A leshy (Polish: Leszy, in English sometimes spelled Leshii or Leszi) is a forest monster that is described as something that "lives only to kill". When they kill something or someone, they do not leave much for the carrion eaters.

I looked for the words "Witcher urgently needed". And then there'd be a sacred site, a dungeon, necropolis or ruins, forest ravine or grotto hidden in the mountains, full of bones and stinking carcasses. Some creatures which lived to kill, out of hunger, for pleasure, or invoked by some sick will. A manticore, wyvern, fogler, aeschna, ilyocoris, chimera, leshy, vampire, ghoul, graveir, were-wolf, giant scorpion, striga, black annis, kikimora, vypper... so many I've killed. — page 116, The Last Wish (UK edition) — page 148, The Last Wish (US edition)

The leshy isn't described in any more detail in any of Andrzej Sapkowski's books.

In the PnP RPGEdit

In the Wiedźmin: Gra Wyobraźni PnP RPG, leshy is described as a forest-dwelling, iron-resistant, highly intelligent monster. For unknown reasons, many peasants consider him to be a spirit that protects the forest. In reality, it is a very dangerous creature that hunts woodland creatures and lone wanderers. It has the ability to polymorph. In its natural form, it is a wildcat-sized creature that looks like a cross between a wildcat and a bear, with mighty fangs and sharp claws. It mostly lurks among the tree branches, from which it quickly jumps on its victims. It usually devours the whole prey. Its mightiest weapon is the ability to shift shape. It can morph into a humanoid being that looks like a harmless, old man or into a tree branch that is practically identical to real ones.

In Slavic Mythology Edit

The term "leshy" comes from the Slavic (Russian) term for "forest" ("les"). All Slavs had great respect for forests, mountains and water. A leshy was something like the master of the forest. It was everywhere in the forest and did not like when someone entered into his dominion, but it never left the forest. If a human spied a Leshy in the forest, it was most likely that he had lost his way. Folk tales told that to find his path again, he had to turn all his clothing inside-out.