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Legends of Little People from across the Globe & Curious Queue #6

September 06, 2024 Jennifer Hotes Season 4 Episode 6

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I've pestered my husband to write a book on the legends, myths and rumors of small people around the world for decades. Every culture on the planet holds dear stories of a group of small people that have unrivaled engineering skills that work during the night and live underground or in caves to stay safe from larger humans. These legendary people, If treated with reverence and respect, are known to give away treasures, or point the way to veins of gold, or build vital infrastructure overnight. 

Maybe it's because I've always been on the short side, measuring about five foot two standing on my tippy toes, but I've always felt a connection to this lore and these mystical people.

 Let's get into it.

A Great Article Is the PERFECT Place to Start

I found a great article that feels like the perfect place to begin. From Eagle's Rest Park dot org, Don and Diane Wells write;

"The Folklore and Legends of many Native American Tribes and indigenous people from other countries include the stories of the Little People. The Little People live in the woods and are often thought to be hairy-faced dwarfs. Some are no higher than your knee; others are smaller. They build houses in the rock structures under the trees, along streams and sometimes in the trees. They hide from anyone coming into the forest. In the legends of the old countries, they are called Fairies, Brownies, Gnomes, Goblins, Leprechauns, and Pixies to name just a few. Each Native American Tribe has their own name for them. To the Iroquois, they are called Jogahoh; to the Comanche, they are called Nunnupi and to the Cherokee, they are the Yunwi Tsundi."

Show Sources and Materials

Dwarves and Gnomes and More, by Don and Diane Wells, for Eagle's Rest Park

Legend of the Tennessee Pygmies (and their tiny stone graves

Strange Tales of Captured Fairies, Gnomes, and Other Mysterious Little People, Mysterious Universe, B. Swancer 

Beware of the Tommyknockers (an ancient legend as told by Annette Bromley of ABC Tales dot com

Tommyknockers, from Astonishing Legends dot com

Alaska Village to Village: Alaska Myths: The Little People

Hawaii's Menehune, Astonishing Legends dot com

Huldufolk - The Hidden People of Iceland and their adorable houses

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