take the right steps and say the right words, and you'll be protected from it all. Fire, famine, poverty, and scorn. No matter what the world throws your way, you'll know how to manipulate the outcome. Of course, the Devorovoy's hot temper was their biggest tool. The threat of his anger inspired people to keep up with their household chores, his overprotectiveness meant that he would always defend his home, and his jealousy drove him to outperform other household gods, ensuring that his master was the most prosperous in the land. But that control, of course, was an illusion, and in some ways a double-edged sword.

No matter how hard they worked to keep their little domestic god happy over the years, a single slip-up could send it all sideways. That same fiery temper could be turned against his family at any moment, and there was no way to predict what a vengeful Devorovoy would, would be willing to do, even if they loved you. Like Katya's Devoravoy, yes, he had certainly loved her, but it was a possessive, jealous kind of love, and it soon soured as she accepted another man's proposal. Which is why, on the morning of her wedding, her friends and neighbors did not open her door to find a blushing bride who was ready to get married. Instead, they found her

corpse, still lying in bed, strangled by her own hair. I really do hope that you've enjoyed today's journey through some of the lesser-known household spirit folk beliefs. Clearly, we humans have been very creative over the ages, crafting superstitions and practices that brought a sense of safety and peace, even if that meant welcoming powerful, dangerous gods into our homes. As they say, better the devil you know than the one you don't, right? But it's important to remember that a devil is still a devil, no matter how tame it may appear. And I have one last story to share with you that demonstrates that nicely. Stick around through this brief sponsor break to hear all about it. This episode was made possible by Quince, a new year, colder days. This is the moment your

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Squarespace, build something beautiful. So you'd like to get rich quick. Now, the more practical people among you might tell you to find a better paying job. A few dreamers might tell you to play the lottery. But according to Slavic folklore, the best way to accumulate a massive amount of wealth is to get yourself a hovenetz.

Now, different Eastern European countries call it different things. In Ukraine, for example, it's known as the Hodovenance. In Poland, it goes by, Klavok. In Slovakia, it's the Scratta, while in Slovenia it's the Blagonic. But for simplicity's sake today, yours and mine, we're just going to call it the hovenets. It is, like other creatures we've talked about today, a household spirit, but most people actually consider it to be a kind of demon, or at the very least, something deeply associated with demonology and the black

arts. In Western Ukraine, for example, locals believe that the only people with the hovenets in house are those who have messed around with evil spirits. In Estonia, though, they believe that a hovenants is an actual demon born from a deal with the devil. And the way they work is pretty simple. The hovenants will live in your attic and help out with household chores until you send it out on a wealth-generating mission. In order to make this request, you simply leave a coin on the window ledge. The spirit will get the hint and bring you more money in return, but mostly by stealing that money from your neighbors. And it's pretty easy to tell who has one of these demons hanging around.

They always have the biggest house, the largest yard, and the most cash. They prosper in everything they do, and as long as they keep their demon happy, they will continue to rake in that good fortune for the rest of their lives. But actually, managing to keep a hovenets happy is the tricky bit. You see, unlike most household spirits, the hovenets is not serving its family because it loves them. No, it was created for wealth, not loyal to. They are essentially a contractor, so it'll only stick around if it's getting what it needs out of the bargain.

And what it wants is pretty simple. Hovenants require steady work and a daily meal of milk, sugar, and unsalted bread. And it's very important that all of its food remains unsalted. This thing is a demon, after all, and they're not known to be the biggest fan of that particular mineral. But if you allow it to get bored or you feed it the wrong food, it will seek revenge. And since it came from hell, that punishment will be a bit disproportionate. It might simply break your dishes or ruin your harvest, but it might also poke out your eyeballs,

steal all your money, take away your good luck, and burn down your house. But let's say that you do manage to keep your hovenants happy until the end of your days. Well, even then, you still won't escape its punishment, because when it senses that its master is about to die, it makes all their wealth disappear. And then it torments its owner mercilessly, driving them to suicide before carrying their soul to hell as payment for all the wealth they enjoyed in life. Now for the crazy few among us who are willing to take on the risk, there are three ways to go about obtaining one of these little household demons. One option is terrible and heartbreaking because it requires a miscarriage, and because that's a painful topic for a lot of women in my life and in general, I'll let you look that one up on your own to know more.

Another method, though, is super easy. You just need to go buy your hovenets from a local sorcerer, which we all have, right? And lastly, there's an option that's a little more labor-intensive. First, you need to find a deformed or immature egg from a black hen. Then you place that egg in your armpit and keep it there for nine days, or, as some folktales claim, a full nine weeks. And once it hatches, you'll have your very own demonic ATM. If the folklore is clear, though, no matter how you acquire, your hovenants, you may one day come to regret your decision. They are unsettling, demanding creatures,

and for many, the money they bring in just isn't worth the pain. And if that's the case, you can't kill it, wicked witch style, by pouring a bucket of boiling water over its head, or you can lure it outside during a thunderstorm in the hopes that it will be struck by lightning. But whatever you do, don't try to beat it with a stick. Sure, that might kill it, but it will soon come back to life to torture you until you die. Because once you let in a homewrecker, it's a pain in the neck to evict them.

This episode of lore legends was produced by me, Aaron Manke, with writing by Alex Robinson and research by Jamie Vargas. Don't like hearing the ads, I have a solution for you. There's a paid version of lore available on Apple Podcast and Patreon that is 100% ad-free.

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