Kostogloty query

[Lurana OMalley]

Dear SEELANGS,

I am working on a 1789 story and opera by Catherine the Great, and have a
couple of questions.  The one I pose today is the plural term
"Kostogloty," which appears throughout the story, in such contexts as
this:

s prava idut Kostogloty, s leva leshie, a po sredine kolduny vo
mnozhestve.

I wonder how this term is usually translated, and whether someone can tell
me a bit about the Kostoglots.  Is this a common fairy tale device?  Any
folklore sources I can consult?

Many thanks as always for your kind help,

Lurana O'Malley


Lurana Donnels O'Malley
Associate Professor
Department of Theatre and Dance
1770 East-West Road
University of Hawai'i
Honolulu, Hawai'i 96822
Tel. 808-956-9609
Fax  808-956-4234
omalley at hawaii.edu
http://www2.hawaii.edu/~omalley/