Chuhaister

According to collected legends, Chuhaister was once an ordinary person who "did something very bad to his neighbor" and as a result was cursed to live in the forest for the rest of his life and not be able to die. Over time his clothing wore out and he is said to go about naked; accounts vary and present him either as a singular named figure or as a small-number class of forest beings.

Accounts vary. He is usually presented as a giant — reported at heights from about two to seven meters — with long hair and a white beard; his body may be covered with white or black fur, or he may appear naked. Other reported traits include blue or "frog-like" eyes, toothless and lisping speech, claws on his feet or hooves, and sometimes being "dressed in white clothes." Folklore also records non-corporeal or alternate forms: a strong wind or whirlwind that tears through the forest, appearance as a wolf, and occasional representations of him coiled near a fire.

Chuhaister is described as cursed not to die and condemned to wander the forest and mountains alone. He is associated with wind, whirlwinds, rain, thunder, hail and abnormal lunar movement; such weather phenomena can signal his presence. He is said to hunt and kill mavkas (forest mermaid-like spirits), ripping them apart and eating them, and to protect working people in forests by removing those harmful spirits. Animals such as foxes and wolves serve him (e.g., fetching water). He may warm himself at human campfires, talk with people, play the flute, and his dance can be so violent that it ruins footwear. One account specifies a method for making hail: freezing a lake, grinding the ice into pieces and throwing them where he wishes.