Where the Dark Stands Still

Drawing upon her Polish heritage, Canadian author A. B. Poranek uses Slavic mythology to craft her dark fantasy novel. The central mythological figure in Where the Dark Stands Still is the Leszy. In Slavic folklore, the Leszy is the tutelary deity of the forest. The shapeshifter is often described as an old man with green eyes and horns who can also turn into different animals. In some stories, the Leszy is a trickster deity who plays pranks on humans, although he may offer mortals his protection when he is in a benevolent mood. The Leszy in this novel is 700 years old but appears as a handsome young man in his twenties. Whether in his humanoid form or the guise of a stag, he has antlers and green eyes, in keeping with Slavic tradition. While the humans in Poranek’s novel fear the Leszy, he is a steadfast guardian who dedicates his existence to defending the mortal realm from demons.

Another key mythological figure in the novel is Weles, the Slavic god of the underworld who wars against Perun, the god of the sky. These respective entities may carry devilish and heavenly connotations for contemporary audiences influenced by Christianity.