Which Cursed Folklore Creature Are You, By Myers-Briggs Personality Type

As you can probably tell by my difficult-to-pronounce name, I’m of Eastern European descent. While muggle kids were discovering magic through the pages of Harry Potter, I spent my afternoons reading The Witcher with its monsters, banshees and twisted notions of good and evil. I love all the strange “imagined worlds” humans have made up to make sense of things, and growing up when telling spooky stories around the bonfire was still a thing people did meant those worlds never felt entirely imaginary to me. 

I still remember my uncle telling me the story of the Południca when I was a kid, and for at least a few days afterwards, I refused to go outside at noon. Południca was said to corner field workers at the hottest, stillest part of the day and quiz them with riddles. Get one wrong and you could end up dead, mad, or worse!

So, before you reach for the usual Dracula, zombie or sexy ghost costume this Halloween, why not look a little further? There are literally hundreds of strange and fascinating creatures hiding in European folktales, and picking just one can be its own kind of scary. To make things easier, I matched sixteen of my favourites to the sixteen Myers-Briggs personality types. And now it’s time to meet your accursed soulmate.

INFP — Selkie

Selkies, seal-folk from the coastal folklore of Scotland and Ireland, can shed their seal skins and take human form, and they might be the most heartbreaking creature in this list. In one of the most common stories, a man finds a selkie woman on the shore, steals her skin while she’s on land, hides it so she can't return to the sea, and then takes her as his wife. Yes, he kidnaps her, but apparently in the olden days this meant “romance.” She spends years gazing towards the water, longing for the place she truly belongs. Eventually, she finds her skin, puts it back on, and returns to the sea never to be seen again.

The Selkie matches INFP because her story is ultimately about authenticity. She can live a different “wifely” life and play the role expected of her, but she can't wholly give up the part of herself that tells her who she really is. INFPs are deeply protective of their inner selves and individuality, and they don't conform easily when conformity means betraying something they consider essential to who they are. Everyone has to tread their own path eventually.

INTJ — Baba Yaga

Baba Yaga is one of the greatest figures of Slavic folklore and calling her simply a witch doesn't do her justice. She’s usually portrayed as a frightening old hag with wild hair and a crooked nose. She lives deep in the forest in a hut that stands on chicken legs, travels in a mortar and carries a pestle, and has a reputation for being both terrifying and surprisingly helpful. 

Baba Yaga feels INTJ because she has absolutely no interest in playing by anyone else's rules. INTJs like to figure things out on their own, and they're usually a few steps ahead of everyone else in the room. Baba Yaga's much the same. Even when you show up asking for help, she wants to see if you can handle it yourself first. She's not going to spoon-feed you the answer. She'd rather hand you the tools and let you prove you can use them. 

INFJ — Gamayun

Gamayun is a strange and beautiful prophetic creature from East Slavic folklore, usually depicted as a woman-headed bird. She’s said to know things that humans don't, including the future, and her voice carries knowledge and prophecy from a world beyond human understanding. In some stories, simply hearing her speak is enough to receive a glimpse of what is to come. Unlike many cursed creatures, Gamayun's power lies not in physical strength or violence, but in what she can reveal.

Gamayun gives off INFJ vibes because she exists almost entirely in the realm of intuition, symbolism and hidden knowledge. INFJs tend to look beneath the surface and connect ideas other people miss (thank you, Introverted Intuition!). Gamayun represents knowledge that isn't readily accessible, an ability to see possibilities that others cannot. Both spend a lot of time knowing something before anyone else is ready to believe it, which is a lonelier position than it sounds.  

INTP — Strzyga

The strzyga (STSHIH-gah) is TERRIFYING (all caps). In Slavic folklore, it’s a kind of undead being, often described as someone born with two souls, two hearts, even two sets of teeth, and therefore destined to become a Strzyga after death. Once dead, one soul was said to remain in the body, causing it to rise from the grave and prey on the living. A Strzyga might return repeatedly to the same household, feeding on blood or other parts of the body and leaving people sick or dead. 

So far, so…not very INTP. Except the alignment makes sense, because the Strzyga raises questions rather than offering easy answers. INTPs are drawn to things that don't fit accepted explanations, especially when there is a deeper logic to uncover. And the Strzyga is full of contradictions: dead and alive, human and monster, all in the one creature. 

ENFP — Wiła

Another creature from Slavic folklore, the Wiła (VEE-wa) is a beautiful but dangerous supernatural being, usually described as a long-haired young woman who lives in forests, mountains or rivers. In some traditions, Wiły are said to be the spirits of young women who died before they could marry, leaving them trapped between the world of the living and the dead. They spend their nights singing and dancing, which sounds super fun unless you’re a man who stumbles across their party and is forced to dance until he dies. 

Wiła, like ENFPs, are driven by freedom, emotion and impulse. Both feel things intensely and are difficult to contain by rules or restraint. They dance through the night, lure people into their world, form attachments, help those they favor and take revenge on those who wrong them. Their behavior can shift from playful to dangerous very quickly.

