Winter Folklore: Lutins..

 

Lutin....

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These small gnome like creatures can be found in  Scandinavia, Germany, England and a few other Locations including  America and Canada.

In Chicago there is a small demon, leprechaun or gnome like being called The Nain seeing him I'd said to be a bad omen followed be something bad happening to the the city.   ( Fire, sickness economic hardship ect ) He is most often described as childlike in hight with red or black fur boots and  "blazing red eyes and rotten teeth 

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 The word Lutin is usually translated to English as: brownie, elf, fairy, gnome, goblin, imp, jetin ..... pretty much any small figure depending on the region he is spotted in.

 He  can take several different forms  dogs cats other small animals or even a horse with a saddle ready to ride,  in this shape he's called Le Cheval Bayard. Or he could just stay completely invisible.

In  Quebec Canada he's considered a type of  spirit that can take  the form of either pets (usually a dogs or rabbit) or other animals from the region. It's believed that an animal with all white fur could be a Lutin especially a  white cat, though any  animal that lives in or near a home could  be a Lutin in disguise.  

The are essentially House spirits, similar to a Nisse or a Kikimora , they can be either   good or bad, the good ones use their  powers in a verity of ways ranging from  controlling the weather, to shaving the beard of the master of the house before he wakes up  Sundays.

Bad of simply offended ones  may harass the home owner with  minor troubles, like dulling  a  scythe blade or filling someone's shoes with pebbles. 

Good or bad they all seem to absolutely hate salt and will go out of their way to avoid crossing it when spilled on the ground.

 They also occasionally seem to enjoy tangling human or horses' hair into elf-locks.

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It Lapland mythology, they are helpers to Pêre Noêl (Santa🎅) Basically elves.

One of the older Lutin references can be found in the French fairy tale "Le Prince Lutin", written in 1697 by Marie Catherine d'Aulnoyshe    gives a description of their powers........

 "air, water and terrestrial lutin": "You are invisible when you like it; you cross in one moment the vast space of the universe; you rise without having wings; you go through the ground without dying; you penetrate the abysses of the sea without drowning; you enter everywhere, though the windows and the doors are closed; and, when you decide to, you can let yourself be seen in your natural form.

 In this story a red hat with two feathers makes them  invisible to everyone.