TalasonTalason is a spirit bound to a certain building (houses, schools, bridges) and serves as it&r

Talason

Talason is a spirit bound to a certain building (houses, schools, bridges) and serves as it’s protector. When an object is being built a person can offer themselves as a sacrifice in order to become a talason an protect the building or if there are problems with construction. However the person is not actually killed, but instead the workers measure their shadow with a string and then build in those measurements in the foundations of the building. It is believed that the person will then die within a year (or 40 days) and that their spirit will come to the building in which their shadow is trapped and remain there forever thus becoming a talason. Sometimes the builders can “steal” shadow of a passerby unnoticed, which is why it’s considered bad luck to go near construction sites. Talasons are generally benevolent creatures and only become hostile if someone approaches the building with bad intentions. They come out at night and walk around the houses or bridges but can never stray too far and are mostly invisible to people.

Illustrations by Vanja Todoric