ENTJ — Kashchei the Deathless

Kashchei the Deathless is one of the most powerful characters in Slavic folklore, said to be on par with Baba Yaga. He’s an immortal sorcerer whose death is hidden somewhere outside his body, and finding it is an ordeal in itself. In the best-known version, his death is hidden inside a needle, the needle inside an egg, the egg inside a duck, the duck inside a hare, the hare inside a chest, and the chest buried under an oak tree on the mythical island of Buyan. You have to admire the man's commitment to making himself difficult to kill.

Kashchei makes a strong ENTJ match because he approaches humanity's greatest vulnerability, its own mortality, as a problem to be solved. ENTJs set tough, ambitious goals and want to have complete control over the conditions under which they operate. Kashchei’s elaborate precautions would put Voldemort to shame, and that sheer determination to stay in control is simply ENTJ at their most sinister.

ENTP — Czort

The Czort (chort) is a devilish creature portrayed as a small, hairy humanoid with horns, hooves and a thin tail. In Poland, his name has survived old folktales and turns up in everyday expressions: Do czorta z tym! is essentially “to hell with this!”, while niech cię czort weźmie is a colorful way of telling someone to go to hell. In folklore, the Czort is a cunning, mischievous, trouble-maker. He may tempt people, trick them and make dubious bargains to get the better of them. He’s a petty creature who seems to enjoy making a nuisance of himself.

ENTPs respect that kind of troublemaking. Curious, quick-witted and independent-minded, they love to test boundaries and see how far they can push an idea. The Czort does much the same with people, and seems to enjoy the game as much as the outcome. 

ENFJ — Banshee

The Banshee is one of the better-known creatures in Irish folklore, although the reality is stranger than the screaming ghost-woman of lore. Traditionally known as a bean sí, she’s a female spirit whose wailing is said to announce an impending death in a family. She isn't the one causing the death and, in many stories, she doesn't even appear. You simply hear an unearthly keening in the night. Some families were even said to have their own banshee, acting as an honored guardian performing the vital duty of calling family members home before a loved-one’s death. 

I connect Banshees to ENFJ, and only partly because they're both concerned with other people. ENFJs tend to be tuned into the emotional world around them, and they feel a responsibility to act when something affects the people they care about. The banshee helps families make sense of the unexpected. Her role is to warn, and that sense of responsibility feels very ENFJ.

ISFJ — Brownie

The Brownie is a helpful household spirit from Scottish and northern English folklore. He comes out at night while the household is asleep, to thresh grain, clean, tend the animals and finish whatever work had been left undone. Brownies are usually described as small, stocky,and covered in brown hair, with wrinkled faces and ragged clothing—if you think that sounds like a certain sock-obsessed house elf we all know, you'd be right, since Rowling probably based Dobby on these helpful creatures. Folklore holds that they were generally accommodating but easily offended: a bowl of cream might keep a Brownie happy, while offering him clothes could make him leave the household for good. 

The Brownie's strongest ISFJ quality is the way he expresses care through acts of service. ISFJs notice what needs doing and do it as a gesture of affection, and they’re deeply loyal to the people they have chosen to look after. Both Brownies and ISFJs contribute steadily, take pride in being useful, and expect to be treated with the same respect they give. 

ISFP — Bäckahäst

The Bäckahäst (BEK-ah-hest) is a supernatural water horse from Swedish folklore, said to lurk around rivers and lakes. Anyone tempted to climb onto its back soon discovers the problem: the horse's back stretches to accommodate every new rider, while its coat becomes so sticky that nobody can get off. The Bäckahäst then heads for the water, carrying its helpless passengers straight into the depths.

If this sounds like a slightly unhinged match for an ISFP, hear me out. ISFPs are total vibe-chasers who live for the physical moment, trusting their gut and chasing whatever looks cool or feels amazing right now. The Bäckahäst is basically that impulse personified. It runs purely on instinct, relies entirely on its raw, magnetic beauty to draw people in, and never overthinks the consequences. 

ISTJ — Kikimora

The Kikimora is a household spirit; sometimes portrayed as a small, scruffy woman with long, tangled hair, sometimes with an animal-like beak, claws or horns. The domestic version lives behind the stove or in the cellar, and is said to spin, weave and help with household chores. But she’s a demanding housemate. If people fail to keep things in order, she makes her displeasure known by moving objects, scratching, knocking and whistling, or tangling up yarn. In some traditions, hearing her spinning at night was a sign of trouble to come.

That is basically the ISTJ love language in a nutshell. ISTJs are the absolute kings and queens of structure, responsibility and the right way to do things, and they notice immediately when someone drops the ball. They thrive on routine and expect everyone else to pull their weight, too. The Kikimora channels that exact energy of fiercely guarding order and letting you know—loudly—when you are messing up the system. 

