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Wild Man of the Forest

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Tradition: Swedish Mythology
Alternative Names: Wild Man
Category: Dwarf

The Myth

The Wild Man is a small, ugly creature with the appearance of a troll. His body is dwarfish, while his hair is stiff and coarse like straw. He lives in a cave deep beneath the earth and possesses remarkable treasures, including magical suits of armor and magnificent horses.

A Swedish king once encountered the Wild Man while hunting. After an unsuccessful day in the forest, the king saw the strange little creature running through the trees. He chased him down and captured him. The Wild Man would not speak a single word, no matter what the king demanded of him, so the king had a strong wooden cage built beside his castle and kept him imprisoned there. People came from far and wide to stare at the mysterious creature, but he remained completely silent.

When the king went away to war, he entrusted the Wild Man’s cage to the queen. Their young son often wandered around the castle grounds and eventually began playing with the captive. One day the prince’s golden apple fell through the bars of the cage. The Wild Man threw it back, and the two played this game for some time until the Wild Man finally kept the apple for himself.

The prince begged for it back. The Wild Man agreed, but only if the boy would set him free. He instructed the prince to ask his mother to comb his hair and secretly take the key from her girdle. The boy followed his instructions, unlocked the cage, and freed the Wild Man. In return, the creature gave him his golden apple and promised that if the prince ever needed his help, he would repay the favor.

The king eventually returned and discovered that his prisoner had escaped. Furious, he demanded to know who had released him. When the young prince confessed, the king remembered his oath that whoever allowed the Wild Man to escape would die, even if that person were his own son. He ordered the prince to be taken into the forest and killed.

The servants could not bring themselves to murder the boy. Instead, they bought a pig from a swineherd, took its heart, and returned to the king pretending that it was the prince’s heart. The young prince was left alive and wandered through the forest until he eventually reached another kingdom, where he disguised himself as a farmhand and became a herdsman.

Years passed, and the prince grew into a strong and handsome young man. The king of this new land had a daughter who declared that she would marry only the man capable of riding to the summit of the Glass Mountain in full armor. The mountain was so steep and slippery that every suitor who attempted the climb fell back down.

Hearing the commotion from the forest, the young herdsman wished that he could take part. The Wild Man then appeared before him once again. Remembering the prince’s kindness, he led him beneath the earth into his hidden cave. There he revealed a magnificent suit of steel armor and a splendid horse. The prince mounted the horse and rode toward the Glass Mountain, but vanished into the forest after making a remarkable attempt.

At the next trial, the Wild Man provided him with silver armor and a white horse. Again the disguised prince rode up the mountain farther than any of the other challengers before disappearing into the woods. At the third trial, the Wild Man brought out armor forged entirely from gold and an extraordinary golden horse.

This time the prince reached the very summit. He greeted the princess, received the golden apple from her hand, and rode back down the mountain before disappearing into the forest.

The princess refused to forget the mysterious golden knight. Eventually the king ordered everyone in the kingdom to gather so that she could identify him. Among the crowd she noticed a humble herdsman wearing a gray mantle and hood. She pulled back his hood and immediately recognized him as the golden knight.

The supposed herdsman then cast aside his rough cloak and revealed himself as the prince he truly was, still carrying the golden apple. He married the princess and received half of her father’s kingdom.

After helping the prince fulfill his destiny, the Wild Man disappeared from the story, and nothing more was ever heard of him.

Sources

Stroebe, Clara, ed. The Swedish Fairy Book. Translated by Frederick H. Martens, with illustrations by George W. Hood. New York: Frederick A. Stokes Company, 1921.

Fire Dwarf of Straßen

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Tradition: Luxembourgish Mythology
Alternative Names: The Little Man of the Geldfeuer
Category: Dwarf

The Myth

A small, thin man sits beside a mysterious fire burning on a meadow near a house in Straßen. He quietly tends the glowing embers while the fire burns continuously through the night. His connection with the supernatural fire is revealed when a poor servant girl approaches him looking for coals to relight the dead hearth in her master’s house.

The girl has been working for a farmer and is forced to rise around midnight to bake bread. Finding that there is no spark left in the kitchen hearth, she notices the strange fire burning on the nearby meadow. She takes a shovel and approaches the little man, politely asking whether she may take some of his glowing coals. He allows her to do so.

But when she carries the first shovel of coals back to the house and places them on the hearth, they immediately go out. The same thing happens with a second shovel. When she returns for a third load, the little man finally speaks. He tells her that she has now received her share of the inheritance from her uncle and warns her not to return.

