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Little people (mythology)

Mythological humanoid creatures of small stature From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Little people (mythology)
This article is about little people as a mythological archetype. For other uses, see Little people.

Little people have been part of the folklore of many cultures in human history, including Ireland, Greece, the Philippines, the Hawaiian Islands, New Zealand, Flores Island, Indonesia, and Native Americans.

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Native American "Little People" from Stories the Iroquois Tell Their Children by Mabel Powers, 1917

Native American folklore

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The Native peoples of North America told legends of a race of "little people" who lived in the woods near sandy hills and sometimes near rocks located along large bodies of water, such as the Great Lakes. Often described as "hairy-faced dwarfs" in stories, petroglyph illustrations show them with horns on their head and traveling in a group of 5 to 7 per canoe.[1] The Pryor Mountains of Montana and Wyoming are said to house "fairy rings"[2]

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"How Morning Star Lost Her Fish", from Stories the Iroquois Tell Their Children by Mabel Powers, 1917

Other legends say the little people, if seen by an adult human, would beg them not to say anything of their existence and would reward those who kept their word by helping them and their family out in times of need. From tribe to tribe there are variations of what the little people's mannerisms were like, and whether they were good or evil, may be different. One common belief is that the little people create distractions to cause mischief.

Lewis and Clark reported in their journals that Native Americans in the vicinity of Spirit Mound, South Dakota held a belief in little people who inhabited the mound.[3] Clark wrote that the local Native Americans could not be persuaded to approach the mound, as they feared these tiny "Deavals" and considered them to be dangerous.[4] Although members of Lewis and Clark's party visited the mound, they did not encounter any unusual beings.

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Little people from Stories Iroquois Tell Their Children by Mabel Powers, 1917

Native American Wee Folk

Memegwaans

Ojibwe myths also bring up a creature known as the Memegwaans, or Memegwaanswag (Plural), which seems to be different from the more common Little People variation of Memegwesi. According to Basil H. Johnston, a Memegwaans is a little person without definitive form which is terrified of adult humans. However, it seems to have a soft spot for children and will often approach in the guise of a child to any young person who seems upset, injured, scared or lonely and either protect them or keep them company until help arrives. If an adult sees one, they will often cower on the ground, screaming and crying hysterically before vanishing in the blink of an eye. They were also known as protectors of copper mines and were prayed to almost as patron saints of lost children. This is more specific and different from the Memegwesi, which is often simply described as a short, hairy man.[12]

African folklore

Small magical beings found in various folklores across the continent of Africa.

  • Abatwa - tiny people who live among ants and grass; seen only by children, pregnant women, or the very lucky. Can be proud and touchy. Zulu folklore.
  • Aziza (African mythology) - Dahomey little people who live in anthills and silk-cotton trees[13]
  • Egbere - Yoruba nocturnal weeping gnome
  • Eloko - hairy dwarf-like forest beings
  • Madebele - Senufo mythology
  • Mmoetia - creatures of Ghanaian myth with analogues to fairy lore
  • Tikoloshe - Malevolent goblins invoked via magic. Zulu folklore.
  • Yumboes - African wee folk attested to in Thomas Keightley's The Fairy Mythology
  • Zankallala - rodent riding trickster of the Hausa people

Celtic folklore

Below is a listing of wee folk from Irish, Scottish, Welsh, Manx, and Breton traditions.

  • Aos Sí - Irish folk of the fairy mounds
  • Bluecap
  • Brownie - Scottish domestic fairy
  • Changeling
  • Clurichaun - Irish solitary fairy similar to a Leprechaun,[14] albeit more inebriated[15]
  • Coblyn - Welsh and Welsh-American knocker similar to bluecap
  • Dobhar-chú
  • Far Darrig - Irish fairy with porcine features[16]
  • Grogoch - hairy, half-human creature from Ulster and Scottish Isles
  • Leprechaun - little bodied Celtic solitary fairy[17][18]
  • Mooinjer veggey - Manx Gaelic little people
  • Púca - a shapeshifting trickster from Irish folklore who enjoys giving piggyback rides
  • Redcap - Scottish evil goblin, also known as Powrie
  • Sluagh - Celtic Unseelie trooping bogey
  • Spriggans - Unseelie members of the fairy realm in Cornish folklore
  • Tylwyth Teg - Welsh fair folk[19]

Philippine folklore

  • Nuno sa Punso - dwarf-like spirits from Philippine mythology who live in anthills
  • Tiyanak - a vampiric changeling in Philippine mythology
  • Duwende - Filipino duende living in burrows[20]

Other types of little people in mythology

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Though not universal, wee folk tend to have two physical features in common: diminutive stature and pointed ears. They may or may not have beards or wings, though rarely both simultaneously.

Little people in constructed literary mythologies

Other little people in literature

References

Bibliography

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