YUKHA

YUKHA, is an evil demon in Bashkir mythology. It appears in bylichkas, fairytales, such as “Yukha”, “Yulbat”, prose version of “Ural-batyr version etc.According to belief, a 500-1000-year-old azhdakha turns into Y. (azhdakha usually does not reach the age of Y. as it could take him to Kaf-tau mountain). It gorges itself with people; looks like a human, animal etc. It can turn into a beautiful woman who marries any man and sucks his blood, and as a result, the man becomes exhausted and dies. Y. turns into snakes at night and crawls to the river to drink as it is thirsty, that is why people feed Y. with salty food to disguise it. There are signs to disguise Y. such as an absence of a navel or the presence of holes under the armpits. It is necessary to burn Y. to destroy it; its ashes were considered to be medicinal and were used to treat eye diseases. It appears in mythology of some Turkic peoples.

Z.G. Aminev