Čuma

In Serbian popular belief Čuma is not an abstract illness but an individualized being. Čumas were believed to live in a far away land; from there they set out to infect people, arriving into the vicinity of communities to spread plague. The sources present her as an external invader of households rather than a native household spirit.

Attested descriptions imagine Čuma as an old woman (rarely young) dressed in white. No further stable physical features, measurements, or detailed apparel beyond 'dressed in white' are recorded in the cited sources.

Čuma's defining activity is to bring and spread plague to people and houses. She is said to particularly seek out dirty houses and is described as hating dirtiness; this behavioral preference is the principal trait ascribed to her. Beyond initiating contagion and showing preference for unclean homes, the sources do not record other supernatural powers, hierarchies, or technical magical abilities.