ISTP — Leshy

A forest spirit from Slavic folklore, the Leshy rules over the woods and everything in them. He’s a tall, bearded, wild-looking man, sometimes covered in leaves or moss, although he can change his size and shape and may even take the form of an animal. The Leshy isn’t hostile, but travelers who wander into his territory can find themselves hopelessly lost. He can imitate voices, lead people deeper into the forest, and generally make sure that anyone who treats his domain carelessly regrets it.

The Leshy feels ISTP to me because they’re both independent survival energy. ISTPs are the masters of the physical world, figuring out how things work on the fly, adapting instantly to whatever is thrown at them, and absolutely hating being told what to do. They value freedom above all else and would rather troubleshoot a problem themselves than follow a rulebook. The Leshy too is a lone operator. He knows his territory inside and out, resents interference, and just wants to be left alone to do his thing. 

ESFJ — Południca

Południca, the field demon of my childhood nightmares, appears at noon when the sun is at its hottest and field workers are supposed to stop and rest. In Polish folklore, she could appear as a beautiful woman or a frightening old hag and was said to torment people who kept working through the midday heat. In some stories, she would approach a worker and start asking questions or riddles; if they couldn't answer properly, she could make them ill, drive them mad, or kill them. She’s basically the supernatural embodiment of heatstroke. 

If that sounds like a hyper-vigilant community mom on a power trip, you are right on the money. ESFJs are massive champions of social norms, and they have a radar for when someone is stepping out of line or burning themselves out. They are not about to let bad behavior slide, which is peak Południca energy: stepping in with zero hesitation, laying down the law, and making sure everyone respects the collective boundaries whether they like it or not. 

ESFP — Drekavac

The Drekavac is a creature from South Slavic folklore whose name basically means “the screamer,” which tells you exactly what you're in for. According to some traditions, it is the restless spirit of a child who died before baptism and returns from the grave at night, screaming at anyone who happens to pass nearby. In others, it appears as a strange animal-like creature, sometimes described as a dog walking on its hind legs, a long-legged cat-like thing, or a disproportionate little monster with a huge head. The exact appearance seems to depend on where in the Balkans you ask, but the screaming is non-negotiable.

The Drekavac and ESFP have one obvious thing in common: lack of subtlety. ESFPs live for high-energy self-expression and are completely unapologetic about their way of processing life out loud. The Drekavac shares their hyper-expressive energy. Its scream is its entire form of communication, both visceral and inescapable. 

ESTJ — Buggane

Meet the Buggane, a giant, hairy Isle of Man nightmare with razor-sharp claws, a foul temper, and a habit of destroying property just because it can. It was said to live in remote caves and hillsides and could take on different forms, but one of its most memorable stories involves the church at St Trinian's. According to legend, the Buggane repeatedly tore the roof off the church while it was being rebuilt because the bells disturbed his sleep, and chased a poor local across the countryside when he tried to stop it. The church remains roofless to this day. 

That stubborn, unyielding push against anything disrupting its plans feels awfully familiar if you know an ESTJ. ESTJs value structure and direct action. They expect their environment to fall in line with how things ought to be, and they get things done on their own terms. The Buggane is that exact uncompromising force brought to life, relentlessly tearing down whatever gets in the way of its vision. 

ESTP — Nuckelavee

Originating in the Orkney Islands, the Nuckelavee is a monstrous sea creature with a horse-like body and a human torso rising directly from its back. Most descriptions make it considerably worse from there: it has no skin, leaving its muscles, veins and sinews exposed, and a single enormous eye that burns like a flame. Islanders blamed it for every nightmare scenario imaginable, from wiping out crops with toxic breath to dragging droughts and plagues across the islands. 

While the Nuckelavee's destructive streak is purely the stuff of dark folklore, its sheer physical presence captures a specific ESTP quality: a devil-may-care impulsiveness. The Nuckelavee is a creature of immediate impact—it emerges from the sea, brings destruction wherever it goes, and leaves people scrambling. That unfiltered energy mirrors how ESTPs engage with the world, moving with total presence and answering instantly to whatever happens right in front of them. What do you mean, there’ll be consequences?  

The Strange Wisdom of Folklore

Researching this article made me laugh, but it also took me straight back to being a kid and being terrified of Baba Yaga. It made me think about how strange our relationship with folklore is. We like to think of ourselves as rational, logical people who have left those superstitions behind, and yet we still say someone has “gone with the fairies” or that something is “the work of the devil” without thinking about where those expressions came from.

For all the monsters, curses and things that go bump in the night, these stories were attempts to understand the world. People used them to explain illness, death, dangerous places, strange weather, human behavior and all the things they couldn't make sense of. These days science gives us the answer. But in that trade we lost a bit of the magic, I feel.

Maybe that's why lining these creatures up against Myers-Briggs types didn't feel like that much of a stretch. Both are just ways of explaining why people act the way they do—one with cosmic horror and moral riddles, the other with a 10-minute quiz you take on your laptop.

Anyway, I already know what I'm dressing up as this Halloween. Whenever I misbehaved, my grandma called me a Czort, so in her honor, Czort it is.