10 Little People Who Make Up Legends And Fairy Tales About

2023 Author: Adelina Croftoon | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-08-25 08:32

There are legends about the "little people" in many cultures, not only in Europe with its fairies, elves and gnomes, but in South America, Australia, Africa, and so on.

These little men differ in descriptions of appearance and demeanor, but they all have one thing in common - they stay away from people, try to hide, and they are very rarely kind to people.

At the same time, many of them live in caves or underground burrows, and according to some historians, perhaps these legends are based on the race of dwarfs that actually existed in antiquity.

Indirectly confirms the correctness of this version of the remains of the skeletons of ancient people on the Indonesian island of Flores. These short men were barely a meter tall and at the same time lived at the same time as people of ordinary height.

10. Patupaiarahe

This word was used by Maori from New Zealand for a strange tribe that lived in forests and mountains. They had pale bluish skin and red or blonde hair, and they were much shorter than ordinary people.

These little men were very afraid of the light and tried to stay in the shadows and dusk, and when a person entered the places of their settlements, they surrounded him, playing their flutes and charming him with this music. If a man wandered towards them, then they teased him or even killed him, but if a beautiful woman, then she was "taken as a wife" and as if this is how rare red-haired people appeared among the Maori.

To scare away the patupaiarahe, it was necessary to smear the body with a stinking herbal ointment before going into the jungle, or go there with torches and never extinguish them, they are all afraid of the light.

9. Nisse or Tomtar

The words "nisse" and "tomtar" in Sweden and Norway refer to little gnomes who live on farms and help people take care of livestock and crops. They are as tall as a small child, wearing red caps and shabby clothes with patches. Good nisse work very responsibly and always keep the yard, stables, house and sheds in order.

To thank them for their work, you have to bring them a large bowl of porridge into the barn once a year on Christmas Eve and never peep when they eat it.

If a nisse is offended, he will do dirty things, hide clothes, break dishes and may even kill a cow or a horse.

8. Tiny Indians

Many tribes of North American Indians tell legends about a small people. For example, mohegans from Connecticut believe in little men called Machiavisug who lived in burrows on a hill. If you are kind to them and from time to time leave them a basket of food, then these little men will help you and teach you various tricks like how to use certain plants for medicinal purposes or how to grow delicious corn.

The Canadian Exskazoni Indians of Nova Scotia also believed in the little men who lived under the hill. Indian children were strictly - strictly forbidden to go to play there, because these little men were stealing Indian children for unclear purposes.

The Shoshone tribe believed in a dwarf named Nimerigag living in the rocky mountains. They were hostile to the Indians and often attacked them with poisoned arrows.

The Choctaw tribe called these dwarfs Kwanikosh and were very afraid of them. These little men allegedly stole boys from the settlements.

7. Ebu Gogo

About dwarfs named Ebu Gogo are told on the same Indonesian island of Flores, and many scientists think that behind these legends there are real meetings of local tribes with "hobbits" that took place many millennia ago.

Moreover, these legends are scary, because the word Ebu Gogo is translated from the local dialect as "a grandmother who eats everything." And these dwarfs, according to legends, really ate everything, and raw, since they did not know fire. They ate fruits, vegetables, and if they came across a person, they ate him too. They often raided human villages and stole supplies and small children from them.

Ebu Gogo was about a meter tall, which also coincides with the height of the "hobbits", their hair on their heads was long and matted, and their arms and legs were thin and thin. They walked strongly hunched over, and the women had such saggy breasts that they threw them over their backs.

6. Leprechauns

Leprechauns are essentially Irish gnomes, dressed in green and with a special passion for gold. They are from 60 to 90 cm tall, have a red beard and generally look like little old men, although there are also young leprechauns. They wear hats on their heads, and buckled shoes on their feet. They are always neatly dressed.

Older Irish legends tell of creatures that looked more like fairies and dressed in red clothes, but at some point leprechauns became exactly what they are now.

In addition to their passion for gold, leprechauns are preoccupied with shoes and love to fix and sew. They also love music and are renowned for being cheerful creatures who often dance and sing. Special legends tell about a rainbow, at one end of which leprechauns hide a pot of gold, and if you find it, the leprechaun will fulfill your every desire, just to return the pot to itself.

5. Woodardjee

Nungars - a separate ethnic group of Australian aborigines, have in their rich folklore stories about vudarji - dwarfs, similar to people, but barely up to the knee.

The Woodarjee wear a thick beard and only a tiny loincloth in their clothes. But they have sharp stakes and if people accidentally step on their land, the vudarjs can attack them and severely injure them. In this case, all wounds will magically disappear when this person leaves the land of vudarji.

4. Duende

Duende or El Duende came from Spain and Portugal and spread across South America after the colonists. Initially, it was a dwarf less than a meter tall, wearing a red hat and clothes made of goat skins. Later, a cane and a lush beard were added to his appearance.

Duende mainly live in caves deep in the forest, but sometimes they can infiltrate people's homes and they especially like children's bedrooms. Probably because children see them and are afraid, and they feed on their fear. However, this is a modern legend, and the older ones told about the fact that duende penetrate to children in order to … cut off their toes.

Sometimes duende can be good, for example, helping travelers lost in the forest. They also protect the forest and animals from poachers.

3. Brownies

Brownies are creatures from Slavic folklore and live in houses behind the stove. In general, they look like an old man of small stature, but can look like a dog or a cat. Sometimes they have hooves, horns, or even a tail.

These are spirits-protectors of the house and most often they help people and take care of the house and pets. But they can also be angry and then at night they pinch, push or even strangle people. They can also harm cows and horses by spoiling milk and riding a horse at night.

If the family moves to another house, then it is necessary to take the brownie with you with a special ritual, otherwise there will be trouble. Without a brownie, the house can burn down or be robbed.

2. Aziza

Aziza are tiny butterfly fairies living in the jungles of West Africa. They look like ordinary people, but with wings on their backs. They are no larger than the same butterfly in size.

They are pure and beautiful creatures who are kind and always help people. According to legends, it was they who long ago taught people how to make fire and gave them many other knowledge about the world.

To thank the butterfly people, gifts in the form of fresh fruit are brought to the forests.

1. Menehuns

The Menehun dwarfs lived on the Hawaiian islands long before the Polynesians came here. They are about 50-60 cm in height, but there are also very tiny ones, no more than 15 cm. They are shy and shy of people, but they love to dance, swim and shoot a bow.

If the menechuns meet an evil person, they will shoot him with a magic arrow that will make him kind. Therefore, allegedly so few evil people live in Hawaii and few violent crimes are committed.

Someone says that the Menehuns left Hawaii after people came here, but others believe that they are still hiding somewhere where few people live.

The most curious thing is that some people among the Polynesians in the 19th century considered themselves the descendants of the Menechuns or themselves. According to the census of 1810, there were already 65 such people. What the subsequent Hawaiian censuses showed about the Menehun is, alas, unknown.