Abstract

The domovoy is the protective household spirit in Russian folklore. The evolution of the term domovoy in dictionaries reflects changes in its characteristics over time. While studies on the domovoy remain relevant today, there is a notable scarcity of linguistic research on this subject. This study is based on actants and lexical background theory. A historical-interpretative corpus analysis methodology was used, utilizing data from the National Corpus of the Russian Language (1,252 entries). The semantic role of the domovoy as an agent–actant is analyzed from both synchronic and diachronic perspectives, and its lexical background, word combinations, and traditional traits are examined, along with new features that reflect shifts in modern society. The research also identifies other Slavic folklore characters that appear alongside the domovoy. The image of the domovoy is defined based on the conceptual–semantic segments documented in dictionaries, as well as its lexical background examined within the corpus.