The Slavic house spirit often depicted as a female and living behind the stove is the Kikimora.
In East Slavic folklore, the Kikimora is a household spirit whose behavior depends on the family’s conduct. A well-kept home might receive help with chores and chickens, while a disorderly or troubled household could hear her whistles, nighttime noises, or breaking dishes. She was also associated with spinning thread after dark.
The stove was a symbolic center of the traditional Slavic home, making the space behind it an appropriate hiding place for a domestic spirit. Folklore also distinguishes house Kikimoras from swamp Kikimoras, the latter being linked with wet footprints, fog, and wilderness.
A common mix-up is Domovoi, the usually male household spirit who shares the home. Ovinnik is associated with the barn or drying house, while Bannik belongs to the bathhouse. Modern fantasy sometimes portrays Kikimoras as spider-like monsters, but that image is not the original household folklore.