Cave Dweller

Mouros

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Tradition / Region: Portuguese Mythology
Alternative names: Moiros, Mouros Encantados, Mourinhos, Maruxinhos
Category: Cave dweller

The Myth

The Mouros are a race of supernatural beings who have inhabited Galicia, Asturias, and Portugal since the beginning of time. They are usually described as powerful beings who live beneath the earth, particularly beneath ancient castros, burial mounds, hills, and other places associated with the distant past. Some Mouros appear as giants or warriors, while the Mourinhos and Maruxinhos are described as much smaller, elf-like beings.

According to legend, the Mouros were forced to abandon the surface world for unknown reasons and retreat beneath the earth. They established hidden dwellings beneath ancient settlements and burial mounds, where they continue to live away from ordinary people.

The Mouros are famous for their skill in working gold, silver, and precious stones. Beneath the earth they manufacture enormous treasures and store them in their underground dwellings. These treasures are guarded by the cuélebres, great serpent-like creatures that protect the riches from anyone who attempts to steal them.

The Mouros rarely leave their underground homes. They emerge to obtain food and occasionally appear above ground during special times of the year, particularly around Midsummer. At such times they may be encountered near their underground dwellings, ancient stones, castros, and burial mounds.

Some Mouros appear as warriors or enormous men, while others take the form of enchanted beings. Among them are the Mouras Encantadas, supernatural women associated with springs, caves, rocks, and hidden treasures, as well as the Mourinhos and Maruxinhos, tiny underground people who live beneath the earth.

The Mouros are said to remain hidden beneath the ancient landscape, continuing their work with gold and precious stones while their treasures lie guarded beneath the hills and ruins where people occasionally encounter them.

Sources

“Mouros.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed August 15, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mouros

Yaobikuni

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Tradition / Region: Japanese Mythology
Alternative names: Happyakubikuni, Sennenbikuni, Shirobikuni, Eight-Hundred-Year Nun, Thousand-Year Nun, White Nun
Category: Cave dweller

The Myth

Yaobikuni appears as a woman who has lived for hundreds of years without aging. She is often described as a nun with exceptionally white skin and hair, and is said to have traveled throughout Japan while remaining young or unchanged despite her great age.

According to one of the most famous traditions from Wakasa Province, a fisherman or her father encountered a mysterious mermaid and brought its flesh home. Nobody was willing to eat the strange meat, but the man’s daughter eventually ate it. From that moment she ceased to age and gained an extraordinarily long life.

After many years, she became a Buddhist nun and began traveling throughout Japan. She continued her wandering for centuries, eventually reaching the age of 800 years. Stories of the extraordinarily old white-haired nun spread widely, and records from the Muromachi period describe an elderly nun who had come to Kyoto from Wakasa. Those wishing to see her were required to pay a fee according to their social position, while the gates of her residence were kept tightly closed.

Other versions tell that her father encountered a mysterious stranger in the mountains and was taken to a paradise-like place where he was given the flesh of a mermaid. He refused to eat it and brought it home, where his daughter consumed it and gained a life lasting more than 400 years.

In another tradition, a strange fish was caught in the sea and its flesh was discarded because everyone found it disgusting. The daughter alone ate it and gained supernatural longevity.

Some versions tell of a woman from Ōishi on Sado Island who gained a thousand years of life after eating mermaid flesh. She later gave 200 of those years to the lord of the province and eventually died in Wakasa at the age of 800.

Yaobikuni is also said to have traveled with a staff or pair of chopsticks. In many local legends, she planted them in the ground, where they took root and grew into trees. Temples throughout Japan preserve traditions connected with her, including stories of caves where she entered the earth and places where she stayed or founded temples.

Sources

Takahashi, Toshihiro. “八百比丘尼 (Yaobikuni).” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). August 14, 2020. Accessed August 15, 2026. https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1077741607.html

Zhegshemeер bookholdoy

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Tradition / Region: Buryat Mythology, Russian Mythology
Alternative names: Zhegshemeer Bookholdoy
Category: Cave dweller

The Myth

The Zhegshemeer bookholdoy is described as a disgusting and abominable spirit belonging to the lower mythology of the Buryats.

In the surviving description, the Zhegshemeer bookholdoy is identified as one of the supernatural characters found in Buryat folklore. No further legend or account of its appearance, behavior, or encounters with humans is given in the source.