Terrified, the girl carries the third load home. Once again the coals appear to die on the hearth. Yet when she lights the fire, she notices something glowing among the ashes. There, instead of ordinary coal, lies a pile of gold coins.

The girl wakes the farmer and his wife and tells them what happened. They call the local pastor, who advises them to bury the enchanted money seven fathoms deep in the earth at the place where the mysterious coal fire had once burned. They follow his advice and hide the gold beneath the meadow.

The supernatural fire, however, does not disappear. Even afterward, people occasionally see it burning on the meadow during the night. No one dares approach it or take its coals anymore.

Sources

La Fontaine, Edmond de. Luxemburger Sagen und Legenden. Luxemburg: Jos. Beffort, 1882. 187 pp.

Dwarf of the Earth’s Mirror

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Tradition: Czech Mythology
Alternative Names: The Earth’s Mirror
Category: Dwarf

The Myth

A farmer was returning home between Lichten and Siehstmichnit with an empty wagon when his oxen suddenly stopped. No matter how fiercely he struck them with his whip, the animals could not move the wagon. They strained against it, panting and bellowing, but the wagon seemed to have become completely frozen in place.

Then a little man emerged from the bushes. He told the farmer to strike the rear wheel with his hoe. The farmer followed the strange little man’s instructions, and as soon as the hoe struck the wheel, the wagon was able to move again.

When the farmer reached his village, he discovered something terrible. His neighbor was lying in his room with one of his feet severed.

The neighbor was a wicked sorcerer who possessed a mysterious mirror through which he could see what was happening elsewhere. While watching the farmer and his wagon in the mirror, the sorcerer had placed his own foot against the rear wheel as it appeared in the reflection. When the farmer struck the wheel with his hoe in the real world, the blow was transferred through the enchanted mirror and cut off the sorcerer’s foot in his room.

The strange little man had therefore given the farmer the means to break the sorcerer’s spell, turning the sorcerer’s own magical mirror against him.

Sources

Hans Watzlik. “Erdspiegel.” In Böhmerwald-Sagen. Budweis: Böhmerwalder Dorfbücher, 1921, Heft 5. Reproduced by SAGEN.at.
https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/tschechien/watzlik/erdspiegel.html

Dwarfs of Diekirch

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Tradition: Luxembourgish Mythology
Alternative Names: Plattfüßchen
Category: Dwarf

The Myth

In a ravine between Diekirch and Ingeldorf, small underground beings were said to dwell. They were described as goblins, living beneath the earth and gathering in the hidden places around the ravine.

The Knights Templar were said to have gathered in this same ravine, where the little underground beings lived. The tradition therefore connects the secluded place with both the mysterious knights and the small supernatural inhabitants beneath the ground.

In the nearby plain of Wallebroch lived another kind of goblin known as the Plattfüßchen. These small beings also lived underground, and Wallebroch was said to be the place where they gathered together for councils.

The legend gives little more detail about the appearance or activities of these underground people, but preserves them as mysterious little inhabitants of the Luxembourgish landscape.

Sources

“Die Zwerge von Diekirch.” SAGEN.at – Traditionelle Sagen aus Luxemburg. Reproduced by SAGEN.at.
https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/luxemburg/Zwerge_Diekirch.html

Dwarf of Gonzen

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Tradition: Swiss Mythology
Alternative Names: –
Category: Dwarf

The Myth

High on Gonzen, among the ancient ore-bearing rocks, lived a hidden people of dwarfs. They made their homes in deep holes within the mountain, where a cool wind rose from the underground passages. Their houses were said to be fashioned from iron and steel, with golden roofs and silver windows, making their underground dwelling as rich as the mountain itself.

During the warm months, the little men were busy working among the ore-bearing rocks. When winter came, however, their work stopped. They withdrew to their homes, gathered around a great hearth fire, and spent the cold season resting and enjoying themselves.

The dwarfs were especially fond of music. The sounds of violins and pipes were often heard coming from their hidden dwellings, accompanied by the dancing of the little people. Their music was so beautiful and clear that people above the mountain could sometimes hear the melodies as though they were floating down from the heavens.

Even the marmots living along the steep slopes were disturbed by the dwarfs’ winter celebrations. While the animals were trying to sleep through the winter in their underground shelters, the music of the hidden people could reach them beneath the mountain and interrupt their peaceful hibernation.

Sources

“Die Zwerge vom Gonzen.” SAGEN.at – Traditionelle Sagen aus der Schweiz (Kanton St. Gallen). Reproduced by SAGEN.at. https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/schweiz/st_gallen/zwerge_gonzen.html

Changeling

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Tradition: Czech Mythology
Alternative Names: Changeling
Category: Dwarf

The Myth

The changeling was a hideous creature placed in the cradle of a human child after a dwarf woman secretly stole the mother’s beautiful baby. Its head was unnaturally large, its eyes were like those of a frog, and a great goiter hung from its body. It also possessed an enormous appetite, eating so much that the mother could scarcely provide enough food for it.

