The Bannik

The Bannik in the Troika

While a peasant sat in front of his izba (cottage), a troika pulled up to him and a gentleman stepped out. He said to the peasant, "I would like a tea prepared and people gathered for a party. Before the party I would for you to heat the bathhouse and find someone to wash me. I'll pay 100 rubles."

"For 100 rubles, I would be happy to organize the party, and my own wife would be happy to wash and steam you." Excitedly, the peasant set to work on the party and sent his wife out to wash the gentleman.

The evening party was well underway when the peasant realized they'd been in the bathhouse a very long time. He asked the coachman what was happening and the coachman said "The gentleman likes to steam himself for a good long time."

The peasant waited a bit longer, but became worried and peeked into the bathhouse between the slats. There he saw the gentleman sitting upon the ledge, peeling the skin from his wife.

Screaming, he ran back to the house where he gathered up all the guests and ran back to the bathhouse. His dead wife lay there, alone, with her skin peeled from her body. 100 rubles sat on the windowsill. The troika, too, had disappeared.

The Party

Many, many years ago in a small village, the men and older boys would get together every night and drink and have parties. The girls in the village were angry that they weren't allowed at these parties, so they built a house by a lake where they could go at night. One night, while they were having a party at the house, one girl joked "If our own boys won't come here to dance, maybe the lake people will!"

A little while later came a knock at the door, and there stood the finest looking group of young men anyone could imagine. They brought musical instruments and mead, and before long the whole party was dancing. One of the girls had brought her younger sister, and the little one said quietly to the older girl "Look at their eyes and sharp teeth. There is something wrong, let us go home! I'll say I have to go to the bathroom, and we'll leave."

So the older girl told one of the others that she was taking her sister out to go to the bathroom, but the lake boys wouldn't let her leave. She said "Don't be silly, I'm not leaving, I'll just stand outside the door. You can hold onto my sarafan to be sure. Well, while the water boy was holding onto her garment, she wriggled out of it, grabbed her sister and ran. The lake boys ran after her. In sheer terror she ran into the bathhouse and yelled "Grandfather Bannik, please save me!"

The bannik jumped out of his hiding place and wrestled with the lake boys until the first crowing of the cock, where they all disappeared. When the lake house was checked later for the rest of the girls, all that was found was a ribbon or two and a few clumps of hair.
_________________________________________________________________________

Bannik GIF from the archives of Gavin Bone and Janet & Stewart Farrar

Back to Slavic Deities & Demigods