Understanding the Uncanny: Personal Narratives about the House Spirit (Domovoi) Collected among Old Believers in Eastern Kazakhstan

Abstract

Abstract:In addition to their own interpretation of Christianity, Old Believers in eastern Kazakhstan believe in spirits that link lived space to the people who occupy this space. These beliefs are expressed in personal narratives. The house spirit, or domovoi, is an anomalous creature connected to both the physical structure of the home and to the family that inhabits it. The spirit is of ambiguous gender. It supports religious actions such as blessing the home, and yet its misbehavior can be controlled by priests, by special persons who have no connection to religion, or by cursing the spirit. As a contradictory and anomalous being, the spirit allows Old Believers to explain uncanny events and offer prescriptions for dealing with such events. Analysis of Old Believer personal narratives about the domovoi can provide the distance that helps us understand contemporary attempts to deal with the uncanny, such as conspiracy theories.