When the mother discovered that the child in her cradle was not her own, she was overcome with grief. She begged and pleaded with the dwarf woman to return her beloved child, but the dwarf refused. The ugly creature remained in the cradle, crying out maliciously while the mother desperately tried to get her real child back.

Eventually, the mother prepared a strange drink and poured beer into an empty hen’s egg. She brought this to the screaming changeling. The bizarre sight caused the creature to suddenly stop crying. Then, to the mother’s astonishment, it spoke.

It declared that it was as old as the Bohemian Forest and had never witnessed such a strange custom in all its long life. By speaking like this, the creature revealed that it was no human child at all. The changeling immediately disappeared, and the dwarf woman was forced to return the stolen child to its mother.

Sources

Hans Watzlik. “Wechselbalg.” In Böhmerwald-Sagen. Budweis: Böhmerwalder Dorfbücher, 1921, Heft 5. Reproduced by SAGEN.at. https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/tschechien/watzlik/wechselbalg.html

Gütel

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Tradition: German Mythology
Alternative Names: Gütchen, Gütgen, Güetel, Gietel, Gitel, Gidl, Gidle, Göthel, Jütel, Heugütel
Category: Dwarf

The Myth

The Gütel is a small household spirit of German folklore, sometimes appearing as a little man or dwarf. In the Vogtland and Ore Mountains, the related Heugütel is described as a bearded little old man who lives in the hayloft. Despite his aged appearance, the Heugütel is believed to be the soul of a child who died without being baptized, and its tiny footprints may sometimes be found in ashes. Other Gütel are associated with the stove itself, where they are believed to make their homes. Geplakte markdown

The Gütel are generally helpful household spirits. They assist with work around the house and stable, while the Heugütel is particularly fond of children, rocking them to sleep and keeping them company while they dream. These spirits are most comfortable in households where people live piously, and the Heugütel is said to remain only where the inhabitants lead a Christian life. Geplakte markdown

Not every Gütel is friendly, however. Some of their darker forms torment children during the night, making them restless and causing illnesses such as chills, seizures, and measles. Women giving birth are also considered vulnerable to their attention. A Gütel can sometimes be distracted with small amusements: a little pot of leftover bathwater placed on the stove gives it something to play with, while eggshells, playing cards, and small bows and arrows can be left around the house or barn for its entertainment. Geplakte markdown

There are also ways of driving them away. Greasing the stove door with bacon rind or placing straw from the bed of a woman in childbirth across the doors can keep them out. In Saxony, giving the spirit new clothing is another way to make it leave. With the departure of the benevolent Heugütel, however, the household may lose the blessing and protection that came with its presence. Geplakte markdown

The Gütel can become especially dangerous when illness or death is near. In the Ore Mountains, a loud and heavy crash heard during the night was regarded as an omen of impending death. When someone had already fallen ill, offerings could be made to the Gütgen in the hope that the spirit would take an animal instead of the sick person. A cock was offered for a man, a sow for a woman, a goat for the person making the offering, and hens for children. Geplakte markdown

At night, the more troublesome forms also visit the stables. They torment cows until the animals growl and harass horses until they kick and bite. They are notorious for tangling the manes of horses and the hair of women into knots, a practice that gave rise to names such as Haargütel, meaning “hair Gütel.” Geplakte markdown

One particularly troublesome form haunts the woods and attacks solitary travelers. The little spirit leaps onto a person’s back and forces them to carry it, growing heavier and tormenting its victim until they become exhausted, breathless, and sick. In this form the Gütel becomes a true wandering menace rather than a helpful household companion.

Sources

“Gütel.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed October 4, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%BCtel

Katutayuk

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Tradition: Greenlandic Mythology, Canadian Mythology, Inuit Mythology
Alternative Names: Katutajuit; Katutajuk; Katutayuit
Category: Dwarf

The Myth

The Katutayuk are a strange race of dwarfs with enormous human-like heads carried on tiny legs. Their bodies are extremely small, with some traditions describing them as having no arms or torsos at all, only legs extending directly from beneath their oversized heads. Other accounts say that they have only three toes.

Very little is known about the Katutayuk, but they are associated with misfortune and wandering. Their lives are said to consist of one unfortunate event after another, leaving them doomed to roam the earth without ever finding a permanent home. They wander through the wilderness, appearing in places where strange disturbances have occurred.

