Lokis () is a 1970 Polish folk horror film written and directed by Janusz Majewski, and based on the 1869 Prosper Mérimée horror novel of the same name. "Lokis" is Mérimée's misspelling of the Lithuanian word lokys for "bear". Plot In 19th century Lithuania, Pastor and folklorist Wittembach, who is traveling the remote countryside in an attempt to research and catalog the folk customs of its inhabitants, is invited to stay at the home of a young nobleman named Count Michał Szemiot. After being temporarily delayed when his carriage breaks down, Wittembach arrives at the vast estate the following day. Upon arrival, Wittembach is greeted by the estate's staff, who tell him the Count cannot see him at the present moment, as he is suffering from an unspecified ailment that temporarily suffers spells from. Wittembach is quickly befriended by the estate's residing physician Doctor Froeber, who admits to Wittembach that the Count's mother is sequestered in the estate's tower, as she was driven mad after a tragic event. Settling in for the night, Wittembach discovers a strange man spying on him in a tree outside his window but fails to apprehend the intruder. The next day, Wittembach is greeted by the Count, revealed to be the man who was spying on him. Apologizing for his rude behavior the previous night, Michał offers to help Wittembach in his study of the folk beliefs, giving him access to the rare books housed in his vast library which Wittembach graciously accepts. A little while later, Wittembach meets with Froeber, who confides with Wittembach as to the reason for the Countess' madness; while riding horseback with her now deceased husband, the then pregnant Countess was brutally attacked by a wild bear. Although the Countess survived the attack, she was driven irredeemably mad by the incident. After giving birth to Michał, she attempted to kill him several times, convinced he was not human. Even though Froeber has attempted to cure the ailing Countess through old-fashioned remedies, he laments that she is incurable. As Wittembach's time at the estate continues, Michał begins to display odd animal-like behavior that grows worse which each passing day. Wittembach learns from Froeber that the villagers believe Michał to be a Lokis (the local name for bear), the half-human spawn of the bear that attacked his mother all those years ago. Desperate to retain his own humanity, Michał becomes engaged to