In the Baltic countries, there is a forest spirit called the leshy, which is very similar to the English pixie . It is a spirit which can be cruel or simply malicious. The leshy is that which you can feel watching you in the woods, but never manage to see. Its most common activity is to cause travelers to become lost in the forest. In the winter a leshy will brush away the footprints of travelers, so that they can not retrace their steps. During other times of the year they use Leprachaun-like abilities to make every tree and landmark look the same. The best way to thwart a leshy is to wear your shoes on the wrong feet and your clothes backwards. This confuses the leshy who will not be able to tell which way you are going, and will therefore be unable to keep you from your destination.
Nixie
In Germany the river spirits are called nixies. Although rarely seen, the females are very beautiful with long blond hair and blue eyes. Nixie maidens usually disappear as soon as a mortal appears, leaving nothing but a ripple in the water. But if the man is very handsome, the nixie may lure him into the water, never to be seen again. Those who stalk nixies, will hear their strange singing, causing them to lose their minds.
From Greek mythology there are a number of nature spirits and creatures who delight in merry making and causing mischief to humans.
Fauns
Fauns are very fairy-like in their appearance, having the features of attractive youths and the legs, tail and ears of a deer. They are gentle creatures who delight in merry-making, the playing of shawms (a type of flute) and singing and dancing. There are myths telling of the beneficial aspects of a nearby faun on the fertility of a farmer's crops (and daughters). Satyrs
While Satyrs are related to fauns they are quite different. A Satyr is also a half-man half beast spirit from the wilderness. However the Satyr is rude and coarse, having the hair, tail, legs and ears of a goat. They are lustful, lazy, cruel, malicious and greedy. Their primary pastime is to participate in drunken orgies and rape nymphs, who have the unfortunate burden of perpetuating the satyr race. While they participate in their drunken orgies, satyrs often perform a special dance called the sikinnis.
Nymphs
Nymphs are the Greek nature spirits that inhabit plants and other natural features. All take the forms of beautiful maidens. Each type of feature has a different type of nymph associated with it. Dryads inhabit forests, each has its own tree, and will live as long as the tree does. Napaeae inhabit similar areas but do not live in a particular tree, but stem from an entire grove. The Oreades live in the mountains. Neirads live in water and are the most malicious of the Nymphs they have a habit of entrancing and stealing handsome men, who may never be seen again above the waters. All nymphs have voices so beautiful they are often mistaken as the musical sound of the wind. The beauty of a nymph dancing has never been satisfactorily put into words, though a few love-struck poets have tried.
Lithuania
Zaltys
A strange, though helpful spirit, the Zaltys is a large black snake with a third eye between the two normal ones. The zaltys is a protector of both animals and men, and if one takes up residence in a farmstead, then good fortune will come to the family. The zaltys is rumored to have many magical abilities which it can use to defeat those who would cause unnecessary harm to animals. They are also believed to be appointed by the gods to keep an eye on the moral conduct of men.
A threat to be found in Papa New Guinea is the Kilyakai, forest demons who like spriggans steal human babies and then corrupt them with demon energies. In addition they steal livestock, and cause many sicknesses and diseases such as malaria, by firing poisoned arrows at unwary travelers. In appearance kilyakai look like small, wizened, old tribesmen.
The native North American tribes have many myths of the spirits of the land. One of the most fearsome is the bokwus.
It is the spirit that you always feel watching you as you move through the deep woods. Ocassionally you may catch a glimpse of his war-painted face as he peeks around a tree. He appears often near rushing water, using the sound to cover his approach, then when close enough, he pushes the hapless victim into the water. The bokwus also takes the spirits of the drowned to his home in the forest as soon as they are freed from their bodies. What he does with them there, no one knows.
Nagumwasuck
A group of fairies called the nagumwasuck are well known to the Passamaquoddy indian tribe. These spirits though ugly, are very helpful and create good luck in all of the tribe's activities. They are rarely seen, since their ugly appearance makes them very self-conscious. So whenever there is a human about they quickly dodge out of sight.
