In Slavic mythology, notsnitsa (Belarusian: начніца, romanized: načnica,[1] Polish: nocnica, płaczka,[2][3][4] Bulgarian: горска майка, ношно, romanized: gorska majka, nošno, Serbian: шумска маjка, бабице, ноћнице, romanized: šumska majka, babice, noćnice,[5] Croatian: mrake, vidine, Slovene: nočnine, mračnine, Ukrainian: нічниця, romanized: nichnytsia,[6] Russian: ночница, romanized: nochnitsa[7]), often referred in plural, is a nightmare spirit or demon that torments people and especially children at night.
[7] In Russian and Slovak folklore, notsnitsa are known to torment children at night, and a stone with a hole in the center is said to be a protection from nocnitsa.
This is possibly based on the belief that supernatural beings cannot touch iron.
[citation needed] She might allegedly also smell of the moss and dirt from her forest of origin.
[citation needed] Nocnitsa is linked to the common apparition seen during the hypnagogic state of sleep.