In pictures: Moscow's 'evil spirit' museum

A Museum of Evil Spirits has opened north of Moscow showing wax models and paintings of devils, witches, hobgoblins - and a kindly field dweller known as Polevik.

The models are being displayed in the flat owned by artist Diane Galunova in the town of Uglich.

Russian NTV television said that after collecting fairy tales in local villages, Diane began making the models to illustrate the region's pre-Christian folklore and superstitions.

An evil hermit witch is popular in the region

The field dweller Polevik is a kindly patron saint of peasants

People believe that the female hobgoblin kikimora represents the spirit of a dead child who has not been baptised.

The peasants used to protect against evil spirits by hanging garlic and bay leaves inside their homes

Diane makes exhibits from wax and is very precise

"These stories came to Russia before Christianity"

In pre-Christian times cow skulls would guard people's homes

An honorary place is given to a house imp

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