Ohdows
In the deep subterranean caves of north america there live the ohdows, a race of small tribal people very much like indians. They have many magical powers which they use to keep certain gigantic earth spirits and demons from emerging and devastating the earth.
Manitou
Among the Algonquin indians of Northeastern United States and Canada, there is the myth of the manitou. the manitou is a stoic race of faerie folk who live in tribes similar to the indians. They can be recognized by the small horns or antlers on their foreheads. Though neither particularly kind to the tribes in their areas, they were neither as malicious as some of the traditional faeries. They were often depicted as being tricksters. One manitou who's original name: Wee-sa-kee-jac, has been europeanized into Whisky-Jack, was said to have the head of the coyotee, and was especially known for his tricks. The manitou possesed strong magic, which the indians believed came from their music, produced through drumming.
Kushtaka
Among the Native Alaskan nation are people called Tlingits [clink-its]. Their creature similar to a fairy is called a Kushtaka. They are mythical creatures that have the appearance of a land otter, but are usually around the size of a man. Like changelings, they are known for kidnapping human babies. Once they have a human baby for a long time that baby will become a kushtaka, too. Kushtakas are usually known to be malevolent, always at war with a village's shaman, but there are a few tales where they were actually beneficial to the Tlingits.
Menahune
The menahune are night spirits of the Hawaiian Islands, they are similar to the Brownies of England. They emerge late at night to do the household chores while the family sleeps. They will only work for the very kind though. Rarely seen, the menahune are tiny agile creatures with pointy ears and black hair.
The Dama Dagenda are jungle spirits in Papa New Guinea. They attack all travelers through their jungle, inflicting terrible sores and ulcers. The only way to avoid their attacks is to talk or sing in a language that they do not know as you pass through their land. They waste time in trying to understand what you are saying, and if you move quickly you may escape. Unfortunately they know all local languages of their area.
The Little People of Lapland, are found in the far north of Sweden. They are normally found underground, but emerge during the winter to feed hibernating animals. They are usually indifferent to humans but may take revenge if wronged. Normally they will only poison a reindeer, but if very angry they will steal a baby, replacing it with a black-haired, sharp-toothed baby uldra. The methods of retrieving the human baby are similar to those used to retrieve children stolen by other faeries , including such drastic measures as beating the child with a burning tree branch until the screams cause the mother to return for it. A contrary opinion is that the child should be treated with great kindness, and in gratitude, the mother will return for it and bring the human child back as well.
A Welsh water demon who haunted a pool in the river Conway, and dragged down all living things into its depth. He was at length captured through the treachery of a girl whom he loved, and dragged ashore by oxen. The Deluge in Welsh folk-lore is connected with a monstrous crocodile called Afanc i Llyn
Bwbachod
The Welsh Brownie People. They are friendly and industrious, but they dislike dissenters and teetotalers. Sikes gives an amusing story of a bwbach and his quarrel with a Methodist minister.
Gwragedd Annwm
Lake maidens, not unlike Malory's Lady of the Lake. They are beautiful, and not so dangerous as the mermaids and nixies. They often wedded mortals.
Pwca
The Welsh Puck is much the same character as in England and Ireland. He likes his nightly bowl of milk, but does not seem to work for it as the bwbachod do. He is specially fond of misleading night wanderers.
Trwtyn-Tratyn
- The Welsh Tom Tit Tot.
Tylwyth Teg, or Fair Family
It is difficult to get a clear picture of the Tylwyth Teg. The name is very much used and for differing types of fairies. They are sometimes described as of mortal or more than mortal size, dressed chiefly in white. They live on an invisible island; they ride about and reward cleanliness with gifts of money; they dance in fairy rings, and mortals joining them are made invisible and carried off forever, unless they are rescued before cockcrow. Others wear rayed clothes of green and yellow, are small and thieving, particularly of milk and children. Unlike many fairies the Tylwyth Teg are golden haired and will only show themselves to fair-haired people. The usual brownie story is also told about them. They are very friendly with goats whose beards they comb on Thursdays.