Sources

“Жэгшэмээр бөөхөлдой (Zhegshemeer Bookholdoi).” New Bestiary (Bestiary.us). Accessed August 15, 2026. https://www.bestiary.us/zhegshemeer-bookholdoi

Vanatühi

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Tradition / Region: Estonian Mythology
Alternative names: Vanapagan, Old Devil, Old Empty One
Category: Cave dweller, Giant

The Myth

Vanatühi is a gigantic supernatural being who lives in the underworld and is described as a great farmer. He is more foolish than malicious and often becomes the victim of tricks played by humans and other supernatural beings. He is sometimes depicted wearing a hat made from fingernails that gives him the power to become invisible.

In Estonian folktales, Vanatühi appears as the great ogre who is repeatedly outwitted by his clever servant Kaval Ants, or Crafty Hans. Although Vanatühi possesses enormous strength and supernatural powers, his stupidity allows Kaval Ants to deceive him and escape from difficult situations.

In one tale, Vanatühi steals the musical instrument belonging to Pikne, the god of lightning. Pikne’s instrument is an object of supernatural power, and Vanatühi attempts to keep it for himself. The story follows the wider European tradition of tales in which an ogre steals the musical instrument of a thunder god.

Vanatühi is also the greatest enemy of the giant Suur Tõll of the island of Saaremaa. Their forces fight against one another in a great conflict, and during one of their battles Vanatühi’s forces manage to decapitate Tõll.

In some stories, Vanatühi possesses a remarkable hat made from fingernails. When he places the küüntest kübar upon his head, he becomes invisible, allowing the giant to move unseen despite his enormous size.

Sources

“Vanapagan.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed August 15, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanapagan

Kaibani

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Tradition / Region: Papua New Guinean mythology
Alternative names: None known
Category: Cave dweller

The Myth

Kaibani is a mythical guardian spirit associated with a sacred stone on Paho Island. She is described as a woman who lives beneath the stone and was once seen there weaving a belt. In some traditions, the spirit inhabiting the place is called Basai instead of Kaibani.

The stone is connected to a hollow place beneath the ground known as Basai’s Drum. When people stamp on it, it produces a hollow sound. The spirits of the dead, traveling to Adiri, are said to dance around the stone and beat the drum by jumping upon it.

In earlier times, the Mawata people performed ritual dances at the site whenever they visited Paho to fish and catch crabs. The sound of the drum was believed to predict the future. If it rang out clearly, it meant good fortune lay ahead, while a dull or unclear sound foretold difficulties.

Kaibani is also mentioned in a traditional ceremonial song, which refers to her belt with the verse: Mother of Paso makes Kaibani’s belt; that belt is no good. The source provides no further explanation of this incident, only that it refers to an episode from an older legend.

Sources

Landtman, Gunnar. The Kiwai Papuans of British New Guinea: A Nature-Born Instance of Rousseau’s Ideal Community. With an introduction by Alfred C. Haddon. New York: Johnson Reprint Corp., 1970 [originally published London: Macmillan, 1927].

Di Sma

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Tradition / Region: Swedish Mythology
Alternative names: Di Sma Undar Jordi, The Little Ones Underground
Category: Cave dweller

The Myth

The Di Sma are small human-like beings said to live beneath the ground on the Swedish island of Gotland. They are usually invisible to humans and, according to tradition, can only be seen by looking through a hole in a sheet of paper.

According to Gotlandic folklore, the Di Sma live beneath farms, where they watch over the people, animals, and land. As long as they are treated with respect, they quietly care for the farm and its inhabitants.

One of the best-known warnings concerns throwing out boiling water. People believed that carelessly emptying hot water outdoors could scald the hidden beings living beneath the ground. Angering the Di Sma in this way could cause them to withdraw their protection from the farm.

Sources

“Di sma undar jordi.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed July 28, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Di_sma_undar_jordi

Laminyaki

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Tradition / Region: Basque Mythology, Spanish Mythology
Alternative names: Lamiñaku, Lamiñak, Lamiak
Category: Cave dweller

The Myth

The Laminyaki are mysterious guardian spirits of springs, rivers, and caves that often appear as beautiful women with the legs or feet of a duck or chicken. In some regional traditions, however, they can also take the form of large supernatural cats that dwell in caves and lonely places. These feline forms are associated with hidden treasures, ancient magic, and encounters with travelers who unknowingly cross into their territory.

According to Basque legend, the Laminyaki inhabited remote caves, riverbanks, and mountain springs, where they guarded hidden riches and lived apart from humankind. Although they usually avoided people, they occasionally appeared to travelers, sometimes offering help and other times leading them into danger.