Their presence may sometimes be detected without seeing the creatures themselves. The sounds of the Katutayuk moving through the night can be heard in the wilderness, while their wandering may leave behind broken or overturned objects. They are also blamed for strange holes suddenly appearing in the walls of igloos. These disturbances are caused by the Katutayuk as they continue their endless wandering through the land.

Sources

“Katutajuk.” New Bestiary (Bestiary.us). Accessed October 4, 2026. https://www.bestiary.us/katutajuk

Achuch-Pachuch

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Tradition: Armenian mythology
Alternative Names: Achoych-Pachoych; Achoch-Machoсh; Աչուճ-Պաչուճ
Category: Dwarf

The Myth

The Achuch-Pachuch are dwarfs who live at the very edge of the world, where the last human being is said to live before the end of the world.

According to Armenian tradition, the Achuch-Pachuch are so small that the entire world is believed to fit through the eye of a needle. When people eventually become small enough to pass through the eye of a needle, the end of the world will come.

Sources

“Achuch-Pachuch.” New Bestiary (Bestiary.us). Accessed October 4, 2026. https://www.bestiary.us/achuch-pachuch

Wakonyingo

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Tradition: Tanzanian Mythology
Alternative Names: Wakoningo; Wadaatimba
Category: Dwarf

The Myth

The Wakonyingo are a mysterious people of dwarfs said to live on Mount Kilimanjaro. They have enormous, misshapen heads and are much smaller than ordinary people. They withdrew into the mountains when advancing tribes drove them from their former homes, taking refuge high among the inaccessible slopes. Their settlements are reached by remarkable ladders fastened directly to the mountainsides, climbing so high that they seem to disappear into the sky.

Despite their strange appearance, the Wakonyingo are not portrayed as wholly hostile. They are said to feel compassion for people in need and sometimes help those who show them kindness. They are also connected with magical knowledge and are believed to possess spells capable of protecting crops from insects and other pests, as well as magic for closing roads so that enemies cannot enter their territory.

The Wakonyingo are said to descend from human children, although their enormous heads set them apart from ordinary people. They do not lie down to sleep. Instead, they sit upright against the walls of their huts, because their heads are so large that lying down would cause them to fall. Their unusual size also affects the way they dress: when one of the dwarfs falls, his companions must use their horns to lift him back up.

One story tells of two brothers, Mkunare and Kanyanga, who lived with their father in poverty. They had nothing, not even a cow, and Mkunare decided to travel to Mount Kilimanjaro, where they had heard that a chief who possessed many cattle lived. Along the road he met an old woman whose eyes were so badly affected that she could barely see. She asked him to lick her eyes so that her sight would return, promising to tell him how to find the chief. Mkunare helped her, but when she gave him directions, he ignored her request to treat her respectfully and continued on his way.

Eventually Mkunare reached the Wakonyingo settlement and saw what he expected to be a community of adults. Instead, everyone was no taller than a small herding boy. He asked where their fathers and older brothers were, and they assured him that the elders would return soon. The Wakonyingo then slaughtered an animal for dinner, but refused to give Mkunare any food, telling him to wait until their fathers and brothers came home. Hungry and disappointed, he left.

On his journey home he became lost and wandered for almost a month before finally finding his way back. He told his family about the strange little people living on Kilimanjaro and the great herds of cattle belonging to their chief.

Kanyanga then decided to try his luck. He too encountered an old woman and fulfilled her request, treating her with kindness. She directed him toward the chief’s settlement and told him to greet the Wakonyingo respectfully when he arrived. Kanyanga followed her instructions. The Wakonyingo welcomed him warmly, took him before their chief, and provided him with food and shelter.

In return for his kindness, Kanyanga was taught their magical knowledge. The Wakonyingo showed him spells that could protect crops from insects and other pests and taught him how to magically close roads so that enemies could not enter their territory. Before he left, the Wakonyingo rewarded him with cattle and goats. Kanyanga returned home driving a large herd, while his brother Mkunare remained poor.

The people remembered the story in a song that contrasted the fortunes of the two brothers and warned against despising the mysterious little people of the mountain:

“O Mkunare, wait until the fathers come!
What right did you have to despise the ‘little people’?”

The Wakonyingo were not believed to be creatures of the sky, although their lofty mountain homes and immense ladders gave them an appearance of belonging to the heavens. Their world remained firmly connected to the mountains of Kilimanjaro, where they lived apart from ordinary people and guarded their own strange knowledge.

Sources

“Vakoningo.” New Bestiary (Bestiary.us). Accessed October 4, 2026. https://www.bestiary.us/vakoningo