Episode 160: Dark Fae: Leshi

The folklore of leshi in a nutshell, translated to Afrikaans, and how I reimagined it for my writing.

Written and narrated by Ronel Janse van Vuuren.

Copyright 2025 Ronel Janse van Vuuren — All rights reserved.

Learn more about leshi in folklore here.

Get the transcript here.

Learn more about the author and her writing here.

Music: Secrets by David Fesliyan (FesliyanStudios.com) and Dramatic Heartbeat by FesliyanStudios.com

Transcript

You’re listening to the Faeries and Folklore podcast by Ronel.

I’m dark fantasy author Ronel Janse van Vuuren. With over a decade of digging around in dusty folklore books, researching creatures of imagination that ignited my curiosity, I’m here to share the folklore in a nutshell and how I reimagined it for my writing in an origin of the fae.

This is the Faeries and Folklore podcast.

Hi, I’m your host Ronel Janse van Vuuren. You can just call me Ronel. In today’s episode, we’re continuing our exploration of the fae realm.

This episode is brought to you by my Dark Court Sisters book series. Available in ebook, paperback and audiobook. Three sisters. Three destinies. Three ways to destroy the world. Go to ronelthemythmaker.com/darkcourtsistersseries for more.

You can now support my time in producing the podcast (researching, writing and everything else involved) by buying me a coffee. This can be a once-off thing, or you can buy me coffee again in the future at your discretion. Go to buymeacoffee.com/ronel to support me.

We’re continuing our exploration of Dark Fae.

Today’s Faery: Leshi

Folklore in a Nutshell by Ronel

Forests are mysterious places that evokes as much fear as awe in the hearts of mortals. The idea that there are people who thrive within its dark embrace has been the whispered tales around evening fires for as long as humans lived along forests.

There are many names for a wild man who lives in the forest and protects it. Leshi, Green Man, Wild Man, Basajaun, Sasquatch, to name a few. But there aren’t a lot of written folklore sources about them.

The folktales surrounding a wild man, sasquatch or leshi are mostly the same: a wild man – supposedly bigger, stronger, and hairier than others – lives in the local forest, the wild man gets caught by a king for stopping the king’s men from ravaging the forest, the inquisitive prince lets the wild man free, the king disowns his son, the boy goes to another kingdom and thrives there thanks to the goodness of the wild man.

In Slavic folklore, leshi are forest spirits who protect the forest and its creatures. They are mischievous tricksters and enjoy playing with their prey – the humans who dare enter the forest – and can mimic any sound, creature or person. It is believed that the leshi can change their shape and size to conform to their environment. There are also tales of the leshi being invoked by the desperate, and that the leshi will do as asked – in return of the person’s soul.

For the most part, though, it is believed that the wild man has a long beard, covered in some kind of fur, doesn’t cast a shadow, hibernates during the winter, and runs wildly through the forest during the spring to rouse the forest creatures. He and his wife stay away from others, keeping to themselves.

Tickling the humans who trespass in the forest to death seems to be the preferred attack, after scaring them to death, of course.

Stay out of the forest if you have ill-intent, or the leshi will get you.

And now for my interpretation of the fae in an Origin of the Fae: Leshi

Singular: Leshi. Plural: Leshies.

This forest spirit protects the forest it lives in at any cost. Though it can move through the forest in an ethereal form, it prefers its corporeal form of bark, leaves and flesh. It’s a shapeshifter, an accomplished mimic, and far too smart to get entangled in the affairs of mortals or fae.

Despite folklore saying it likes to tickle and scare its victims to death, it is actually much more straightforward with true villains: it uses its powers to impale and dispatch those who pollute, etc. the forest and bury them wherever the forest needs nourishment most. Sometimes the leshi eats its kills.

Though it does like to play tricks on those entering its forest unbidden, it is usually younger leshies who mimic loved-ones in shape and sound for their own entertainment.

When attending a Tithe ceremony, they can appear as the traditional wild man with a human-like body, long beard and hair covering their body; or they can conform to expectations of others, appearing as a humanoid creature made of the forest (leaves, bark, etc.). They are loyal to the Dark Court, though prefer to dwell in the human realm if they can.

As a little bonus, let’s look at this faery translated to Afrikaans: Wilde Man

I hope that you’ve enjoyed this episode of the faeries and folklore podcast and that you’ve learned something new about faeries.

Remember that you can get a transcript of this episode in the description. If you’re new to the podcast, why not go and grab your free copy of Unseen, the second book in the Faery Tales series, on my website ronelthemythmaker.com? Loads of folklore, magic and danger await! Take care!

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You can now support my time in producing the podcast (researching, writing and everything else involved) by buying me a coffee. This can be a once-off thing, or you can buy me coffee again in the future at your discretion.

You can now own the backlist seasons as audiobooks. All proceeds go to hosting the podcast. Exclusively available from Ronel’s store.