Many stories describe the Laminyaki demanding the return of stolen objects. One famous tale tells of a woman who borrowed a golden comb from one of these beings. When she failed to return it, the Laminyaki repeatedly appeared to her, warning that terrible consequences would follow if the comb was not given back. Fearing the creature’s growing anger, the woman eventually returned the treasure.

Other legends tell of Laminyaki visiting isolated farms during the night. If treated with kindness and offered bread, milk, or flour, they rewarded the household by secretly completing unfinished work before dawn, repairing bridges, cultivating fields, or helping with difficult tasks. Those who insulted or cheated them, however, could expect curses or misfortune.

One of the best-known tales concerns a young man who fell in love with a beautiful woman, unaware that she was one of the Laminyaki. She agreed to marry him, but his family suspected she was not entirely human. They instructed him to look at her feet, where he discovered that she possessed the webbed feet of a duck. Horrified, he abandoned the marriage. Heartbroken, the Laminyaki disappeared forever, later returning only to mourn at the young man’s funeral.

Whether appearing as beautiful maidens or as uncanny supernatural cats lurking near caves and springs, the Laminyaki remain among the most mysterious beings of Basque folklore, dwelling on the boundary between the human world and the hidden realm of ancient spirits.

Sources

“Ламиньяки (Lamiñaki).” New Bestiary (Bestiary.us). Accessed July 28, 2026. https://www.bestiary.us/laminyaki

Shōjō Kozō

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Tradition / Region: Japanese Mythology
Alternative names: Shōjō Boy, Shōjō Child
Category: Cave dweller

The Myth

The Shōjō Kozō is a small yokai depicted as a child with long hair and a completely red body resembling that of a Shōjō. Aside from its unusual appearance, little is recorded about the creature.

Unlike many other yokai, no legends or stories describing the Shōjō Kozō are known. It survives only through its depiction in the Monster Scroll, an illustrated collection of supernatural creatures painted by Miyagawa Harumizu during the mid-Edo period.

Because no accompanying tale was recorded, the Shōjō Kozō remains one of the more mysterious yokai in Japanese folklore, known almost entirely from its illustration.

Sources

Takahashi, Toshihiro. “猩々小僧 (Shōjō Kozō).” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). Accessed July 28, 2026. https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1051082152.html

Bukanai

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Tradition / Region: Russian Mythology
Alternative names: None known
Category: Cave dweller

The Myth

The Bukanai is described as a bogeyman-like creature from Russian children’s folklore. It is considered one of many frightening stories told to children and is described as a fantastic creature similar to a brownie.

According to the tradition, the Bukanai lives in places such as stables, haylofts, or underground shelters in the Middle Urals. Beyond its role as a frightening creature used in children’s tales, no further description or legend is provided in the source.

Sources

“Буканай (Bukanay).” New Bestiary (Bestiary.us). Accessed July 28, 2026. https://www.bestiary.us/bukanaj

Alux

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Tradition / Region: Maya mythology, Belize Mythology, Guatemala Mythology
Alternative names: Aluxo’ob, Chanekeh, Chaneque, Duende
Category: Cave dweller

The Myth

The Alux is a small spirit about knee-high that resembles a miniature Maya person dressed in traditional clothing. Although usually invisible, it can take physical form to communicate with or frighten humans. Aluxo’ob are associated with forests, caves, stones, and cultivated fields, and according to Maya tradition were created by the ancient gods from mud, leaves, and divine breath.

Farmers traditionally build a small house in their maize fields to summon an Alux. For seven years the spirit protects the crops by helping the corn grow, bringing rain, and guarding the fields at night, whistling to scare away animals and thieves. After the seven years have passed, the farmer must seal the little house by closing its doors and windows. If this is not done, the Alux escapes and begins playing mischievous tricks on people.

Aluxo’ob sometimes stop travelers or farmers to ask for offerings. Those who refuse may suffer misfortune, illness, or other disturbances, while those who show respect are rewarded with protection, good fortune, and help against thieves. Despite their helpful nature, they are also known for mischievous acts such as extinguishing fires or throwing household objects into yards.

Many people believe it is unwise to speak an Alux’s name aloud, as doing so may summon one. Even today, some construction companies in the Yucatán perform ceremonies before beginning work to avoid offending these spirits. Contemporary Maya also regard many small shrines found throughout the countryside as the houses of the Alux.

Sources

“Alux.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed July 28, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alux