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by John McCannon

The East Slavic spirit of the courtyard (dvor). The most vaguely defined of Russian and Ukrainian household spirits, the dvorovoi held sway over a farmstead's grounds, cattle shed, and stable. At times, his functions and attributes overlapped with those of the house spirit (domovoi); some peasants believed him to be subordinate to the domovoi. The dvorovoi was perceived as less benevolent than the domovoi; a spiteful dvorovoi could be dangerous to livestock. On the whole, the dvorovoi's lack of immediate proximity to the peasant dwelling meant that his relationship with the inhabitants was somewhat distant.