* THE YARD *

The house that had no cattle, you can see from afar by many signs, and when walking into the hallway, could be recognized by a smell devoid of animal life. More precisely, it was the absence of any odours.
The yard is called the entire rear half of the house, built in two levels and under the common roof. Below were housed two to three stables; atop was the "povet" (upper barn), space for feed, barns (closets) and lavatory.
 The life of animals was never opposed to another, higher, spiritual life - human life. A farmer considered himself a part of nature, and the domestic animals connected man to the whole almighty and eternal nature. Proximity to animals and nature softened the harshness of loneliness that tormented the soul when looking at the distant glimmer of the Milky Way.
     About a good horse, as well as an intelligent dog, it is concluded this: "It understands everything, just cannot speak." The horse in the peasant world ploughs and drives, but it also helps to give a man a moral sense. A horse must be given a nickname, while the sheep always called the same - Seravka and mutton - Serko, all chickens were awarded only primitive nicknames: Gaudy, Blackish, and Reddish.
Horse's coat influenced, of course, the nickname, but none of the other animals had so many shades and the names of skin, like a horse: chestnut, palomino, bay, and brown, light chestnut, bay, roan, buckskin, flea-bitten. A horse was forged, polished, scrubbed, brushed, and faded wool was pulled out, the mane and the tail were trimmed.
When the gnat and the mosquitoes disappeared, the tail was tied into braids; it was considered the highest chic at the wedding and the Shrovetide. Horses were sometimes so intelligent that if a child accidentally fell under the belly, he could play safely; they do not even touch him by hoof.
  But there were stubborn, tetchy and with various oddities animals. Others were running at a trot in the harness for as long as the owner did not stop; on the contrary, no force can make it run. For a horse to willingly ride with a wagon into the gates of the upper shed, it was led up there first with a light load and being fed by oats. The animals were loved and spoiled by all the family. But the men, from young boys, took care more of the horses than the cows.
Cows also had their names. Relations the lady of the house with the cow reached a level of understanding that they were often even "on bad terms," and the cow was not inferior to a woman in sophistication: they pushed with the muzzle, would not give milk. The hostess did not remain in debt. To their mutual satisfaction, reconciliation necessarily occurred. Women talked with cows as with human beings. Cows greeted them with their deep moo, licking, jerking big hairy ears. A calf immediately after birth was given a name, always had nicknames dogs and cats.
    The general mood in the family, the nature of the host and hostess, their mutual love and respect had rather a noticeable effect on the character and behaviour of animals. Very interesting, sometimes utterly inexplicable from the standpoint of reason, there were relationships of children and animals and some domestic animals with others. Even 100 years ago, the boundary between reality and fantasy was barely visible in the peasant household.
Traditional ancient folk beliefs, refreshing, imaginative, combined with natural impressions, created semi-fantastic images. Binary radicalism - either you believe or do not believe- fit such consciousness. People's life without poetry is unimaginable, but where everything is clear and explicable, poetry disappears and is immediately replaced by stunningly dull rationalism.
No one dared to say: "There is nothing." Instead, people preferred evasive: "Who knows, maybe there is, maybe not…." Man, who does not believe in anything, publicly and actively asserts their nihilism, subjected to subtle public ridicule.
 But all the same, how to understand this semi-fantastic image? Too impressionable people often became the culprits of its creation. When hearing at night in the woods very close, an expressive, moaning cry, even the most educated man forgets about the owls' existence.
  A cat, climbing on the chest tightly sleeping man, appears as a goblin to him in his sleep. A sly, sophisticated in treachery, escaping from any trap, the wolf was taken as a werewolf. People were not ashamed of their imagination. People who otherwise firmly do not recognize the otherworldly forces would not be destroying the imaginary system of beliefs; they (at night or in the forest), quite often, even for the time being, became believers.
A "goblinok' was affectionately called the fantastic keeper of the house. He would appear to different people in different ways. Some called him a yard goblin (trustee of cattle), other a behind the oven grandfather, the third former and latter way, depending on circumstances. As a horse and cow, a goblin was almost a member of the family. But, on the other hand, he may become angry and hurt and temporarily abandon the house. In the latter case, it was believed that misfortunes would fall one after another. A "goblinok" presence at home was determined by various trifles: the mane of a horse would be made dreaded, he will find and put to the forefront a long-lost object, the open gates then suddenly be closed at night and not only closed but also tied with a rope.
When leaving for the haulers' job or military service, in short, for a long time leaving home, some guys went to the upper barn and talked to the "goblinok." They asked him to take care of the house, not to hurt the animals, while the owner would be absent. A good "goblinok" in response rustled brooms, lightly squeaked or coughed, re-assuring the master: go away in peace, everything will be well ... Roughly the same properties conferred the popular imagination to bannushka (bathhouse goblinok), gumennushka and ovinnushka(threshing-floor goblinoks).