The Leshy [the forest is a mind game]

1) The word Leshy (or Leshi) describes both the Slavic Lord of the Forests and a multitude of woodland spirits who inhabit the Baltic forests. Their presence can be felt by everyone who is near. They are dangerous, evil or maybe just mischievous. Foresters say they are extremely thin, have skin and green hair. The Leshy prefer to live in the deep sections of the forest, they resent intruders and will try to lead them astray. They will cause a sense of bewilderment in the traveler's mind so he or she travels deeper into the forest getting hopelessly lost. In the winter the Leshy wipes away his footprint to prevent leaving a trail. Foresters say you always know when a Leshy is following you. The trees feel like they are moving, hemming you in; you get an sensation of being watched. The only way to escape from a Leshy (he moves faster than you) is to put your shoes and cloths on backwards. The Leshy, in effect, protects the forest. 

From 'Magickal, mystical creatures: invite their powers into your life' by D. J. Conway.

2) An image search reveals that (on shady sites I would otherwise never in my life have found (Russian military paraphernalia is not my fetish)) for a mere 100 bucks you can buy a Leshy sniper suit. The image above contains Leshy-clad sniper. Can you see him? The image right below contains two snipers, can you see them? If you are familiar with this blog you know I would normally give you the usual rant about how the forest is a psychological force that creates such creatures but you know what: a magic(k)al sniper is an apt modern translation of embodied primal fear in the forest. And that in a time when people are writing about new military urbanism (via John R.).  No cryptoforest should be without a Leshy but keep your AK-47 at home please. 

"The cut-leaf pattern will move in the wind, so reacts like real foliage, and it's deep enough to break up the outline very well indeed. It has a buff side too, which helps to break up the dark mass your quarry will see. The hood is generously cut to easily cover the head and the face veil, though solid to look at, allows good vision for the wearer. It can also be draped over the face/eye piece of the scope to give a bit more concealment. In tests I found the camo colouration a little dark for grassland, but the effect of the 3-D suit is very good indeed, as it does take away the biped look of the human form and replaces it with a non-specific shape." VIA