Bastrıq
Kumyk · numen · Kumyk traditional religion; continuing · Recorded classification
Bastrıq (also basdırıq) is the nightmare-demon of Kumyk belief, an evil incubus that presses upon and smothers sleepers, causing the sensation of suffocation and paralysis in the night. The name derives from the Kumyk verb bas- 'to press, to crush'. He is one of the household demons of Kumyk folk religion, standing alongside the jinn and shaytans of the Islamic-influenced later stratum.
Domains
- nightmare
Powers
- smothers people in their sleep
Sources
- The evil incubus bastrıq was believed to smother people during their sleep.: Chirikba, V. A. (2015). Between Christianity and Islam: Heathen Heritage in the Caucasus. In Studies on Iran and the Caucasus (pp. 145-191). Leiden: Brill; and Kumyks: Religion and Expressive Culture, Encyclopedia of World Cultures, everyculture.com. (secondary)