The Leshy is a forest spirit of pagan Slavic tradition who can change his height at will, take the shape of beast or man, and rules over the whole of the woods. Travelers who enter his domain lose their way for no reason and find themselves circling back to the same spot.
As a place-bound uncanny in which the forest itself seems to hold a will and trap people, it is a form of horror where the environment becomes the aggressor.