Öy iyäse, the 'master of the house' — also called yort iyäse, the master of the yard — is the domestic guardian spirit of the Tatar homestead, the local counterpart of the Slavic domovoi. Unseen but present, he keeps the dwelling, its livestock and its good fortune, and a household that treats him well prospers. His nocturnal stirrings, sighs or footsteps were read as warnings of illness, death or coming change, and when a family left an old house for a new one they addressed the öy iyäse aloud and asked him to follow so that their luck would not be left behind. He belongs, with Bichura, to the population of small spirits that share the Tatar home.