Bies

Bies /ˈbjɛs/ or bes (Russian: бес [ˈbʲɛs]) is an evil spirit or demon in Slavic mythology. The word is synonymous with chort.

After the acceptance of Christianity the bies became identified with the devil, corresponding to the being referred to in Ancient Greek, as either daimon (δαίμων), daimónion or pneuma (πνεῦμα). For example, biesy (Russian plural of bies) is used in the standard Russian translation of Mark 5:12, where we have the devils entering the swine in KJV.^[1][2] Compare to the Ukrainian bisy (used always in plural) or bisytysia (to go mad).

Examples in culture

• In Alexander Pushkin's The Tale of the Priest and of His Workman Balda, there is a scene in which Balda has to force the "devils" (черти, Cherti) of the sea to pay an ancient rent, and interacts with an "Old Bies" who is their leader and his grandson.
• The original Russian title of Fyodor Dostoevsky's novel known in its English translation as The Possessed is Besy (Бесы) (Russian plural of bes), i.e., more literally, The Evil Spirits.
• The Black Tapes

References

Slavic religion
Forms	Historical Slavic religion Slavic Native Faith
Gods	Rod Deities of Slavic religion
Heroes / bogatyrs	Alyosha Popovich Dobrynya Nikitich Đerzelez Alija Ilya Muromets Ivan Kosančić Ivan Tsarevich Kyi, Shchek and Khoryv Lech, Czech, and Rus Libuše Mikula Selyaninovich Mila Gojsalić Milan Toplica Miloš Obilić Nikita the Tanner Popiel Prince Marko Sadko Solovey-Razboynik Svyatogor Vasilisa the Beautiful Vasilisa the Wise Volga Svyatoslavich
Related topics	Book of Veles Films based on Slavic mythology Serbian folk astronomy

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